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Missouri State

Gameday 9

Bears Gear Up for Rival Redbirds in Week 9 Showdown

October 31, 2023

Missouri State Bears (3-5, 2-3 MVFC) vs. Illinois State Redbirds (4-4, 2-3 MVFC)
Date and Time Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 | 2:02 p.m. (Central)
Location Robert W. Plaster Stadium (17,500) | Springfield, Mo.
Promotions Student Tote Bag Giveaway | Food for MSU Students on The Clif
Tickets MissouriStateBears.com/tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Stadium Box Office Opens at 10 a.m  
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Art Hains, Corey Riggs) | Bears Radio Network | Varsity App
Television ESPN+ (Scott Warmann, Kelly Burke) | Watch
Tailgating / Pregame Tailgating & BearFest Village (Opens at 11:00 a.m.) 
Game Information Shop BearWear | Weather | FCS Top 25 Polls
Program Digital Program
Series Illinois State leads 22-18-1  | Last Meeting: MSU 41, ILST 20 (10/2/21)  | FInal Stats
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Illinois State | MVFC Notebook | MSU Media Guide
Follow Athletics Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Football Facebook | Football Twitter | Instagram |
Beard Weekly Presser | #MSUBears | #BearsUnite | #OutHitOut Hustle | @MoStateFootball

First and Ten
  • Missouri State begins a two-game November home stand this week when the Bears lock up with Illinois State at Robert W. Plaster Stadium (2 p.m., ESPN+). The late-season showdown will catapult the winner back to the .500 mark in the MVFC with two weeks to play. The Bears have won two of the last three meetings against ISU overall, including the last meeting in Springfield in 2018.
  • Missouri State is 2-1 at Plaster this season and can secure a winning record at home for the third straight season with a victory over Illinois State. The Bears have scored two or more touchdowns in 15 of their last 16 home contests, dating to March 13, 2021. MoState is 12-4 at home in that span (9-3 in MVFC games).
  • MSU quarterback Jordan Pachot (Jr., Highland, Calif.) eclipsed his career-high with 341 passing yards on 25-of-38 passing attempts with a pair of touchdowns at No. 24 Youngstown State last week. His 25 completions also matched a career high. He is averaging 278.5 passing yards in his 4 starts this season and ranks 14th nationally in passing yards per attempt (8.43), 17th in pass efficiency (150.6) and 24th in completion percentage (.653).
  • MSU leads the MVFC and ranks 6th nationally in passing offense, racking up 303.2 yards per game through the air. MSU also ranks 12th in yards per completion (13.86) and 13th in the FCS in pass efficiency (157.69).
  • Standout wide receiver, Raylen Sharpe (Jr., Allen, Texas) needs just 53 receiving yards to eclipse 1,000 in his MSU career. His 63 catches for 947 yards (15.03 ypc) has taken just 18 games to reach. He would become the 26th MSU receiver to reach the milestone and first since Ty Scott (2021) reached 1,000. Sharpe ranks 8th nationally and best in the MVFC in receiving yards per game (91.4) with 100+ receiving yards in 4 of 7 games this fall. He is also 10th nationally with 6.7 receptions per game (second only to ISU's Daniel Sobkowicz in the MVFC). 
  • As a team, Missouri State's defense has produced 6.5 tackles for loss per game, which ranks 3rd in the MVFC and 26th among all FCS clubs. The Bears also share the MVFC lead and rank 11th nationally in defensive touchdowns (2). Devin Goree (Jr., Denton, Texas) leads all Bears with 8.0 tackles for loss (1.0 per game) which is 6th in The Valley, while his 5.5 sacks is 27th nationally and 3rd in the MVFC. 
  • Missouri State is averaging 30.1 points per game, which ranks 32nd nationally. Since 2000, the Bears have averaged 30+ points per game just three times -- 2007 (36.3), 2021 (34.3) and 2010 (30.4). MSU has eclipsed 30 points three times this season and has scored 28 or more in 5-of-8 contests.
  • Wide receiver Terique Owens (Sr., Pleasanton, Calif.) leads the MVFC and ranks 14th nationally in yards per reception (19.00). He has 25 receptions for 475 yards and 4 touchdowns this season. 
  • Behind All-America punter Grant Burkett (Jr., Joplin, Mo.), the Bears rank 12th nationally in net punting (40.93), which is 3rd in the MVFC. Burkett is the FCS active career leader in punting average (44.02). He is just shy of the minimum number of attempts, but his 43.63 average this season would rank 12th nationally. He has 190 career punts for 8,364 yards with 49 punts of 50+ yards and 47 downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. 
  • With his 67.6 rushing average per game, Jacardia Wright (Jr., Decatur, Ill.) ranks 5th in the MVFC in rushing and is on pace to become the first MSU running back since Cody Pratt (2003 and 2004) to eclipse 700 rushing yards in back-to-back seasons. The Kansas State transfer has 13 rushing TDs in 18 games with the Bears and averaged 10.3 yards per carry last week at Youngstown State (7-72). 
  • The Bears rank 3rd nationally and 1st in the MVFC in 4th-down efficiency (.786), converting 11-for-14 attempts.
  • Bears safety Todric McGee (So., Wichita Kan.) ranks 24th nationally in tackles per contest (9.1), which is tied for 2nd in The Valley, while his 5.0 solo tackles per game ranks 30th nationally and 2nd in the MVFC. He had 12 tackles in last week's game at Youngstown State, his 4th game this season with 10 or more tackles.
  • Owen Rozanc (Sr., Sheffield Lake, Ohio) has converted 45 consecutive PATs, dating back to his days at West Liberty (31-for-31 this season). He also ranks 24th nationally in FG accuracy (.800), making 8-of-10 this season.
       
