'It has to change': Missouri State football is the most penalized FCS team after Week 1

Late in the first half of a fall 2021 game at Youngstown State, current Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin was tackled after a gain of eight setting up the Penguins for what they thought would be a field goal before half.

Instead of sending out the field goal unit to tack on three to the scoreboard, the Penguins waited as a yellow handkerchief lay on the ground. A 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Bears pushed them 15 yards closer to the endzone. Youngstown State kept the offense on the field and threw for an eight-yard touchdown right before intermission.

It was one of three 15-yard penalties called on the Bears that day in a game they lost by eight. By the end of the season, Missouri State was a playoff team but the loss likely cost the Bears a first-round bye and a second-round home playoff game.

Fast-forward to 2024 and undisciplined play continues to prevent Missouri State from being the team it wants to be.

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Missouri State lost 29-24 at now-FCS No. 4 Montana on Saturday night and exited the game as the most penalized team in the FCS after Week 1. Thirteen penalties for 112 yards saw a Bears touchdown come off the board and multiple other advantages, helping the Grizzlies avoid the opening week upset bid.

"It has to change," Bears head coach Ryan Beard said. "Our game is not personal. You do your job, you get ready for the next play. We have to make sure we do a better job as coaches in making sure we handle those things in practice."

Undisciplined play has been concerning a trend for Missouri State since Bobby Petrino took over the football program in 2020 and has continued since Beard was promoted to head coach before last season.

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Missouri State has ranked near the bottom of the Missouri Valley Football Conference each year since the regime took over. The Bears ranked as low as 11th in the Valley in 2022, giving up 63.9 yards of penalties per game. The best under the last two staffs came last year after allowing 57 yards of penalties per game, still ranking 10th in the league.

Saturday's penalties won't cost the Bears a bye week in the playoffs or hurt their playoff chances, but they might have held Missouri State back from tying its highest-ranked win in program history.

"There are no more moral victories around here at Missouri State football," Beard said. "We have the talent to win. The last stage of the program is learning how to win. You can't just raise your hand and say 'I want to win.' Are you willing to do what it takes in the moment to put your team above yourself?"

What is Missouri State football doing to address its penalty problems?

During a team meeting on Sunday, Beard said he and the players had a good conversation about what they need to do to go from a good team to being the great one they think they're capable of being. He didn't make excuses for a first-half late hit or a player getting penalized for dragging an opponent off a pile during Montana's final drive.

At some point, the preaching Beard and his staff have done in recent years regarding the problem falls on the players who are the ones getting penalized.

"(The captains) spoke a little bit and they'll continue to wrap their arms around the locker room," Beard said.

Star safety Todric McGee, after being named the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week, is one of the leaders of the team and has encouraged his teammates to keep a calm head.

"The defense just needs to realize what time of the game it is," McGee said. "With the energy of the game and the energy of the fans, we have to realize our emotions have to be put to the side in able to thrive in the moment.

"It's frustrating but I try to not look at it. Everybody on this team is different with where we all come from and all the different backgrounds we have. We just have to learn how to control that go and go a little deeper. We need to go to one of our brothers and hold our heads up so we don't retaliate in any way."

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: 'It has to change': Missouri State football is the most penalized FCS team after Week 1