After surrendering a 21-point second-half lead, Jesse Branch's 1990 Southwest Missouri State Bears were on the verge of blowing their opportunity at the school's first win over an FBS opponent during their season opener.
Lucky for Branch, he had who many consider to this day to be the greatest player in the program's history lined up behind center.
Tied with UNLV at 24, quarterback DeAndre Smith didn't let the moment get too big for him and it didn't matter what team lined up on the other side of the ball. It was a football game and the Bears believed they belonged.
Smith hit halfback Rodney McConico on completions of 11 and seven while the ball carrier also broke away for a gain of 18. Damon Frost had a run of 17 on a march that saw Smith keep the ball himself for an eight-yard touchdown run to break the tie and give the Bears a 31-24 win over UNLV.
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A celebration on the Las Vegas strip followed with Smith and teammates walking in and out of casinos with buckets of coins. The victory kickstarted one of the greatest seasons in Missouri State football history before clinching a playoff berth months later.
"It was huge for our program," Smith, now the running backs coach for the Indianapolis Colts, said. "We had a feeling that we were going to be pretty good. We were not afraid of those guys. We had success running the ball and you realized that it was a regular football game and you have to find a way to win."
That September night 34 years ago remains the only time the Bears came out on the winning end against an FBS opponent. Missouri State is 1-40 all-time against teams in the top subdivision of college football heading into a winnable Week 2 game at Ball State on Saturday afternoon.
Not only would a win be historic but it would also create more excitement in the program before it joins the Conference USA and FBS ranks in 2025, when it will be expected to start beating those types of teams routinely.
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"It's the most important game because it's the next one," Bears head coach Ryan Beard said, downplaying any extra meaning a good performance against an FBS program could have. "Our guys are hungry and ready to go. They believe in what we're doing and it works. We just took a top-five (FCS) team in the country to the ropes at their own place. We answered the bell and we stood tall."
Missouri State has had its chances at beating higher-caliber FBS programs recently. In 2022, it led Arkansas by 10 in the fourth quarter only to lose 38-27. The year before, the Bears were driving in the final minute against Oklahoma State to either force overtime or go for two for the win, only to come up 35 yards short.
Players echoed Beard, trying not to make a bigger deal of it. Ball State, a program from the MAC, is coming off a 4-8 season.
"Ball State has traditionally had a great program," Smith, a former Northern Illinois and Miami (Ohio) assistant in the MAC, said. "Missouri State's transition is going to take time. They're going to have to get that size up front on offense and defense and have the kind of players who can play at that level.
"It's definitely a big job and I think if you can find a way to get that one, it's kind of like the UNLV game from back in the day when you get that confidence and start believing and get the confirmation that 'Hey, we are moving in the right direction.'"
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Smith stays in touch with the program and may drive to Muncie, Indiana, on Saturday, ahead of the Colts' noon opener against the Houston Texans the day after. His college football eyes these days are mostly on Houston where his son, Donovan Smith, is now the team's starting quarterback. Ironically, his son lost 27-7 to UNLV in Week 1, making the MSU legend the only quarterback in the family who has beaten the Rebels.
Group chats and phones between Smith and his former teammates blew up over the summer when Missouri State announced its move to Conference USA. Smith said he'll be rooting for the Bears as they go along while noting what a win Saturday against Ball State could do.
"I know it's going to be tough because it does take time with trying to get the right players and the landscape of college football being so different now," Smith said. "But it's great to see that I went to a great university and they're making that transition to big-time football. A win over Ball State on Saturday would be huge."
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: What would a Missouri State football win vs Ball State mean? DeAndre Smith thinks it'd be huge
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