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Game Week Illinois State

Game Preview: No. 16 Bears Start MVFC Road Swing at Illinois State

September 28, 2021

#16 Missouri State Bears (2-1, 1-0 MVFC) at Illinois State (2-2, 0-1 MVFC)
Date and Time Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021 | 1:05 p.m. (Central)
Location Hancock Stadium (13,391) | Normal, Ill.
Promotion Illinois State Family Weekend
Game Information Tailgating | Weather
Tickets GoRedbirds.com | (309) 438-8000
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Dennis Heim) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television Marquee Sports / ESPN+ (Kurt Pegler, Chris Highland)) | Watch
Series Illinois State leads 22-17-1 | Last Meeting: ILST 17, MSU 12 (11/18/19) | Stats
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Illinois State | MVFC | MSU Media Guide
Follow Athletics Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Football Facebook | Football Twitter | Instagram | Bears Weekly Presser | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite | @MoStateFootball
Up Next Missouri State wraps its two-game Valley road swing on Oct. 9 at Youngstown State (1 p.m.)

First and Ten
  • Missouri State begins a two-game Missouri Valley Football Conference road swing this week when the No. 16-ranked Bears travel to Normal, Illinois to take on Illinois State at 1 p.m. (ESPN+). Missouri State is seeking its first 2-0 start in league play since 1997 and shooting for its first win at Hancock Stadium since 2012.
  • Bears quarterback Jason Shelley (Frisco, Texas) earned MVFC Newcomer of the Week honors for the second time this season after helping lead a 17-0 second-half run in MSU's 31-23 win over South Dakota. Shelley threw for a season-high 281 yards, passed for 2 touchdowns and ran for 2 more, while completing 19-of-29 passes.
  • Shelley ranks 18th nationally in total offense yards per game (287.3) and 24th in passing yards per game (249.0).
  • Missouri State is ranked No. 16 in this week's STATS Perform FCS and AFCA Top 25 polls. It marks the 10th straight week the Bears have been ranked in the STATS Perform FCS Top 25, dating back to 3/30/21.
  • Cornerback Montrae Braswell (Avon Park, Fla.) snagged his 2nd interception of the season on the final defensive play of the game last week against South Dakota. The end zone pick against the Coyotes sealed the Bears victory and marked Braswell's 5th interception in 10 games as a Bear.
  • Damoriea Vick (Oklahoma City, Okla.) is 3 receiving yards from eclipsing the program's career top 10 in that category. He is already No. 7 on MSU's career receptions list (118) and is also just 17 receiving yards away from 1,500 in his career. His streaks for consecutive starts (33) and consecutive games with a pass reception (19) were both snapped in last week's game against South Dakota. He ranks 15th nationally in interceptions per game (0.7).
  • MSU's offense ranks 9th nationally in time of possession (34:32), 14th in 3rd-down efficiency (.471), 25th in red zone offense (.909), and 34th in passing offense (248.7). The Bears are the MVFC leader in time of possession.
  • Tyrone Scott (WR, Estill, S.C.) had a breakout game in last week's win over South Dakota, snagging 7 receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. His 46-yard TD catch in the 2nd quarter tied the game, 14-14, at the time and was his 2nd TD of the season.
  • Bears punter, Grant Burkett (So., Joplin, Mo.) is 1st in the MVFC and 2nd nationally in punting average (48.9), while helping the Bears rank 3rd in the nation in net punting (44.8). He has 8 punts this season of 50 yards or more with 5 downed inside the 20. Last year, he had a 43.0 average, which ranked 13th nationally and 3rd in the MVFC while earning All-MVFC honorable mention distinction.
  • The Missouri State defense ranks 20th nationally in team sacks per game (3.00), 20th in rushing defense (101.7), and 24th in first down defense (52)..
  • Missouri State was 3-0 in MVFC road games this spring in coach Bobby Petrino's first season with the Bears.
  • Jason Shelley will be playing in his 25th career game this weekend. Including his time at Utah (2018-19) and Utah State (2020), he is 215-for-387 for 2,372 yds and 12 TD. He has also rushed for 401 yards and 7 TDs. In his last 5 starts (including his last two at Utah State), Shelley is a combined 84-for-160 for 987 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.
