Thursday, October 8
Bowling Green, Ky.
6:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
at
Western Kentucky
Grid Bears Start CUSA Play Thursday at WKU
October 05, 2026 | Football
| GAME 5 Missouri State Bears (1-3, 0-0 CUSA) at WKU (1-4, 0-1 CUSA) |
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| Date &Â Time | Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026 | 6:00 p.m. |
| Stadium Info | Houchens-Smith Stadium (22,113), Bowling Green, Ky. | Game Day Guide |
| Tickets | Tickets | (270) 745-2423 |
| Radio | KWTO (101.3 FM) (Corey Riggs, Tom Mast, Tom Ladd)Â | Bears Radio Network | Varsity Network |
| Television | CBS Sports Network (Justin Kutcher, Ben DiNucci) | Watch |
| Fan Information | Shop BearWear | Weather | Top 25 Polls |
| Coverage | Casey Woods Weekly Presser | MoState Update / Audio Clips |
| Series | WKU leads 9-2Â Last Year:Â WKU 27, MSU 22 - 9/27/25 Recap | Stats | Highlights |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Game Notes | Missouri State | WKU | CUSA Notebook | Mo State Media Guide |
| Bears Mobile App | App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices) |
| Follow | Athletics Facebook | Athletics Twitter | Football Facebook | Football Twitter | Instagram | #ItTakesUsAll | @MoStateFootball |
First and Ten Notes
- Missouri State begins conference play on Thursday, Oct. 8 when the Bears travel to Bowling Green, Ky. to square off with Western Kentucky (6:00 p.m., CBS Sports). The Hilltoppers have opened the 2026 season with 4 of 5 games on the road, while the Bears will kick off conference play away from home for just the third time in the last 7 seasons.
- LB Jared "Bird" Lloyd (5th yr, Daytona Beach, Fla.) remains Conference USA's top tackler (11.3 per game) after posting 13 total stops in each of the past two games. Lloyd has recorded double-figure tackles in 5 of the last 7 contests and ranks No. 2 nationally in total tackles per game and 18th in solo stops per game (5.00), which ranks 2nd in CUSA.
- Missouri State (3-0) is the only Conference USA school to hold a perfect record in Weekday CUSA games. Jax State (10-1), Liberty (7-2), WKU (6-4) and New Mexico State (7-4) also have winning records in Monday to Friday CUSA games.
- Fifth-year QB Skyler Locklear (Clayton, N.C.) leads all Conference USA passers in completion percentage (.702), which is 21st-best among all FBS players. He also ranks 42nd nationally (3rd in CUSA) in yards per attempt (8.32) and 46th (4th in CUSA) in pass efficiency (153.5). He is 230 passing yards away from reaching 4,000 for his career.
- WR Isaiah Myers (5th, Cincinnati, Ohio) ranks 3rd in CUSA in yards per reception (20.12), total receiving yards (342) and receiving yards per game (85.5). He is 15th in FBS in yards per reception. He is Mo State's leader in receptions (17), receiving yards (342) and TDs (2), accounting for 24% of the team's catches.
- With a pair of 50+ yard punts at SMU, Stewart McDonald (Jr., Rogersville, Mo.) bumped his season punting average to 42.8, which ranks 41st nationally and 4th in CUSA. He has 4 punts downed inside the 20 this season.
- Missouri State's .676 team completion percentage ranks 32nd nationally and 3rd in Conference USA. Since the opener at Texas A&M, the Bears are 63-for-88 (.716) through the air for 270.3 yards per game.
- The Bears and WKU are the only two Conference USA squads that have played two AP Top 25 teams in the non-conference portion of their schedules.
- Mo State's 6 defensive takeaways this season has helped the Bears rank 12th nationally in fumbles recovered (4), 22nd in defensive touchdowns (1), 47th in turnover margin (+0.50), 48th in red zone defense (.800) ) and 62nd in turnovers gained (6).
- Joel Boamah's first-quarter pick six against No. 22 SMU marked Missouri State's first defensive score as an FBS program and helped put the visiting Bears up by double figures at the time. The 60-yard interception return for a TD was Mo State's first since 2024 and was paired with 4 total tackles and 2 solos from the standout corner. Boamah (Sr., Newark, N.J.) 33rd nationally (2nd in CUSA) in passes defended per game (1.00).
- RB Breezy Dubar (Sr., Anna, Texas) is averaging 5.2 yards per carry, which is tops on the team and 9th in CUSA. He is is coming of a season-high 76-yard effort (on 7 carries) at No. 22 SMU for 10.9 yards per attempt.
- MSU's three double-figure tacklers at SMU marked the program most since Nov. 4, 2023 vs. Illinois State (Todric McGee 15, P.J. Hall 13 and Tim Brantley 10).
Series History
- WKU leads 9-2
- Last Meeting: WKU 27, MSU 22 (9/27/25)
Missouri State Personnel
Players Mentioned
CB
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RB
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QB
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