SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State’s defensive unit flexed its collective muscle in the Bears’ second preseason scrimmage Saturday morning at Robert W. Plaster Stadium, holding the offense to a single touchdown during the 83-play intrasquad tussle.
After watching their counterparts roll up over 300 passing yards in MSU’s initial scrimmage of the preseason a week earlier, the Bears defense forced three turnovers and recorded six sacks to disrupt the offense Saturday. Matt Rush picked off a pair of passes, as the defense allowed only 191 yards through the air in the rematch.
Tristan Crowder teamed up with E.J. Sutton to put the defense into the scoring column on the scrimmage’s opening possession, stopping a ballcarrier in the end zone for a safety. Crowder also had a hand in two of the Bears’ six sacks to help the defense keep the offense off the board until the Red Zone segment of the scrimmage.
Peyton Huslig hooked up with Jalen Esters on an 18-yard scoring pass for the lone touchdown of the morning. Huslig led the offense with 107 yards of total offense, while Malik Earl caught three passes for a team-high 50 receiving yards.
Zach Drake successfully booted all four of his field goal tries for the second week in a row, including a 40-yarder late in the scrimmage.
The Bears will open the 2017 season Sept. 2 with an 11 a.m. game against Missouri at Faurot Field in Columbia.
