SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first eight minutes of Saturday’s home showdown with rival Southern Illinois, but the visitors rallied for 38 unanswered points in an offensive outburst in the second and third quarters to stun the 19th-ranked Bears, 38-21.MSU accumulated 144 yards in the opening quarter and took a double-figure lead in the blink of an eye. A 10-yard touchdown run by Jacardia Wright less than five minutes into the game capped a quick, four-play scoring march for the game’s first points. Less than three minutes later, Jason Shelley successfully executed another four-play touchdown drive, using a five-yard scoring pass to Carson Buddemeyer to culminate a 68-yard series.But the Salukis stormed back with a vengeance, outgaining the Bears 364-29 in the second and third quarters combined and reeling off five touchdowns and a field goal to lead 38-14 heading into the final quarter.“I thought we had a good plan,” said Bears head coach Bobby Petrino. “We came out in the first quarter and executed it. Jacardia Wright ran the ball really well. We had some good play-action passes in the first quarter. Then we got overpowered and overwhelmed the rest of the game.”Javon Williams, Jr., had a pair of one-yard touchdown rushes, while Justin Strong scored a 20-yard carry for the visitors. Meanwhile, quarterback Nic Baker was an efficient 21-of-30 through the air for SIU, racking up 253 yards and a pair of touchdowns to keep the Bears out of reach.Brothers Avante Cox (7) and D’Ante Cox (6) combined for 13 receptions, collecting 107 and 108 receiving yards, respectively, for No. 17 Southern Illinois (4-2, 3-0 MVFC), while Shaun Lester was a thorn in the side of MSU the entire game, grinding out 81 rushing yards on 17 carries.During that decisive stretch, the Bears were unable to sustain any momentum, punting on three straight possessions before a Shelley interception late in the third quarter set up a 41-yard Baker touchdown pass on the very next play.For the game, Shelley was sacked six times and hurried twice, which accounted for just two MSU first downs during the SIU surge in the second and third periods.“It’s hard to play quarterback when you’re getting hit,” said Petrino. “He’s not executing as well as he normally does either. That makes it difficult to execute when you’re behind.”The Bears (2-4, 0-3 MVFC), did continue to fight late in the game and were rewarded with another touchdown by Wright with 6:04 remaining. The 72-yard scoring drive included a 20-yard pass from Shelley to Raylen Sharpe and a 16-yard strike to Kevon Latulas to get MSU into the red zone. From there, two straight passes to Ty Scott set up the two-yard TD run by Wright to help the home side outgain and outscore the visitors in the final quarter.For the game, Wright carried 15 times for a game-high 83 yards, while Shelley finished 15-of-25 for 195 yards and a touchdown. Scott caught four passes for 60 yards to lead the home side.Von Young once again paced the MSU defense, racking up 10 total tackles, while Ferrin Manuleleua also stopped 10 ball carriers, and Jalen Williams posted seven stops and a sack.Bears kicker Jose Pizano broke a team record early in the game by extending his streak to 52 consecutive successful extra points. He displaced Travis Brawner (1997-99) for the all-time team mark, which Pizano ultimately extended to 54 by game’s end.The Bears will be idle next weekend before traveling to Northern Iowa on Oct. 22. Missouri State will return to Plaster Stadium for a homecoming matchup with Western Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 29 (2 p.m., ESPN+).
