Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Missouri State

FB Game Week 7

Football Bears Return to Action Saturday at UNI

October 17, 2022

Missouri State Bears (2-4, 0-3 MVFC) at Northern Iowa (3-4, 2-2 MVFC)
Date and Time Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022 | 4:02 p.m. (Central)
Location UNI-Dome (16,324) | Cedar Falls, Iowa
Game Information Stadium Procedures | Shop BearWear | Weather | FCS Top 25 Polls
Program Digital Program
Tickets UNIPanthers.com | (319) 273-4849
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Corey Riggs, Dennis Heim) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television ESPN+ (Brad Wells, Justin Surrency) | Watch
Series UNI leads 35-7 |  Last Meeting: MSU 34, UNI 27 (11/13/21) | Final Stats
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Northern Iowa | MVFC | MSU Media Guide
Follow Athletics Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Football Facebook | Football Twitter | Instagram | Petrino Weekly Presser | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite | #WakeTheBears | @MoStateFootball
Up Next Missouri State will return to Plaster Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 29 for a Homecoming showdown with Western Illinois at 2:00 p.m. | Tickets.|  Homecoming Central

First and Ten
  • After a week off, Missouri State returns to action Saturday when the Bears travel to Northern Iowa (4 p.m., ESPN+) for a showdown between the MVFC charter members. MSU has won two in a row in a series that dates back to 1980 and is looking for back-to-back wins in the UNI-Dome for the first time ever.
  • This week's Valley matchup features the league's top two quarterbacks in terms of total offense, passing yards and passing touchdowns. UNI's Theo Day leads the league in total offense per game (274.00), passing yards per game (264.29) and passing TDs (13), while MSU's Jason Shelley ranks 2nd in the MVFC in all three categories, just behind Day in total offense (273.33), passing yards (261.83) and passing TDs (12).
  • In terms of Strength of Schedule this season, the Bears rank 5th among all FCS programs and tops in the MVFC in opponent victories (22) and 11th in opponent winning percentage (.647).
  • Linebacker Von Young (So., Buckner, Mo.) has posted double-figure tackles in back-to-back games. He ranks 15th in the MVFC in total tackles per game (6.5) overall, while his 9.0 tackle average in league games ranks 8th.
  • Jason Shelley (Sr., Frisco, Texas) has thrown a touchdown pass in 11 straight games, which recently surpassed Jay Rodgers' (1999) club record (10). In just 2 seasons (18 games) in Springfield, Shelley ranks 4th in career passing yards (4,918), 5th in TD passes (34), 6th in total offense (5,429).
  • Shelley starts this week ranked in the top 25 nationally in six categories: 18th in passing yards per game (261.8); 20th in total offense (273.3); 22nd in passing touchdowns (12); 23rd in passing yards (1571); 24th in yards per pass attempt (8.27); 25th in points responsible for (84). Shelley was the 2021 MVFC Offensive Player of the Year and MVFC Newcomer of the Year and has earned MVFC Offensive Player of the Week twice this season.
  • Milestone Updates: Including his two seasons at Alabama State, Jahood Booker needs 153 receiving yards for 1,000 career (20g) and fellow transfer Jordan Jones needs 118 receiving yards for 1,000 (44g) ... Montrae Braswell needs 1 pass defended from 30 career ... Kevin Ellis is 5 tackles from 200 for his career (48g) and 0.5 sacks from 20 ... Jose Pizano is 1 point from 200 career (28g) ... Ty Scott needs 3 pass receptions for 100 at MSU (18g), 1584 yds., 12 TD.
  • With teams avoiding kickoffs to Montrae Braswell (55.0 KO return avg.), D'Vontae Key (So., Raytown, Mo.) has emerged as a national leader in that area, ranking 17th nationally with a 24.6 average. As a team, MSU ranks 29th nationally in kickoff return average (22.65). 
  • With a 44.9 season punting average, All-American Grant Burkett (So., Joplin, Mo.) ranks 4th nationally and 1st in the MVFC (for the second year in a row). His performance has also led MSU to rank 17th nationally in net punting (39.07).
  • The Bears' defense ranks 32nd nationally in third-down efficiency (.347), which leads the MVFC (25-of-72).