Coach Ryan Beard
  • Missouri State officially presented Ryan Beard as its new head football coach on Dec. 19, 2022 during a news conference at Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield.
  • At 34, Beard is the program's youngest-ever head coach and the 22nd person to hold the football Bears' top coaching position. His promotion came on the heels of three seasons as MSU's defensive coordinator (2020-22) under previous coach Bobby Petrino.
  • Beard has played a significant role in Missouri State's resurgence on the gridiron, managing a defensive unit that has boasted 18 all-conference selections, four All-Americans and three professional players in his tenure at MoState.
  • In his first campaign in Springfield in 2020-21, Beard and his defensive unit broke the program record for sacks with 27, created 15 turnovers, and held every MVFC foe under 30 points for the first time since 1989. The campaign culminated in five all-conference selections, while the Bears captured a share of the MVFC championship and earned an NCAA playoff berth.
  • As an encore effort in 2021, Beard's second year with the program saw the Bears top the club sack record again (30) while racking up 25 takeaways and securing 15 interceptions. In addition to making a second straight NCAA playoff appearance in 2021, MSU finished in sole possession of second place in the rugged Missouri Valley Football Conference, ranked ninth nationally in turnovers gained and finished 14th in interceptions per game. The 2021 Bears also boasted five all-conference players on the defensive side of the ball while Bears' defensive lineman Eric Johnson was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
  • The 2022 Bears defense gave up just 15.8 points per game over their last four games with defensive end Kevin Ellis leading the nation in fumble recoveries, and four MSU defenders earning all-conference laurels. 
  • Before coming to Missouri State, Beard spent the 2019 season at Central Michigan as the special teams and safeties coach for head coach Jim McElwain. He joined the Central Michigan staff in February of 2019 and helped lead the Chippewas to an 8-6 campaign on a defensive secondary that created 13 interceptions.
  • Beard served as an assistant at Louisville during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, starting as the defensive backs coach and in quality control before moving on to become the Cardinals' linebackers coach and their co-special teams coordinator. As the DB coach at WKU (2016), Beard was part of a CUSA championship Boca Raton Bowl win. 
  • Beard was a standout defensive back at Western Kentucky himself from 2007-11. He was a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection and was named to the league's All-Freshman squad and its All-Academic team. A native of Bowling Green, Ky., Beard was a four-year letterman at Bowling Green High for coach Kevin Wallace, where his efforts helped the Purples advance to the state 3A championship contest each of his last two years.
  • Beard holds two degrees from Western Kentucky: a bachelor of science in Business Management (2012), and a master of science in Recreation and Sport Administration (2014).
  • He is married to the former Katie Petrino. The couple have four children with son Beau and daughter Lainey, in addition to twins Jacob and Kailey born in the spring of 2022.

Series History
  • Illinois State leads the all-time series, 22-18-1. The Bears are 9-10-1 all-time at home against the Redbirds and 9-12 in games played in Normal. Missouri State has won two of the last three meetings, including a thrilling home win over the Redbirds in 2018 that culminated in a blocked Redbirds field goal attempt as time expired.
  • Two meetings ago in Normal, (11/18/19), No. 7 ISU used a late-game goal-line stand to secure a 17-12 victory. Despite forcing a season-high four turnovers and limiting ISU to 238 total yards, 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 pass to give the Bears the football at the ISU 47 with just over three minutes left, and later Angelo Garbutt forced a fumble at the ISU 45. The Bears moved the ball to the ISU 8 with just over a minute to play, but two incompletions and a sack of MSU QB Peyton Huslig squelched MSU's comeback hopes. 
  • In the most-recent meeting (10/2/21), Tobias Little racked up a career-high 90 rushing yards on 14 carries and scored three touchdowns to lead No. 16 Missouri State to a 41-20 road win. The Bears amassed 513 total yards and pitched a shutout in the second half. QB Jason Shelley passed  for 319 yards and a pair of scores on 19-of-27 attempts. The win marked MSU's first win at Hancock Stadium since 2012 and the Bears' first 2-0 start in league play since 1997. Midway through the third, a blocked punt by Von Young set the visitors up at the Redbirds 40. Five plays later, Little carried it into the endzone from five yards out to make it a 27-20 game and MSU never looked back.  | FInal Stats
     
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