  • All-MVFC kicker Jose Pizano (Lehi, Utah) shares the FCS national lead in field goals per game (2.33), ranks 7th in scoring (10.0), and 16th in FG accuracy (.875) on 7-of-8 attempts. He has converted 7 straight FG attempts this season (tied for the 5th-best streak in school history) and is 28-of-28 on extra points in his MSU career.
  • Defensive end Kevin Ellis (Ft. Worth, Texas) is coming off a stellar game against South Dakota in which he set career highs in total tackles (10), sacks (3.0) and tackles for loss (3). He also racked up a pair of QB hurries and forced a fumble. He leads the MVFC and ranks 9th nationally in sacks per game (1.33) and is also the Valley leader in tackles for loss (1.7), which ranks 14th among all FCS players. For his career, he has 124 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 14.0 sacks in 33 games.
  • Bears head coach Bobby Petrino (74-43) is seeking his 75th career conference victory. He is 6-1 in MVFC games.
Coach Bobby Petrino
  • Bobby Petrino is in his second season as Missouri State's head football coach after joining the Bears program on January 16, 2020. He is currently 126-62 (.670) in his 16th season as a head coach and is 7-6 at Missouri State, including a 5-2 ledger in the spring of 2021. As Bears head coach, Petrino is 3-4 on the road, and 4-2 at Plaster Stadium. He is 0-0 all-time against Illinois State.
  • During the 2020-21 season, Petrino helped lead the Bears to a 5-1 mark in Missouri Valley Football Conference play to earn a share of the MVFC regular-season title. His efforts not only landed him the prestigious Bruce Craddock MVFC Coach of the Year Award, but also led the Bears to their first NCAA FCS playoff appearance in 30 years.
  • ESPN recently named Petrino to its list of the top 100 college football coaches of the last 50 years, placing Petrino No. 77 on the list.
  • Petrino previously served as head coach in two stints at Louisville as well as Arkansas and Western Kentucky. He spent 14 seasons at the FBS level and led his programs to 11 bowl appearances with seven teams ranked in the top 25 at season's end.
  • The Helena, Mont., native is in his 33rd year of collegiate coaching overall, having guided his programs to AP top-six final rankings three times (2004, 2006, 2011) and directing some of the nation's top offensive programs along the way. His clubs have finished in the top five nationally in scoring offense three times, while his 2004 club at Louisville led the country in scoring (49.8 ppg). He has developed 34 NFL Draft selections during his illustrious career, including four in the first round, and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.
  • Petrino and his wife Becky have four children: Kelsey, Nick, Bobby and Katie — and six grandchildren. Nick Petrino is Missouri State's offensive coordinator, while sons-in-law Ryan Beard (defensive coordinator) and L.D. Scott (defensive line) are also on the MSU coaching staff this season. See pp. 19-21 for complete career stats/bio.
Series History
  • Illinois State leads the all-time series between the regional rivals, 22-17-1, including a 12-8 record in games played in Normal. The Bears have split the last two meetings, including a thrilling home win over the Redbirds in 2018 that culminated in a blocked Redbirds field goal attempt as time expired.
  • In the last meeting between the teams (11/18/19), ISU used a late-game goal-line stand to secure a 17-12 victory in Normal. Despite forcing a season-high four turnovers and limiting ISU to 238 yards of offense, the Bears could not overcome a pair of early Brady Davis touchdown passes. The thrilling goal-line stand by ISU at the end followed a clutch effort by MSU's defense down the stretch, as the Bears forced turnovers on two-straight Redbird possessions late in the game. Kam Carter picked off a Jack Baltz pass to give the Bears the football at the ISU 47 with just over three minutes left in regulation, but ISU's defense responded by stopping the MSU offense on four-consecutive plays to regain possession of the ball. But Angelo Garbutt, who accounted for two of the Bears four takeaways, then stripped James Robinson at the ISU 45, and Tyler Lovelace scooped up the loose ball to give the Bears new life at the Redbird 32 with 2:17 left. Peyton Huslig then hit Damoriea Vick for a 6-yard completion, then rushed for 6 more yards to move the first-down marker. The Bears' senior signal-caller then connected with Jordan Murray for a 12-yard gain that moved the ball to the ISU 8 with just over a minute to play. But after a 5-yard gain by Huslig on first down, ISU forced two incompletions and then secured a sack of Huslig to squelch MSU's comeback hopes.  STATS


 
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