  • In MSU's last game (10/1/22), Jose Pizano (Lehi, Utah) broke Travis Brawner's (1997-99) school record with his 54th consecutive successful PAT attempt. He currently ranks 3rd among all FCS players in career FG percentage (.826), which is tops in the MVFC, 5th in points per game (7.1) and 5th in FG per game (1.36).
  • Missouri State's offense has high national marks, ranking 16th in fewest fumble turnovers (2); 16th in fewest total turnovers (6); 20th in red zone offense (.864); and 23rd in passing offense (261.8), which is 2nd-best in the Missouri Valley.
  • Quickly emerging as one of the league's top running backs, Jacardia Wright (So., Decatur, Ill.) is coming off games of 83 yards (15 carries) vs. SIU and 97 (12 carries) at North Dakota, to push his season rushing average to 73.0 yards per game overall and 81.0 yards per game in Valley play, which ranks 6th in the league.
  • On the heels of the team's home loss to Southern Illinois on Oct. 8, the Bears dropped from both the AFCA and Stats Perform Top 25 polls for the first time in 25 weeks, the longest run of consecutive weeks in the Top 25 in program history. The Bears did receive (18) votes in the Stats Perform poll this week, the 32nd-highest total.   
Coach Bobby Petrino
  • Bobby Petrino is in his third season as Missouri State's head football coach after joining the Bears program on January 16, 2020. He is currently 134-69 (.660) in his 17th season as a head coach and is 15-13 (.536) at Missouri State, including an 8-5 ledger at Plaster Stadium and 7-8 road record. As Bears head coach, Petrino is 11-6 in MVFC games (6-3 at home). Petrino is 2-0 all-time against Northern Iowa. 
  • He picked up his 75th career conference victory on Oct. 2, 2021 at Illinois State and his 130th all-time win on Nov. 6, 2021 at Southern Illinois.
  • Petrino's second season in Springfield in the fall of 2021 was even more impressive than his debut campaign. The Bears finished 14th in both the AFCA and Stats Perform final polls, while rolling to a 6-2 league record and runner-up finish in the MVFC. In addition, the Bears made a second straight appearance in the NCAA FCS Playoffs, while Petrino tied for 11th in the final voting for the Eddie Robinson Award for FCS National Coach of the Year.
  • The Bears boasted a dozen all-conference players in 2021 with QB Jason Shelley earning MVFC Offensive Player of the Year and MVFC Newcomer of the Year laurels. Five other MoState players earned All-America distinction in 2021.
  • During his debut in 2020-21, Petrino helped lead the Bears to a 5-1 mark in Valley 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.
  • In August 2021, ESPN ranked Petrino No. 77 on its Top 100 college football coaches of the last 50 years.
  • 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 34th 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 eight 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.  
Series History
  • In a rivalry that began in 1980, UNI has dominated the all-time series, 35-7, with Missouri State winning each of the past two meetings. The Bears are 4-17 all-time at home against the Panthers and 3-18 all-time in Cedar Falls.
  • In the spring (3/20/21), the Bears used a 13-play, 91-yard scoring drive on their first possession of the day to score the game's only touchdown with Matt Struck completing a 3-yard TD pass to Carson Buddemeyer in a 13-6 MSU victory in Cedar Falls. Missouri State never trailed and held No. 10 UNI to just 11 first downs and 27 rushing yards in a dramatic victory. The win gave MSU its first win at the UNI-Dome since 1998 and snapped a 14-game win streak by the Panthers in the series.
  • Last year in Springfield (11/13/21), a 55-yard pass from Jason Shelley to Naveon Mitchell with 58 seconds left in the game sealed a 34-27 Missouri State win. The No. 14-ranked Bears led 27-13 after an 8-yard Shelley touchdown run two minutes into the final quarter. But the visiting Panthers clawed back over a key 11-minute stretch in the fourth and ultimately tied things up, 27-27, with 2:14 to play. That's when Shelley and the Bears found another gear and put UNI away. On a key third-and-six play, Shelley connected with Ty Scott for a first-down pass to the MSU 45. Then, with 80 seconds remaining, Shelley notched up his fourth game-winning touchdown drive of the season, hitting Mitchell in stride before the New Mexico State transfer did the rest, weaving through defensive traffic to the far sideline and into the end zone. | Final Stats
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors