<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3H2wNT_0wA9Z6vj00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3H2wNT_0wA9Z6vj00" width="1512" height="1370" ><figcaption>Junior tight end Lance Mason jumps over a Lindenwood Lions defender to score the Bears' first touchdown in their 28-14 victory on Saturday, Sept. 14.&nbsp; Photo by Matthew Huff, @huff.photography</figcaption></figure>Homecoming football is here, and the Missouri State University football team hasn’t looked quite this good in a while. The Bears welcome the Indiana State University Sycamores on Oct. 19, and as usual, the Homecoming King and Queen will be announced during the halftime break. Here’s a look into everything you should know about the game before the day comes. Return of the Cardiac Bears? The Bears are currently on a four-game win streak with a 4-2 record, which is a better start than their 8-4 season in 2021 during Bobby Petrino's tenure as head coach — another season where the Bears hosted Indiana State for Homecoming. His son-in-law and current Bears head coach Ryan Beard has shown that the team can still be competitive and even go on big winning streaks. The Bears need to continue demonstrating this competitive level with their impending move from the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Football Championship Subdivision to Conference USA and the Football Bowl Subdivision, but there’s no sign yet of them slowing down. After the difficult start to the season, the Bears gradually found their groove before exploding in action and defensive power last week. The last time the maroon and white graced the Robert W. Plaster Stadium gridiron was Family Weekend against the Youngstown State University Penguins where they showcased a powerful and intelligently played game with only a few moments of any real issue. The Bears didn’t lose any significant yardage in the game, which was a rapid shift from their first game of the season, where they lost 113 yards on 12 penalties to become the most penalized team in the FCS at the time. Missouri State had a bye week after the victory and managed to get ranked in the American Football Coaches Association FCS poll at No. 25 during their week off. Coming out of the bye for a ranked matchup, the Bears weren’t favored to win over No. 16 Illinois State University and yet pulled out one of their best wins in several years. It was a four-quarter domination which came about as an answer to a year-long wait for revenge. The Redbirds came to southwest Missouri in November of 2023, narrowly beating the Bears with two controversial plays that referees called in the favor of Illinois State. Last weekend, the Bears went to Normal, Illinois and demolished the Redbirds in a true blowout with a poetic score to return home to the 417 area with a 41-7 victory. Due to the upset, the Bears head into Homecoming ranked No. 20 in the AFCA FCS poll, while the Redbirds fell to No. 23. The Bears are looking good now. They’re looking real good. Senior safety Tavier Williams talked about being out on the town and having people stop them to congratulate him on the win and the ranking. “It’s been such a loving atmosphere out here in Springfield,” Williams said. “It just feels great to be 4-2 right now.” Senior quarterback Jacob Clark continues to be one of the most reliable QB’s the Bears have seen, putting up over 300 passing yards in his last four games — again, all games the team won. He’s also made 13 touchdown passes this season. While Clark and the Bears’ offensive coordinator Nick Petrino — who has shown himself to be a razor-sharp play-caller like his father — have been instrumental in the overwhelming success that is the Missouri State offense, their other members cannot be overlooked. Clark’s go-to back in senior running back Jacardia Wright has had a spectacular time with Missouri State, and though he didn’t have as electric of showings against Youngstown State or Illinois State as he became known for, he’s still a dangerous man on the Sycamores’ radar. Sophomore running back Jayden Becks hasn’t had the most productive place in the lineup, but he has shown great potential in the position as someone to step into Wright’s shoes when he graduates. Becks has scored two touchdowns this season. Bears receivers are really where it’s at right now for their offense. Most recently, junior wide receiver Dash Luke put up a career night against the Redbirds, leading MSU with 88 receiving yards. Senior wide receiver D’Vontae Key followed Luke in receiving with 81 yards and a touchdown in the game, and has played three games with significant yardage this season. Sophomore wide receiver Jmariyae Robinson has made a name for himself at Missouri State, playing a major role last year and becoming one of the most consistent and reliable receivers for the Bears this season. He has five TDs in five games and a total of 377 receiving yards in 2024. Two unexpected stars have emerged for the Missouri State offense, as well. Senior wide receiver Hunter Wood and junior tight end Lance Mason both earned accolades from their coaches after choice plays in the Bears’ wins against the University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks, Youngstown State and Illinois State. The Bears hold the foundation for success in their defensive hands, but they have struggled to come together for a full game and that’s let some plays get through that never should have. That was, familiarly, until last week.After the Bears’ leading safety, junior Todric McGee, suffered a season-ending injury, Williams quickly stepped up to fill his role and made eight tackles and two interceptions for a return of 29 yards. Senior cornerback Kaleno Levine tied his season-high in tackles against the Redbirds with seven, the same number as redshirt freshman linebacker Dallas Winner-Johnson. Coming out as a star for the defense in Normal, Illinois was redshirt freshman linebacker Michael Teason, who, on top of six total tackles, made a fantastic scoop-and-score touchdown which kept the momentum of the game going. The Sycamores have a lot to fight against this year, so let’s take a look at how they stack up against MSU. Meet the 2024 Indiana State Sycamores Indiana State had their bye week early in the semester, so they’re catching up to where MSU is now. The Sycamores are sitting at a record of 2-4 overall, 1-1 in conference. That places them at No. 6 of 11 in the MVFC. Starting with their quarterback, the Sycamores have seemed to settle on redshirt freshman Elijah Owens as their man. Owens played in four games in 2023 for the Sycamores, putting up 310 passing yards and going 22-47 for a pass completion of 46.8%. Since then, Owens has improved, throwing 808 in five games this season with a pass completion of 70%. Still, it’s hard not to look at those numbers and see how Missouri State’s Clark regularly reaches Owens’ 2023 yard total in a single game. Owens does have some considerable backs and receivers to look to for help. Redshirt sophomore running back Plez Lawrence has a total of 243 rushing yards this season, including an impressive 160 from the Sycamores’ game against Houston Christian, with his longest being a rush of 89 yards. Senior running back Shen Butler-Lawson has rushed for 178 yards this season for a single TD. Redshirt junior tight end Lance Rees has 27 receiving yards and 23 rushing yards for one rushing touchdown. On the D-line, the Bears can look to battle some hearty opponents. Senior linebacker Geoffrey Brown has 45 tackles so far, with 14 in a single game — Sept. 14’s match against the University of Dayton. Brown also has two sacks for a total of 9 yards. For tackles and fumble recoveries, the Sycamores have senior linebacker Garret Ollendieck. He’s got 69 tackles in four games and two recoveries for 12 yards. With 39 tackles and a forced fumble, redshirt junior defensive back Maddix Blackwell is another man the Bears will have to keep their eyes on. There’s no denying that the Sycamores are not a masterful team, and haven’t been one for a while. Still, everyone loves an underdog, and the Bears will need to play another full game to take the win for Homecoming.Matchup history The Bears lead the series with the Sycamores 22-14, with a better record at home of 13-5 than on the road where Indiana State and Missouri State are tied 9-9. As of the last six meetings, the Bears have gone 5-1. The last time the Sycamores beat the Bears was in 2019 during the final year of the Dave Steckel era at Missouri State, when the Bears went 1-10. Indiana State took the game 51-24. This game, like all of the conference games for the Football Bears this year, will likely be the last time the teams meet, so these records will not be changed much by a win at Homecoming. In addition, the Bears will have that extra target on their backs for all their conference opponents that want to take the team down and humble them before the move to Conference USA. Challenges along the way As we’ve covered in most of our football previews this year, the Bears’ biggest challenge has been playing another full game. That’s going to be much easier now for them, knowing what it looks and feels like to play at that level from whistle to whistle. In Springfield and on the Missouri State campus, it feels like there’s a real reason for people to be excited about Bears football. “No matter what the day looks like, no matter what the weather’s like, the sun’s shining and it’s a beautiful day,” Williams said. “We just woke up, we’re 4-2, we’re ready to keep going.” Luke further pushed the feeling of hopefulness around the city. “Fans, students, everybody just walking around with a smile on campus, that’s just a good thing to see,” Luke said. “People notice you now, saying ‘good game.’ It’s the little things like that that just make us want to keep going, make us want to keep winning for the city of Springfield.” Against Indiana State, the Bears will need to be cautious not to get in their heads that it’s an easy game. When teams think they have a gimme, it’s so easy for things to fall apart. It’s true that Indiana State has a poor record and has for years in football, but they have lots to prove in a defeat of the Bears. With that much to lose for the Bears and that much to win for the Sycamores, they’ll no doubt be trying to hit just that much harder when they come to Springfield for Homecoming. It all goes down at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Robert W. Plaster Stadium. The Homecoming King and Queen will be decided at halftime, but it’ll be a little longer before the winner of the game is crowned. As always, students get in free with their BearPass, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Missouri State Radio Network with Art Hains and Corey Riggs.Follow W. Paul Bohlen on Twitter, @wpbohlenSubscribe to The Standard's free weekly newsletter here.</div></body>

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No. 20 Bears to host Sycamores in Homecoming football game

Homecoming football is here, and the Missouri State University football team hasn’t looked quite this good in a while. The Bears welcome the Indiana State University Sycamores on Oct. 19, and as usual, the Homecoming King and Queen will be announced during the halftime break. Here’s a look into...