Bears Fight No. 22 Mustangs to the Finish in Dallas

Saturday, September 26

Dallas, Texas

8:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

1-3 , 0-0

SMU

3-1 , 1-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Missouri St.	10	0	0	14	24
SMU	0	14	7	13	34

Game Notes Final Stats (PDF)

MSU vs SMU Taken on September 26, 2026. Charles Sargent/Missouri State University

Bears Fight No. 22 Mustangs to the Finish in Dallas

September 26, 2026 | Football

Box Score Final Stats (PDF)

By: MSU Athletics Communications

DALLAS – Visiting Missouri State kept No. 22-ranked SMU within striking distance most of the night before the home-standing Mustangs ultimately prevailed 34-24 here Saturday.

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings passed for 464 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead his side while pushing the Mustangs (3-1) to 592 total yards.

Except for a three-minute stretch late in the fourth quarter, the Bears (1-3) stayed within 11 points of their ACC foes the entire game. Skyler Locklear completed 15-of-19 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, while Henry Belin IV tallied 69 yards and a TD pass late. Breezy Dubar had 76 rushing yards on 7 carries to lead Mo State.

Down 21-10 at the end of the third quarter, the Bears climbed back within 21-18 of the lead early in the final period on a 15-yard strike from Locklear to Isaiah Myers. The nine-play, 75-yard scoring march included a key 32-yard strike to Mekhi Miller deep into SMU territory to eventually set up one of the night's most-important scores.

The Bears forced SMU into its only three-and-out punt on the Mustangs' next possession but the visitors couldn't capitalize and punted it back to SMU with 9:00 to go.

Jennings went to work and led the Mustangs on back-to-back scoring drives with TD passes to Yamir Knight from 28 yards out and Melin Ohrstrom from 23 to give SMU its largest lead of the game, 34-18, with 4:07 remaining.

The never-say-die Bears rallied behind Belin for a season-long scoring drive of 13 plays which was capped with an 18-yard TD stroke to Dillon Hipp – the first of his career – to make it 34-24 with 1:09 to go. MSU's two-point conversion attempt and subsequent on-side kick both failed, and SMU ran out the clock.

Kendrick Raphael led SMU's ground attack with 97 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown, while receivers Knight (164) and Jalen Cooper (125) each eclipsed 100 yards receiving from Jennings.

The Bears' defense was led by Bird Lloyd who matched a career-high for the second week in a row (and third time in four games) with 13 total stops. CUSA's top tackler has now posted double-figure stops in five of the last seven games. Martavis Blackmon (12) and Christian Ford (11) also logged double-figure stops for the visitors, while J.J. O'Neal was credited with 9.

SMU came into the game ranked No. 22 in the AP poll and No. 25 in the AFCA poll.

The first half was eerily similar to last year's meeting in Springfield with the Bears jumping out to a 10-0 lead in the opening quarter before the Mustangs responded with 14 unanswered points in the second period.

Mo State's early surge also saw the visiting defense turn over the home squad on three consecutive possessions to start the game. The Bears forced SMU to a turnover on downs on its opening possession of the night before a red zone fumble recovery by Blackmon on the next SMU drive.

After the Bears took an early 3-0 advantage on a 35-yard field goal by Yousef Obeid at the 2:17 mark of the opening stanza, Joel Boamah's 60-yard interception return for a touchdown gave Mo State a 10-0 advantage with 41 seconds remaining.

It marked Missouri State's first pick-six since PJ Hall at Ball State in 2024.

The second period began with SMU finishing off a 78-yard scoring drive on a one-yard rush by Rafael who accounted for 38 ground yards on the 11-play possession.

Missouri State punted on its final two possessions of the opening half, while the Mustangs doinked a 29-yard field goal off the left upright to preserve Missouri State's 10-7 lead. However, SMU finished off the period with a 19-yard TD pass from Jennings to Theo Melin Ohrstrom with just four seconds left to cap an efficient 87-yard march.

SMU outgained the Bears 379-119 in the opening 30 minutes with Breezy Dubar accounting for 68 ground yards on just five carries in that span for Mo State.

The Bears open Conference USA play next Thursday (Oct. 8) at Western Kentucky before returning to Plaster Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 14 for a showdown with Kennesaw State at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets for the Kennesaw State game are available now at MissouriStateBears.com or by visiting the Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours.

#GoBears.