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Missouri State

Football - Week 1

Season Opener! No. 5 Bears Travel to UCA on Thursday

August 29, 2022

#5 Missouri State Bears (0-0) at Central Arkansas Bears (0-0)
Date and Time Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022 | 7:02 p.m. (Central)
Location First Security Field at Estes Stadium (10,000) | Conway, Ark.
Game Information Weather | FCS Top 25 Polls
Tickets UCASports.com | (501) 852-2234
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Dennis Heim) | MSU Radio Network | Listen Live
Television ESPN+ (James Westling, Dylan McElmore) | Watch
Series UCA leads 6-5 | Last Meeting: MSU 43, UCA 34 (9/11/21) | Final Stats | Highlights
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | UCA | MVFC | MSU Media Guide
Follow Athletics Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Football Facebook | Football Twitter | Instagram | Petrino Weekly Presser | Players Weekly Presser | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite | #WakeTheBears | @MoStateFootball
Up Next Missouri State will host UT Martin on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7:00 p.m. | Tickets

First and Ten
  • Missouri State opens its 111th season of college football on Thursday, Sept. 1 when the Bears travel to Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. (ESPN+) in the season opener for both squads. It will be the fourth meeting between the two clubs in the span of 705 days.
  • MSU is ranked in the FCS Preseason Top 25 of every major poll (No. 5 in Stats Perform) and returns 14 position starters, 41 lettermen and 53 total players from a 2021 season, in which the Bears finished alone in second place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference standings and made their second straight NCAA FCS Playoff appearance. Missouri State has been ranked in the Top 25 in at least one major poll for 19 straight weeks. The team's 2022 No. 5 preseason ranking is its highest ever, topping a preseason No. 7 position in 1990 (NCAA poll).
  • Missouri State is 51-56-3 all-time in season openers, while head coach Bobby Petrino is 12-4 in season openers during his career -- 0-2 at Missouri State (both against FBS foes).
  • Bears quarterback Jason Shelley (Frisco, Texas) is one of 35 players on the 2022 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List, which recognizes the top offensive player in the FCS ranks. The 2021 MVFC Offensive Player of the Year shattered Missouri State single-season records for passing yards (3,347) and total offense (3,789) in his debut last fall, while ranking 7th in the nation in yards per completion (14.2), 9th in passing yards, 10th in total offense (315.8), 11th in points responsible for (194) and 14th in passing yards per game (278.9). 
  • WR Ty Scott (Estill, S.C.) has garnered preseason All-America honors from a number of services after he shattered program single-season records for receptions (66) and receiving yardage (1,110) last season. He ranked 11th nationally in receiving yardage and 12th in receiving yards per game (91.8), while also breaking the program's record for 100-yard receiving games in a season (6) and tying the MSU receiving TDs mark (8). 
  • Last season, the Bears scored 30 or more points in 10 different games, matching the 1990 team's high-water mark in a single season. MSU has hit the 30-point plateau in 10 of its last 11 games overall and finished the 2021 season ranked 12th nationally in scoring (34.2) and 16th in total offense (436.5).
  • Grant Burkett (P, Joplin, Mo.) finished the 2021 season ranked 1st in the MVFC and 2nd nationally in punting average (46.2), while helping the Bears rank 2nd nationally in net punting (42.81). He had 16 punts of 50 yards or more and 15 downed inside the opponent's 20 yard line.
  • Last fall, Jose Pizano (K, Lehi, Utah) ranked 3rd in the nation in field goals per game (1.75), 7th nationally in scoring (9.1) and 9th in FG accuracy (21-for-24) with 14 straight makes, all of which led the MVFC. His season scoring total of 109 points was the most ever by a Bears kicker and 3rd overall in program history.
  • MSU opponents punted or turned the ball over on their opening drive in 9-of-12 games last season.
  • Coach Bobby Petrino finished 11th in voting for the 2021 Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award.
  • Jason Shelley enters the 2022 season just 28 passing yards away from 5,000 for his career.
  • Kevin Ellis (DE, Fort Worth Texas) ranked 3rd in the MVFC (and 41st nationally) in sacks per game (0.67) and 4th in the league in tackles for loss (1.1). He is a first-team Preseason All-MVFC selection this fall.
  • Montrae Braswell (CB, Avon Park, Fla.) is on the 2022 Buck Buchanan Award Watch List after earning All-MVFC first-team honors at two positions a year ago and earning All-America second-team honors. He finished 3rd in the Missouri Valley Defensive Player of the Year voting and ranked 7th nationally -- and tops in the MVFC -- in passes defended per game (1.4) with 4 interceptions, 13 break-ups, 44 total tackles and 33 solo stops.
  • Missouri State is a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference which has produced nine of the last 11 national champions at the NCAA Division I FCS level. The MVFC has five teams ranked in the Stats Perform FCS preseason Top 25, including three of the top five (Missouri State is #5), with two additional teams receiving votes. 
  • UCA projected starting QB Will McElvain is a transfer from UNI who started against MSU on Oct. 26, 2019. He completed 14-of-27 passes for 238 yards and 2 TDs in a 29-6 Panthers victory at Plaster Stadium on that date.  
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 132-65 (.670) in his 17th season as a head coach and is 13-9 (.591) at Missouri State, including a 7-3 ledger at Plaster Stadium and 6-6 road record. As Bears head coach, Petrino is 12-3 in MVFC games (6-1 at home). Petrino is also 1-2 all-time against Central Arkansas. 
  • 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 series that dates back to 1937, UCA leads Missouri State, 6-5. Missouri State is 4-3 at home in the series and 1-3 on the road. 
  • The teams met twice during the split 2020-21 season with No. 11-ranked UCA squeaking by the Bears, 27-20, in Conway on Sept. 26, 2020 before winning another close decision, 33-24, at Plaster Stadium on Oct. 17, 2020.
  • Last season, Missouri State avenged the back-to-back series losses in 2020 with a thrilling 43-34 win at Plaster Stadium on Sept. 12, 2021. Five touchdowns were scored in the game's final three minutes, and MSU racked up 374 yards of total offense, including 213 in the second half. Jason Shelley threw for 231 yards in his first home start for Mo State, while receiver Xavier Lane caught 9 passes for 148 yards, and Kevon Latulas carried 10 times for 98 yards to set the pace for the home side. It was Shelley's 26-yard touchdown pass to Lane with 29 seconds left in the game that put Missouri State up for good, 37-34, capping a 69-yard scoring drive in just 97 seconds. On the ensuing series, UCA took over at its own 25 with 29 seconds to go, but MSU's Devin Goree had a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble on the first play before Ferrin Manulelelua broke up a third-down pass from Breyli Smith. On fourth down, Tylar Wiltz picked off a Smith pass and returned it for a touchdown as time expired to give Missouri State a nine-point win over the No. 16/19 UCA squad. | Final Stats
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