Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Missouri State

Game Week 10

Bears Host FIU in Weekday CUSA Showdown

October 26, 2025

By: MSU Athletics Communications
GAME 8 - Missouri State Bears (4-3, 2-1 CUSA)  vs. FIU Panthers (3-4, 1-2 CUSA)
Date and Time Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 7:02 p.m. (Central)
Stadium Info Robert W. Plaster Stadium (17,500) | Springfield, Mo.
Traffic Flow / Parking Map | Clear Bag Policy | Tailgating Info | Game Guide / Changes This Season
Weekday Game Campus Parking & Logistics Information
Tickets MissouriStateBears.com/tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Stadium Box Office Opens at 1 p.m
Promotions Ag Day | Halftime Drone Show | $2 Hot Dogs | 2025 Promo Calendar
Tailgating / Pregame Tailgating & BearFest Village (Opens at 4:00 p.m.)
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Corey Riggs, Tom Mast, Tom Ladd) | Bears Radio Network | Varsity Network App
Television CBS Sports Network (Jordan Kent, Adam Breneman) | Watch
Fan Information Shop BearWear | Digital Program | Weather | Top 25 Polls | Know Before You Go Page
Coverage Ryan Beard Weekly Presser | MoState Update / Audio Clips 
Series First Meeting
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | FIU | 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

First and Ten Notes
  • Missouri State closes out October with its third Weekday CUSA contest of the month -- and first at home -- when the Bears entertain FIU at 7 p.m. Wednesday on CBS Sports Network.  
  • After missing a game-and-a-half with an injury, QB Jacob Clark returned to action at New Mexico State to lead the Bears to a 24-17 overtime win. In the process, he eclipsed 6,000 career passing yards, 6,000 career total offense yards and 100 scoring drives. He also tied Cody Kirby's MSU career TD pass record (47). Clark was 28-for-44 for 283 yards and 3 TD on the night. 
  • The Bears are tied for 4th nationally (1st in CUSA) in fourth-down defense, allowing opponents to convert just 2-of-8 attempts (.250) this season.
  • In its first FBS season, Missouri State is ranked No. 101 (out of 136 teams) by MasseyRatings.com, which is No. 3 in CUSA behind WKU (89) and Jax State (98).  
  • WR Ronnel Johnson has caught a TD pass in consecutive games, including the game-winner in OT at New Mexico State. Johnson has 16 catches for 232 yards in conference play. He ranks 3rd in CUSA games in receptions per game (5.33) and 4th in receiving yards (77.33).
  • In last week's win at NM State, the Bears set a season-high with 22 first downs and eclipsed 400 yards of total offense (409) for the 4th time in 6 games. 
  • Since the season opener at USC, the Bears have held 6 straight opponents under 30 points. The last time MoState achieved that was in 2021 when Ryan Beard was defensive coordinator. In CUSA games, the Bears rank 2nd in the league in scoring defense (21.33).
  • The Bears have outscored their opponents 41-17 in the opening quarter this season and scored first in 6-of-7 contests.
  • Despite passing on 51.4 percent of their plays this season, the Bears are 30th nationally (2nd in CUSA) in average time of possession at 31:33 per game.
  • CB Thomas Anderson logged a career-high 11 tackles in last week's win at NM State, including 10 solo stops and a clutch interception at the end of the first half that halted an Aggies drive at the MSU 5 yard-line. The clutch play was No. 3 on ESPN's Top 10. Anderson ranks 29th in CUSA in tackles per game (5.43).
  • WR Jmariyae Robinson needs 1 pass reception to become the 17th Bear to eclipse 100 career catches. His 1,326 receiving yards also ranks 17th at MSU. 
  • After 40 career games and 27 pass breakups at Rice, Kansas State and Missouri State, CB Jordan Dunbar snagged his first career interception last week in the thrilling CUSA win at New Mexico State.
  • RB Shomari Lawrence played two seasons (20g) at FIU (2023-24) and carried 172 times for 743 yards (4.3 ypc) and 5 TDs. In his first season with the Bears, he now ranks 5th in CUSA in rushing (63.71) and is coming off a season-high 97 yards on 21 carries at NMSU. He needs 45 rush yards to reach 2,000 career (44g).
  • MSU has recorded 28 explosive passing plays of 20 or more yards this season which ranks 39th nationally.
  • The Bears snagged 4 interceptions in last week's game at New Mexico State, marking the first time since 9/23/23 (vs. Utah Tech) MoState has recorded 4 picks.
  • The Bears are 5-0 in October games the last two years.

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.
  • Head coach Ryan Beard was named the CUSA Coach of the Week by @CBSSports pundit Matt Zenitz on Sept. 8, 2025 after MSU's first FBS win at Marshall.
  • 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-team picks 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.
Print Friendly Version

Sponsors