SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State never trailed and got two touchdowns apiece from Shomari Lawrence and Jmariyae Robinson to turn back visiting FIU, 28-21, here Wednesday in a Weekday CUSA showdown at Plaster Stadium.
 
Lawrence finished with a season-high 104 yards on 14 carries for the Bears (5-3, 3-1 CUSA), while Robinson logged a game-high 6 receptions for 47 yards and a critical fourth-quarter score to put the Bears up 28-14 with just over 8 minutes remaining.
 
It was Missouri State's first home victory over an FBS program and extended the club's overall win streak to three in a row while securing an unbeaten October (3-0) for the second straight season.
 
With the win, the Bears also moved within a game of Conference USA frontrunners Kennesaw State and Jacksonville State who share identical 4-0 league records at the halfway point in league play. At 4-1, Western Kentucky is also among the conference leaders.
 
Missouri State racked up 369 yards of total offense on a cool and windy evening in the Ozarks with quarterback Jacob Clark completing 16-of-27 passes for 163 yards, no interceptions and a pair of touchdowns -- both to Robinson.
 
After the teams went into the half tied, 14-14, the Bears scored on their first possession of the third quarter with Clark hitting Robinson with an 8-yard TD strike to cap masterful 86-yard scoring drive for the home club. The drive included two significant strikes to Makai Cope – the first was a 27-yarder on third-and-12 to get the ball into FIU territory – and the second was a 25-yard strike to set up first-and-goal at the 10. Two plays later, Robinson just got a toe down in the endzone to push the Bears ahead 21-14.
 
It marked the fifth straight game Missouri State had scored on its opening drive of the second half.
 
MoState's defense forced FIU (3-5, 1-3 CUSA) to punt on five of its first six possessions to start the second half while forcing a turnover on downs early in the fourth quarter to give MSU the ball in Panther territory.
 
Still, the visitors made it interesting on their final drive of the night, covering 65 yards on half a dozen plays to make it a one-score game. A five-yard touchdown pass from Joe Pesansky to JoJo Stone capped the two-minute drive that made it a 28-21 game with 3:29 to play.
 
After its score, FIU opted to kick the ball back to the Bears instead of attempting an on-side kick, and MoState took over at its own 14 controlling its own destiny down the stretch. A five-yard pass from Clark to Robinson converted a big first down after the two-minute timeout. Then, with the game on the line, Clark called his own number on a third-and-five at the Bears' 31 with the senior signal caller carrying seven yards for a first down to allow MSU to run out the clock.
 
Clark finished with 198 yards of total offense on the evening and took over sole control of the program's career passing touchdown record with numbers 48 and 49 in the game.
 
Defensively, Jalen Brooks led the Bears with 13 total stops, including 8 solos, while Thomas Anderson and DJ Wesolak racked up 8 tackles apiece. Also noteworthy was three QB hurries by Caleb Dietlin and timely fumble recoveries by Ahmad Poole and long snapper Mitch Weisenborn.
 
FIU was led by Keyone Jenkins who finished 15-of-24 for 147 yards passing with a pair of TD passes. Pesansky was 6-of-11 off the bench for 72 yards and a scoring pass.
 
The Bears held the nation's No. 4 rusher, Kejon Owens to 3.5 yards per carry with 63 yards on 18 attempts, while Stone led all Panther receivers with 6 catches for 48 yards.
 
In the opening half, the Bears broke the ice with the game's first score. Lawrence, a former FIU stalwart, cashed in a three-yard touchdown rush against his former teammates to give Missouri State a 7-0 lead just over six minutes into the contest.
 
The score was set up by the first of two MSU takeaways on the night, Weisenborn's recovery of a muffed punt at the FIU 24. It marked the seventh time in eight games MoState has scored first to take the initial lead.
 
FIU bounced back with 1:04 left in the opening quarter, parlaying a fake punt into a 12-yard gain for a first down to its own 38 to sustain a 14-play scoring drive. Ultimately, Jenkins' 6-yard pass to Dallas Payne made it 7-7.
 
Midway through the second, Missouri State went to Lawrence again as the senior scampered 41 yards to paydirt to push the home side ahead 14-7 with 4:32 left in the half. His effort put the finishing touches on an impressive 68-yard scoring march the Bears covered in six plays.
 
The visitors rallied from behind again to knot the score, 14-14, just before the intermission. Jenkins hit Alex Perry from 25-yards out with 44 seconds remaining to cap another long drive – this one covering 75 yards in 11 plays.
 
The Bears will return to the road on Saturday, Nov. 8 as they begin a four-game November sprint to the finish with a trip to Liberty at Noon (Central) in Lynchburg, Va. Coach Ryan Beard's squad then returns home for a homecoming matchup against UTEP on Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.
 
Tickets for the UTEP game are available at MissouriStateBears.com or by visiting the Athletics Box Office at Great Southern Bank Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours.