SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State quarterback Jacob Clark accounted for five first-half touchdowns and passed for 271 yards to help lead the Bears to a 42-10 win over visiting UT Martin in their non-conference finale here Saturday.
 
In their first FBS season, the Bears completed a rugged non-conference slate with a 2-2 record and head into next week's Conference USA opener against Western Kentucky with momentum on their side.
 
"Our keys this week were focus and discipline," said MSU head coach Ryan Beard. "Our defense was lights out with our ones and created some big turnovers. Putting points on the board after turnovers is what you have to do if you want to win games."
 
On Saturday, coach Ryan Beard's "Team 417" racked up 417 yards of total offense and scored 21 points off three first-half takeaways to set a blistering pace. MoState snagged two fumble recoveries and an interception on UT Martin's first four possessions and built a 28-0 advantage with 11:25 to play in the second quarter.
 
Clark passed for three touchdowns on 20-of-28 passes for 271 yards. He also rushed for two scores – the second and third ground scores of his career – with rushes of 7 and 4 yards in the opening quarter.
 
His favorite target on the day was Dash Luke who snagged career highs with 9 receptions for 110 yards and a late second-quarter score that made it 35-0 at the time.
 
Missouri State led 35-0 at the midway point, putting together five touchdown drives in six possessions. The shutout would hold up until a Skyhawks field goal with just under seven minutes to play in the game.
 
Clark's four-yard touchdown rush with 3:27 left in the opening quarter capped a 13-play, 83-yard scoring drive that took nearly seven minutes. It marked MSU's longest TD drive of the season in terms of plays and time (6:54) and came on the heels of a 40-minute lightning delay less than five minutes into the game.
 
He then hit three different receivers with touchdown passes, including a six-yard strike to James BlackStrain, a one-yard pass to Connor Lair, and a 17-yard scoring strike to Luke. The Bears outgained UTM by a 289-108 margin in the opening 30 minutes.
 
Clark played just one series in the second half, engineering a five-play, 80-yard scoring march that concluded with a 50-yard rushing touchdown from Shomari Lawrence. Lawrence finished with a game-high 65 yards on eight carries.
 
Kanye Young, Mitchell Toney and Jalen Brooks each had six tackles to lead the Missouri State defense with Young registering a forced fumble and fumble recovery, Toney recording a pair of tackles for loss, and Brooks also recovering a fumble.
 
The Skyhawks (0-4) tallied just 135 total yards through three quarters, but navigated a pair of fourth-quarter scoring drives with the outcome in hand. The first was a long, 21-play, 78-yard march that consumed more than 11 minutes before UTM settled for a 32-yard Cade Hechter field goal. Five minutes later, the visitors capitalized on a Bears fumble and ultimately found paydirt on a one-yard rush from Tommy Ansley to cap a 32-yard scoring drive.
 
UTM quarterback Jase Bauer finished 19-of-27 for 112 yards and an interception.
 
The Bears conclude their three-game home stand next Saturday when they entertain Western Kentucky at 6 p.m. in MSU's first-ever Conference USA game. Tickets for the game are available online at MissouriStateBears.com or at the Missouri State Box office at Great Southern Bank Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours (10-5, M-F).