GAME 12 - #18 Missouri State Bears (8-3, 6-1 MVFC) vs. #3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (9-2, 6-1 MVFC)
Date and Time	Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 | 2:02 p.m. (Central)
Stadium Info	Robert W. Plaster Stadium (17,500) | Springfield, Mo. Parking Map | Bag Policy | Tailgating Info
Promotions	Senior Day | MSU Faculty and Staff Appreciation | 2024 Promo Calendar
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 Network App
Television	ESPN+ / MC22 (Don West, Tom Mast) | Watch
Tailgating / Pregame	Tailgating & BearFest Village (Opens at 11:00 a.m.)
Game Information	Shop BearWear | Weather | FCS Top 25 Polls
Coverage	Ryan Beard Weekly Presser | MoState Update / Audio Clips | Beard Honors Fargo Area Trooper
Program	Digital Program
Series	South Dakota State leads 13-1 | Last Meeting: SDSU 35, MSU 17 (11/19/23) | Final Stats
Live Stats	Live Stats
Game Notes	Missouri State | South Dakota State | MVFC Notebook | MSU Media Guide
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Follow	Athletics Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Football Facebook | Football Twitter | Instagram | #GoBears | #OutHitOut Hustle | @MoStateFootball

Accessibility
Missouri State University is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for those with disabilities. To request reasonable disability accommodations, contact the Deputy Compliance Officer at (417) 836-6755 or DeputyComplianceOfficer@MissouriState.edu.

First and Ten Notes

• Still very much in the hunt for a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference regular-season title, the Missouri State Bears close out the regular season Saturday with a 2 p.m. showdown against South Dakota State on Senior Day at Robert W. Plaster Stadium. MoState is currently in a three-way tie for second place in the MVFC standings, one game behind North Dakota State, but a Bears' victory over SDSU on Saturday and a South Dakota home win over NDSU would create a three-way co-championship between the Bears, Bison and Coyotes.
• The Bears have won 5 straight games at Robert W. Plaster Stadium (dating back to 11/11/23) and are looking for their first 5-0 season at home since 2010. MoState's home win streak is tied for the 14th-longest active streak in FCS. MSU has been unbeaten at home just 6 times in club history -- 1948 (6-0), 1963 (6-0), 1974 (5-0), 1989 (6-0), 1992 (5-0) and 2010 (5-0).
• Bears super seniors Grant Burkett (P, Joplin, Mo.) and Caden Bolz (LS, Overland Park, Kan.) have played in 55 consecutive games, dating back to 2020, matching current New England Patriot Eric Johnson's team record (2017-21) for career games played.  
• Missouri State will honor 13 players during pregame Senior Day ceremonies on Saturday.
• This season, All-America candidate Jacob Clark (QB, Rockwall, Texas) has surpassed Missouri State season records for passing yards (3,418), touchdowns (26) and completions (248), while on pace to break the Bears record for pass efficiency (176.5) and completion percentage (.719). He is a four-time MVFC Offensive Player of the Week this season and ranks in the FCS national top 10 in nine categories, including No. 1 in yards per attempt (9.91), No. 2 in total offense (312.4), passing yards (3,418) and passing yards per game (310.7). See p. 6 for Clark's national rankings.
• Jacardia Wright (Sr., Decatur, Ill.) needs just 4 points to become the sixth Missouri State player to eclipse 100 points in a season. His 16 touchdowns this season is tied for the fourth-best in program history and is just 3 behind Gerald Davis (2007) for the team single-season mark. The last non-kicker to lead the Bears in scoring was Kierra Harris (54 points) in 2013. In 31 games as a Bear, Wright has 476 carries (6th) for 2,215 yards (9th) and 29 rushing touchdowns (4th), all of which rank in the MSU career top-10. 
• WR Hunter Wood (Sr., Springdale, Ark.) needs 5 receptions to reach 100 for his career, an exclusive fraternity that includes 16 program greats. His 1,125 receiving yards ranks 21st on MSU's career chart. Wood ranks 3rd in the MVFC and 24th nationally in receptions per game (5.5).
• The Bears enter their season finale needing 33 points to match their all-time season scoring record (434), set in 1989. At 36.5 points per game this season, MSU is still on pace for its highest per-game scoring average since 1922 (44.0). The Bears are 10-3 under coach Ryan Beard when scoring 30+ points.
• MoState is 17-5 in its last 22 home games (13-4 vs. Valley foes) and has scored two or more touchdowns 21 times in that span, dating back to March 13, 2021. The Bears have also scored 30 or more points 17 times in that run. MSU has won 5 straight home contests and has cemented its fourth straight winning home season.
• MSU's "Thunder and Lightning" backfield combination of Jacardia Wright and Jayden Becks has combined for 1,253 rushing yards and 26 total TDs and 5.3 yards per carry this season. 
• The Bears need 123 yards on Saturday to eclipse 5,000 for just the 4th time in club history and first since 2021. MSU (27) is also 2 passing touchdowns away from matching last year's school-record total of 29. 
• MSU's league-best 12 interceptions this year is the club's second-most in the last 10 years (15 in 2021).
• Another notable MoState senior playing in his final game is DE Jalen Williams (Overland Park, Kan.). Williams will be making his 53rd appearance and has 14.5 career sacks to go with 120 career tackles.

