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Missouri State

FB Game Week 9

Football Bears Resume CUSA Action Wednesday at NM State

October 19, 2025

By: MSU Athletics Communications
GAME 7 - Missouri State Bears (3-3, 1-1 CUSA)  at New Mexico State Aggies (3-3, 1-2 CUSA)
Date and Time Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | 8:00 p.m. (Central)
Stadium Info Aggie Memorial Stadium (28,853), Las Cruces, N.M. | Tailgating Information
Tickets TicketMaster | (575) 646-1420
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Corey Riggs, Tom Mast, Tom Ladd) | Bears Radio Network | Varsity Network App
Television CBS Sports Network (John Sadak, Patrick Peterson, Adam Breneman)
Fan Information Shop BearWear | Weather | Top 25 Polls | Digital Program
Coverage Ryan Beard Weekly Presser | MoState Update / Audio Clips 
Series First Meeting
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | New Mexico State | CUSA 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 |
#WeAreMoState | #OutHitOut Hustle | @MoStateFootball
Up Next Oct. 29 vs. FIU (Ag Day, Halftime Drone Show, $2 Hot Dogs) - Tickets | 3-Game Mini-Plan

First and Ten Notes
  • After starting the month with a road win at Middle Tennessee and then a "bye" week, Missouri State begins the second half of its 2025 schedule on Wednesday when the Bears travel to Las Cruces, N.M. for an 8 p.m. (Central) kickoff against New Mexico State in a nationally-televised tilt on CBS Sports Network.  
  • In his first career start, QB Deuce Bailey led the Bears to a 22-20 nationally-televised road win at Middle Tennessee on Oct. 8. His performance led to the CUSA Freshman of the Week award after he completed 16 of 31 passes for 278 yards and a TD, while rushing for another score.
  • Stewart McDonald's 45.9 punting average this season is on pace to be one of the tops in CUSA. He is shy of the 3.6 punts per game needed to qualify for CUSA's rankings (he has 18 att. in 6 games), but his average would rank 4th in the league and 20th in FBS.
  • The Bears are tied for 8th nationally in fourth-down defense, allowing opponents to convert just 2 of 7 attempts (.286) so far this season.
  • This is Ryan Beard's 30th career game as head coach. He is 15-14 overall, 10-8 in conference games, 7-9 on the road, and 5-4 in night games.
  • In its first FBS season, Missouri State is ranked No. 107 (out of 136 teams) by MasseyRatings.com, headed into the week, which is No. 4 in CUSA behind WKU (95), LA Tech (98) and Jacksonville State (100). 
  • The Bears played against NM State QB Logan Fife last season while he was a signal caller at Montana. Fife was 5-for-7 passing for 90 yards with 3 carries for 15 yards in the 29-24 season opener in Missoula..
  • Stewart McDonald's 45.9 punting average this season is on pace to be one of the tops in CUSA. He is shy of the 3.6 punts per game needed to qualify for CUSA's rankings (he has 18 att. in 6 games), but his average would rank 4th in the league and 20th in FBS.
  • Since the season opener, the Bears have held 5 straight opponents under 30 points. The last time MoState achieved that was in 2021 when Ryan Beard was defensive coordinator.
  • MSU has outscored its opponents 34-17 in the opening quarter and scored first in 5-of-6 contests.
  • Despite passing on 50.1 percent of their plays this season, Bears are 38th nationally (2nd in CUSA) in average time of possession at 31:22 per game.
  • Kanye Young, Maguire Neal, and Jared Lloyd share the team lead with 34 tackles apiece and are all tied for 22nd in CUSA in tackles per game (5.67)
  • WR Jmariyae Robinson needs 3 pass receptions to become the 17th Bear to eclipse 100 career catches. His 1,304 career receiving yards ranks 17th at MSU. 
  • LB Jalen Brooks ranks 34th in CUSA in tackles per game (5.17) and is tied for the league lead in fumbles recovered (0.33) and 2nd in fumbles forced (0.33). He is coming off 9 tackles (8 solos), 2FF, 2PBU and a fumble recovery at Middle Tennessee.
  • WR Dash Luke ranks 8th in CUSA in receptions per game (4.00), 7th in receiving yards per game (55.83), and 7th in all-purpose yards per game (88.50).
  • MSU's Oct. 8 win at Middle Tennessee (ESPN2) drew more than 338,000 viewers (SportsMediaWatch),  the 13th-most-viewed game in Week 7 (No. 1 in CUSA). 
     
Series History
  • First Meeting

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. 
  • At 36 years old, coach Beard enters the 2025 season as the fifth-youngest head coach in the FBS ranks.
  • Last season (2024), the Bears' final campaign at the FCS level, Beard guided MoState to an 8-4 overall record and No. 23 national ranking with 12 all-conference standouts and three All-Americans in his camp. Quarterback Jacob Clark finished 14th in the Walter Payton FCS Player of the Year voting, while running back Jacardia Wright signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Seahawks after the season. The Bears reeled off eight straight wins from Sept. 14 to Nov. 9, the squad's longest since a stretch from 1988-89.
  • The 2024 Bears finished 6-2 in Valley play to tie for fourth place (one game behind tri-champions NDSU, SDSU and USD) and match the team record for conference victories (1978, 2021), including MSU's first 6-0 start in conference play since 1978. Likewise, the Bears started 8-2 overall for the first time since 1990 and reached eight overall wins for the ninth time in program history -- first since the 2021 NCAA playoff team. Likewise, MSU's four-game road win streak was its first since a split-season stretch from 1996-97.  
  • Beard's 2024 squad boasted one of the nation's most efficient offensive attacks, racking up 306.2 yards per game through the air (5th), 424.8 total yards per game (17th) and 34.8 points per outing (13th), all of which ranked in the top 20 nationally.
  • In his inaugural head coaching season (2023), 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 the end of the 2023 campaign, 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 (2020-22), Beard played a significant role in the team's resurgence under coach Bobby Petrino, 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 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.
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