SPRINGFIELD – Led by a near-record passing performance from starting quarterback Jacob Clark, Missouri State erupted for 672 yards of total offense in a 59-14 rout of visiting Utah Tech here Saturday.
Clark exited in the third quarter after completing 19-of-26 passes for 414 yards – just 26 yards shy of the all-time club record – along with 5 touchdowns. His five TD passes matched a team record, while the team’s total offensive output marked its best production since a 2007 victory of Missouri S&T and was the sixth-best day of total offense in MSU history.
Clark was relieved by Jordan Pachot who promptly completed all five passes he threw for 48 yards.
The win also marked the first victory for new head coach Ryan Beard who credited his team’s resolve after losing a heart-breaker in the final minutes at UT Martin two weeks ago.
“It’s a testament to how hard these guys work every week, and to the Missouri State brand of football,” said Beard. “We knew we had to get back to work and defend our home field. The community really came out and supported us today. They were loud and into the game, and that really helped us.”
Saturday’s win started slow with the Bears coughing up fumbles on back-to-back possessions to open the game. The visiting Trailblazers could not capitalize on either takeaway, keeping the game scoreless until Clark connected with Terique Owens on a 45-yard touchdown pass midway through the quarter to open the game’s scoring.
The 80-yard scoring drive also started a string of six straight possessions in which the Bears scored points, including five touchdowns, before a missed field goal in the third quarter ended the amazing run.
A pick-six interception by JJ O’Neal on the ensuing possession gave the Bears a 14-0 lead before Utah Tech took advantage of a short field and made it a 14-7 game at the end of the opening quarter.
But the second and third quarters belonged exclusively to Clark and the Bears. MoState outgained the Trailblazers by a 408 to 156 margin through the middle two periods, including 278 of Clark’s passing yards, while outscoring the visitors 38-7 in that stretch.
Celdon Manning pushed the Bears ahead 21-7 on a 16-yard touchdown catch to start the second before Clark connected twice with Hunter Wood on TD strikes of 8- and 10-yards. Wood’s second score made it a 35-14 game late in the second quarter before Owen Rozanc tacked on a 38-yard field goal to give MoState a 38-14 cushion at the intermission.
The Bears continued to dominate in the second half, turning a Utah Tech turnover on the first play of the third quarter into seven points moments later when Clark connected with Owens again. The 36-yard TD strike made it 45-14 with 14:07 to go in the third.
Later in the third, Rozanc booted through what would have been a career-long 49-yard field goal, but the whistles blew just before the snap to review an incompletion on the previous play. The restart resulted in Utah State blocking the second attempt to end the streak of six straight scoring possessions.
The drought was short-lived with freshman Jayden Becks taking the handoff from Clark and going 50 yards for MSU’s second rushing TD of the day with 3:50 left in the third.
With Pachot in at QB in the fourth quarter, the Bears scored once more with a one-yard carry by Jakairi Moses to give the home squad its final margin of 59-14.
Missouri State’s offensive production of 672 yards was the sixth-highest total in school history and second-most against a Division I program. The Bears also tallied a season-high 210 rushing yards on 31 carries, led by Becks’ 65 ground yards, while Moses added 59, and Jacardia Wright notched 47. The team’s 6.8 yards per carry was also a season-best.
Owens finished with a career-high 140 yards on 5 receptions and a pair of touchdowns, while Raylen Sharpe shared the honor for most catches with 5 for 109 yards in his second-straight game hitting the century mark.
Defensively, the Bears spread the wealth, with Tahj Chambers securing 6 total stops, Caleb Blake racking up 5 tackles, 3 break-ups and an interception, and Todric McGee posting 5 tackles. PJ Hall and Floyd Williams joined Blake and O’Neal with interceptions on the afternoon.
For his part, Utah Tech QB Kobe Tracy was under duress most of the game with the Bears recording 5 hurries and 7 pass break-ups. He was 17-for-41 for 167 yards and 4 picks with no touchdowns. Chris Street pitched in 62 rushing yards on 10 carries for the Trailblazers (1-2), while Beau Sparks had 5 receptions for 31 yards.
Missouri State will have a short window to celebrate the victory as they will begin preparations early in the week for next Saturday’s game at No. 12 Southern Illinois (3-0) in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener in Carbondale (4 p.m./ESPN+).
After their trip to SIU, the Bears return home on Oct. 7 to entertain No. 2 North Dakota State at Plaster Stadium.
