SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State rolled to its seventh straight victory here Saturday, scoring the first 24 points of the afternoon and putting things away late to turn back visiting Southern Illinois, 38-17.
The Bears (7-2, 5-0 MVFC) remained in elite company as one of two unbeaten teams in the Missouri Valley Football Conference after securing their first seven-game win streak since 1990. The squad’s 5-0 start in league play is also MSU’s first since 1989.
Missouri State’s offensive efficiency was paced by sophomore running back Jayden Becks who carried 11 times for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It marked his second straight 100-yard rushing effort. His one-yard touchdown run with 1:39 left in the contest put the game on ice for coach Ryan Beard‘s team.
Bears’ quarterback Jacob Clark was an efficient 22-of-30 through the air for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns for his ninth straight 200-yard passing game. Hunter Wood was Clark’s favorite target on the day, reeling in five catches for 82 yards and a thrilling touchdown stretch to the pylon in the second quarter.
Darion Smith paced MSU’s defense with a career-high 10 tackles to go with two sacks and three tackles for loss. The Bears also came away with three interceptions on the afternoon with Lemondre Joe, Kanye Young and J.J. O’Neal each halting SIU drives with athletic plays in the MSU secondary.
After MSU led 24-7 at the intermission, the Salukis made a game of it early in the third quarter, driving 79 yards on 12 plays before quarterback Jake Curry punched it in from 16 yards out. His third-and-six scramble to paydirt made it a 24-14 game with 10:39 to go in the third.
The teams exchanged punts before the Bears regained their footing late in the third. On fourth-and-three at the SIU 28, Jacardia Wright moved the chains with a four-yard carry that pushed MoState into the red zone. Two plays later, he carried it 18 yards to the two and found the endzone on the very next play to extend Missouri State’s lead to 31-14.
That score held up through a turnover-filled fourth quarter in which the Bears coughed it up in the red zone twice – first on an SIU interception at the five-yard line and later on a fumble in the endzone by Jmariyae Robinson that initially appeared to be a touchdown.
However, the MSU defense picked up the slack, plucking Saluki quarterbacks Michael Lindauer and Curry on back-to-back possessions to restore order. By the time the game ended, the only damage SIU could manage in the final period was a 25-yard field goal by Paul Geelen with just over two minutes to play.
The ensuing Southern Illinois onside kick was recovered by MSU’s Wright who returned the ball 25 yards to the SIU 23. Becks carried three times over the next four plays to cover the distance and punched it in from one yard out to make it 38-17 and file the victory away.
MSU finished the game with 19 first downs and 357 total yards. Wright and Becks both finished with 109 all-purpose yards.
Curry was SIU’s top contributor, gaining 85 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown while completing 15-of-33 passes for 105 yards.
In the first half, Missouri State jumped out to a 24-0 lead before the Salukis scored on the final play of the second quarter on a fake field goal attempt. The Bears outgained SIU, 230-116 in the opening 30 minutes, with Clark completing 17 of his first 21 passes for 180 yards and a pair of scores.
MSU’s defense forced the Salukis into five punts on their first five possessions of the game.
Clark’s 13-yard pass to D’Vontae Key with five minutes left in the opening quarter started the scoring for the Bears. The 10-play drive featured a third-and-nine completion from Clark to James BlackStrain to keep the series going and moved the ball to the SIU 27.
After a career-long 44-yard field goal by Yousef Obeid stretched MSU’s lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter, the Bears pushed ahead by 17 with 5:34 left in the half. A 29-yard carry by Becks capped a quick, four-play MSU scoring drive. Clark’s 35-yard pass to Wood on the second play of the possession set up Becks’ score two plays later.
Lemondre Joe’s sixth career interception came shortly thereafter to give the ball to the Bears at the SIU 33. Clark and company immediately went to work with a 15-yard pass to Wright to the 18. Clark kept the ball for a three-yard gain to the 15 and then connected with Wood for a 15-yard TD strike to make it a 24-0 game just one minute, 52 seconds before the intermission.
SIU broke up the Missouri State shutout on its final drive of the half, going 75 yards in 13 plays, including a nine-yard touchdown rush by the kicker Geelen on a fake 26-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
The Bears will play the next two weeks on the road, starting with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Murray State next week and continuing at fellow MVFC leader North Dakota State on Nov. 16. Missouri State returns home on Nov. 23 to take on defending national champion South Dakota State in the regular-season finale at 2 p.m. on Senior Day at Plaster Stadium.
Tickets for the South Dakota State game are available at MissouriStateBears.com or through the Missouri State box office at Great Southern Bank Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular office hours. The game-day box office at Plaster opens at 10 a.m.
