GAME 12 - Missouri State Bears (7-4, 5-2 CUSA)  vs. LA Tech Bulldogs (6-5, 4-3 CUSA)
Date and Time	Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 | 1:02 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
Tickets	MissouriStateBears.com/tickets | (417) 836-7678 | Stadium Box Office Opens at 10 a.m NOTE: Box office will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Online ticketing is open 24/7
Promotions	Kids 12 & Under Free | $10 Adult Tickets | Senior Day | 2025 Promo Calendar
Tailgating / Pregame	Tailgating & BearFest Village (Opens at 10:00 a.m.)
Radio	KWTO (101.3 FM) (Corey Riggs, Sam Block, Jim Powers) | Bears Radio Network | Varsity Network
Television	ESPN+ (Don West, Tom Mast, Cierra Clark) | Watch
Fan Information	Shop BearWear | Digital Program | Flip Card | Weather | Top 25 Polls | Know Before You Go Page
Coverage	Ryan Beard Weekly Presser | MoState Update / Audio Clips
Series	Missouri State leads 1-0 | Last Meeting: MSU 13, LT 10 (11/14/87)
Live Stats	Live Stats
Game Notes	Missouri State | LA Tech | 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

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

• Missouri State concludes the 2025 regular season on Saturday when the Bears host LA Tech at Plaster Stadium with a 1 p.m. kickoff (ESPN+). The Bears will honor 26 seniors in pregame ceremonies.
• Missouri State is No. 94 on MasseyRatings.com, which puts the Bears No. 2 in CUSA (in their inaugural season) behind WKU (88) and ahead of Kennesaw (100), Jax State (101), LA Tech (102) and FIU (116).
• RB Shomari Lawrence is just 120 yards from 1,000 on the season. The Bears have had just 10 players reach that milestone in program history and none since Chris Douglas (2010). He has eclipsed 100 rushing yards in 3 of the Bears' last 4 ball games.
• Lawrence, who ranks 4th in CUSA in rushing yards per game (80.0 overall and 96.0 in league games) is coming off a 173-yard effort at Kennesaw State last week, the most ever by a Bear against an FBS foe and most rushing yards by a MoState player since Jason Randall (181) vs. Northern Arizona (9/15/18). Lawrence was also ranked No. 6 in last week's PFSN CFB RB Impact rankings.
• MSU has recorded 46 explosive passing plays of 20 or more yards, which ranks 16th nationally.
• CB Jordan Dunbar ranks 2nd in CUSA and tied for 7th nationally in passes defended per game (1.18).
• Under coach Ryan Beard, the Bears are 5-0 when allowing less than 300 yards of total offense.
• WR Tristian Gardner leads the Bears with 6 receiving TDs this season, which is tied for 11th in a single-season in team history and the most-ever in a by a Bears' freshman. The MSU single-season record is 8. 
• QB Jacob Clark now ranks 17th nationally in passing yards per game (260.1), 20th in passing TDs (22) and 26th in pass efficiency (153.58). He leads CUSA in both passing TDs and completion percentage (.661). 
• Clark is Missouri State's career leader in completion percentage (.676), pass efficiency (163.30), touchdown passes (58), and 200-yard passing games (20). He is already No. 2 on MSU's passing yardage list (7,293) and needs just 77 yards to surpass Peyton Huslig (2017-19) for No. 2 on MSU's career total offense list. 
• Missouri State's 535 yards of total offense last week at Kennesaw State (11/22/25) is the club's second-highest total ever against an FBS squad (552, at Tulsa, 9/8/90).
• WR Ronnel Johnson ranks 12th in CUSA in receiving yards per game (50.0) in league contests. Likewise, Jmariyae Robinson (47.3) ranks 14th. Robinson (14) needs one more TD catch to move into the program's all-time top 5.
• MSU's front five (84.0) was ranked No. 13 in last week's PFSN CFB offensive line grades from Week 13, racking up 535 yards and allowing just 1 sack.
• The Bears have scored on their opening drive of the second half in 6 of the last 8 games (5 touchdowns). Likewise, MoState has scored first in 9-of-11 contests this season.
• A Missouri State victory would give the Bears ...
  • 8 wins for just the 10th time in program history, including back-to-back seasons 
  • A winning home record for the 5th consecutive season
  • 6 conference wins for the second year in a row and fourth time in MSU history
  • 20 career victories for third-year head coach Ryan Beard 

Series History

• In the only previous meeting (11/14/87), the Bears got two FG (27, 44) from Christ Potthast to claim a 13-10 win. Of the 34 combined possessions in the game, only four lasted longer than six plays with the teams combining for 20 punts. Rodney McConico carried 12 times for 43 yards to lead MoState.
• MSU boasts two Louisiana players: WR Dash Luke (New Orleans) and TE Hayden Hagler (Sulphur).

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 has been named the CUSA Coach of the Week by @CBSSports pundit Matt Zenitz three times this season.
• 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.