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Missouri State

FB vs. WKU

Football Bears Open CUSA Play, Host WKU Saturday

September 23, 2025

By: MSU Athletics Communications
GAME 5 - Missouri State Bears (2-2, 0-0 CUSA)  vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (3-1, 1-0 CUSA)
Date and Time Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025 | 6:02 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 1 p.m
Promotions Black Out | Future Bears Kids Club Promo | Spirit Squads Clinic | 2025 Promo Calendar
Tailgating / Pregame Tailgating & BearFest Village (Opens at 3:00 p.m.)
Radio KWTO (101.3 FM) (Corey Riggs, Sam Block, Tom Ladd) | Bears Radio Network | Varsity Network App
Television ESPN+ (Don West, Tom Mast, Cierra Clark) | 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 WKU leads 8-2 | Last Meeting: WKU 17, MSU 14 (10/14/06) 
Live Stats Live Stats
Game Notes Missouri State | Western Kentucky | 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 checks off another program milestone Saturday when the Bears welcome Western Kentucky to Plaster Stadium (6 p.m., ESPN+) for MSU's first-ever Conference USA contest. The teams have met 10 times previously and were league foes in the Gateway Conference (now MVFC) from 2001-06. 
  • The Bears have scored first and taken the early lead in all four games this season, including scores on their opening drive three times in four tries.
  • Under coach Ryan Beard, the Bears are 12-2 when they rack up 400 or more yards in total offense.
  • LB Jared "Bird" Lloyd is closing in on 100 career tackles. The fourth-year squadman needs 8 total tackles to reach the century mark (22 career games). 
  • WR Jmariyae Robinson needs 5 pass receptions to become the 17th Bear to eclipse 100 career catches. His 1,278 career receiving yards currently ranks 19th on MSU's career list. He also has at least one pass reception in 27 consecutive games, dating back to 9/1/23.
  • MoState is 18-7 (.720) in its last 25 home games, dating back to March 13, 2021. In that span, the Bears have scored two or more touchdowns 22 times and scored 30 or more points 18 times. MSU has reeled off 4 straight winning home seasons.
  • In just the fourth game of the season, Jacob Clark eclipsed 1,000 season passing yards last week vs. UT Martin. He is just the third Bears signal caller in the last 25 years to throw for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons, joining Cody Kirby (2007-10) and Peyton Huslig (2017-19). Clark's 44 career TD passes is just 3 shy of Kirby's MSU career record (47).
  • The Bears rank 29th among all FBS programs in passing offense (277.3), which is 2nd in CUSA behind WKU's 322.5 yards per game which ranks 17th.
  • The Bears moved up 3 spots to No. 104 on the MasseyRatings.com FBS computer rankings (136 FBS teams), which is 4th in CUSA behind WKU (83), LA Tech (90) and Jax State (96). MSU's 2025 Strength of Schedule is 51st among all FBS clubs. 
  • RB Shomari Lawrence posted a season-high 65-yard effort vs. UT Martin, including his first TD as a Bear -- a 50-yard rush in the third quarter. He currently ranks 5th in CUSA in rushing yards per game (52.0).
  • WR Dash Luke is coming off career-highs in receptions (9) and yardage (110) in MSU's win over UT Martin. Luke ranks 4th in CUSA in receptions per game (4.75) and 6th in receiving yards per game (59.75).
  • Missouri State's current three-game home stand (1-1) is its longest since 2018.
  • Missouri State's 7 takeaways on defense ranks 2nd in CUSA behind LA Tech's 8 turnovers gained.
  • Jacob Clark has now thrown for 200+ yards in 16-of-20 career starts. He accounted for 5 touchdowns in last week's win over UT Martin -- matching the most in his career -- and earning him honorable mention honors for the Earl Campbell Award Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks. Clark engineered 6 TD drives in his 7 offensive series vs. the Skyhawks.
  • WKU's initial entree into the FBS ranks saw the Hilltoppers record just 3 wins against FBS foes in their first 4 seasons (2007-10). However, since then, WKU has made 11 bowl appearances in the last 13 years.

Series History
  • WKU leads the all-time series, 8-2
    • Bears at Home                 1-4
    • Bears at Bowling Green   1-4
  • First Meeting    MSU 25, WKU 10 (10/13/84)
  • Last Meeting    WKU 17, MSU 14 (10/14/06)

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.
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