Missouri State got an opportunity to see its football future starting to evolve here Friday as the Bears finished their second week of spring drills with the squad’s first scrimmage of the year at Plaster Stadium.
The 84-play intrasquad game had some early fireworks with seniors Brodie Lambert and Zac Hoover connecting for a 78-yard touchdown strike on the fourth offensive series of the afternoon. Hoover was one of 14 different Bears to record a reception during the scrimmage, as the four Missouri State quarterbacks combined for 258 passing yards and 27 completions.
The MSU defense also had some bright spots, forcing the offense to cough up a pair of fumbles, notching four sacks and making some big third-down stops.
Second-year head coach Dave “Stec” Steckel noted he was pleased with his team’s effort on both sides of the ball in the squad’s first spring preview.
“I liked the competitiveness,” Stec said. “The enthusiasm is getting a little bit better. Our kids are really starting to grasp playing hard.”
The team simulated five red zone drives in the second half, all of which resulted in points, including field goals by kickers Brendan Withrow from 44 yards and Shelby Harris from 39. Lambert later connected with Adam St. Peter for a 5-yard TD strike, and Breck Ruddick was equally impressive, tossing scoring passes to Erik Furmanek from 14 yards out and Malik Earl from 18.
"I liked when we got in the red zone,” Stec explained. “The offense did a really god job of finishing stuff, and I saw some really good third-down stops by the defense throughout the afternoon."
The other scoring play on the day was a 30-yard field goal by Zach Drake who capped a seven-play drive late in the first half. Drake would narrowly miss a 51-yard field goal attempt with stiff winds in his face near the end of the game after the offense mounted a nine-play, 33-yard drive under two-minute conditions.
The Bears will return to the Plaster Stadium grid for three practices next week, including another full scrimmage at 3 p.m. on April 8. The annual MSU Maroon and White Game concludes spring drills on Saturday, April 23 at Noon.
