SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State racked up 414 yards of total offense and played turnover-free football, but visiting Western Kentucky used a 17-point swing in the second half to slip past the Bears, 27-22, here Saturday in MSU's Conference USA debut.
 
The Bears (2-3, 0-1 CUSA) held WKU to 4-of-13 on third- and fourth-down for the game, but La'Vell Wright's 91 ground yards on 10 carries with two touchdowns set the pace. Meanwhile, Maverick McIvor completed 26-of-39 passes for 317 yards to help get the Hilltoppers their first road win of the campaign.
 
Missouri State's Shomari Lawrence broke off a 32-yard touchdown run with 12:16 left in the third quarter to push the home side ahead, 16-10, at the time. Lawrence carried three times for 62 yards in the seven-play series to give the Bears their first lead since the first play of the second quarter.
 
WKU (4-1, 2-0 CUSA) returned fire on its very next drive, covering 75 yards in 12 plays before a two-yard TD rush by Wright gave the Hilltoppers a 17-16 lead with 6:29 left in the third. That series ignited a 17-0 run by the visitors with Wright adding a 17-yard scoring run later in the quarter before a 19-yard field goal by John Cannon made it 27-16 early in the final period.
 
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Bears defense rose to the occasion, holding WKU to a three-and-out punt that was returned by Dash Luke to the MSU 48. Luke's effort was enough to ignite MoState backup QB Deuce Bailey and the offense on the team's next drive. Bailey went 3-for-3 through the air and used his legs for 10 yards on three carries. His 15-yard strike to Ronnel Johson to the WKU 7-yard line set up a 9-yard scoring strike to Tristian Gardner two plays later. The Bears attempted a two-point conversion but couldn't convert to make it a 27-22 game with 4:30 to play.
 
But down the stretch, the visitors were able to run the clock out, converting three first downs on their final drive. McIvor's only pass on the possession was a clutch 11-yard pass to K.D. Hutchinson on third-and-five from his own 31 that moved the chains and helped dash MSU's hopes.
 
In the first half, the Bears got field goals of 49, 22 and 19 yards from Yousef Obeid to get the home squad within 10-9 at the intermission. The 19-yarder came on the heels of a 13-yard scramble on third-and-goal by starting QB Jacob Clark to the WKU 2-yard line. The vicious sideline hit took Clark out of the game and forced the Bears into settling for Obeid's third field goal of the quarter.
 
The Bears got the ball back with 27 seconds left in the second quarter and Bailey at the helm. Two WKU penalties and 13 rushing yards by MSU's signal caller gave the Bears a chance to retake the lead before the half. However, Obeid's potential go-ahead kick from 43 yards as time expired in the second quarter ricocheted off the left upright to keep it a 10-9 game.
 
Bailey took the reins for MSU's last six possessions and finished 7-for-16 through the air for 57 yards and added 61 rushing yards on 8 carries (7.6 yards per carry). Clark was 8-for-15 for 143 yards before departing with what was described as a lower-extremity injury.
 
Lawrence finished with 78 yards on 16 carries to lead a season-best 214-yard rushing day by the MSU offense. Ramone Green Jr. added 57 yards on 6 carries (9.5 yards per carry) to supplement a solid ground effort. Ronnel Johnson led MSU's receiving corps with 5 catches for 64 yards, while Dash Luke had 3 catches for 71 yards to go with 131 all-purpose yards.
 
Defensively, the Bears were led by Kanye Young whose second-career 10-tackle performance also included 2 tackles for loss, a sack, 2 QB hurries and a pass break-up. MoState also got 8 tackles apiece from Maguire Neal, Christian Ford and Jared Lloyd.
 
The Bears will have a weekend off next week before starting their first gauntlet through the CUSA Midweek schedule. MoState opens three October games on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at Middle Tennessee (1-4, 0-1 CUSA) at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
 
The Bears are back home on Wednesday, Oct. 29 against FIU at 7 p.m. for another nationally-televised game on CBS Sports Network. 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).