Series History

• South Dakota State leads the all-time series between the teams, 13-1, with the Jackrabbits reeling off 8 straight wins since MSU's only win in the series on Oct. 19, 2013. Missouri State's 35-21 win at Plaster Stadium in 2013 makes the Bears 1-6 at home in the series and 0-7 in Brookings. 
• In the last meeting in Springfield (9/24/22), No. 2 SDSU rallied for 14 points in the game's final eight minutes to break up a fourth-quarter tie and defeat Missouri State, 28-14, in the MVFC opener. The Bears fell behind 14-0 early in the second half but rallied behind a pair of third-quarter scoring drives to tie things up. Jacardia Wright's 15-yard TD run capped a six-play, 71-yard scoring drive for MSU ahead of a 67-yard scoring strike from quarterback Jason Shelley to Raylen Sharpe on the home squad's next possession. Sharpe's dash knotted the score with 2:55 to go in the third. MoState came up with its only takeaway of the game on SDSU's next possession when Kevin Ellis jumped on a fourth-and-one Jackrabbits' fumble at the MSU 33. The Bears were unable to capitalize on the mishap, and a 21-yard TD pass from Mark Gronowski to Zach Heins put the exclamation point on a 10-play drive that chewed up more than five minutes of clock and gave the visitors the lead once again.
• Last season in Brookings (Nov. 18, 2023), No. 1 ranked SDSU rang up 477 yards of total offense and pulled away late to defeat Missouri State, 35-17, SDSU extended its overall win streak to 25 in a row and picked up its 18th straight home win. The Bears completed their first season under coach Ryan Beard with a respectable showing against the nation's top FCS club, playing even in the second half and racking up 343 total yards. QB Jordan Pachot completed 23-of-35 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns with standout receiver Raylen Sharpe reeling in 8 receptions for 86 yards for MSU. After trailing 21-3 at the half, the Bears drove 93 yards on just seven plays to open the third quarter. The three-yard TD pass from Pachot to Hunter Wood capped the drive after a 31-yard completion to Sharpe started the series, and a 27-yard rush by Jayden Becks took it to the Jackrabbit four. Pachot hit Wood three plays later to make it 21-10. Wood finished the day with 4 receptions for 78 yards. | Final Stats

Coach Ryan Beard

• Missouri State University officially presented Ryan Beard as its new head football coach on Dec. 19, 2022. At the time of his hire, Beard was the program's youngest coach on record and was the 22nd person to hold the football Bears' top coaching position. Beard is 12-10 overall in his second season as MSU head coach (0-1 vs. SDSU).
• His elevation to head coach came on the heels of three seasons as defensive coordinator (2020-22) at Missouri State under former head coach Bobby Petrino.
• In his inaugural head coaching season, Beard guided the Bears to a 4-7 overall record and a 3-5 ledger in the MVFC. The team's strong November surge included and a 35-16 home win over No. 18-ranked Northern Iowa.
• The 2023 Bears finished No. 5 in the nation in passing offense (300.3), No. 7 in pass efficiency (158.77), 26th in total offense (400.8) and 31st in scoring (29.8).  
• Missouri State was rewarded with seven All-MVFC selections in Beard's first campaign as head coach, including first-teamers Grant Burkett (P) and Raylen Sharpe (WR). Sharpe finished fourth in the MVFC Offensive Player of the Year voting. Likewise, Burkett (second team) and Sharpe (third team) were named to the Associated Press FCS All-America Team, while the Bears also boasted three Phil Steele Freshman All-America honorees, including first-teamers Cash Hudson (OL) and Avery Powell (CB).
• At season's end, Beard was named to the American Football Coaches Association's exclusive 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. 
• During his three seasons as MSU's defensive coordinator, Beard played a significant role in the team's resurgence, managing a defensive unit that boasted 18 all-conference selections, four All-Americans and three professional players in his tenure at MoState.
• 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. 
• He 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, 35, 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.