- Missouri State resumes the 2020-21 season Saturday when the Bears travel to Western Illinois at Noon in the first of eight scheduled Missouri Valley Football Conference games this spring.
- Tylar Wiltz (Jr., Breaux Bridge, La.) has racked up a team-high 31 total tackles through three games, including 16 solo stops and 3.0 tackles for loss. Wiltz was named Valley Performer of the Week after the Oklahoma game in which he brought down 12 ball carriers with 8 solo stops and 2.0 tackles for loss against the Sooners. His 10.3 stops per game ranks No. 7 among all FCS defenders.
- Jordan Murray (Jr., Lee’s Summit, Mo.) has recorded a pass reception in 23 consecutive games, the fifth-longest streak in program history. In 2018, Murray broke the Bears freshman receiving record with 33 catches for 378 yards while earning FCS Freshman All-America honors. Last season, he caught 24 passes for 280 yards last season with a team-high 5 touchdown catches.
- Lorenzo Thomas (Sr., Jasper, Texas) currently ranks 18th on Missouri State’s career receiving yards list (1,120) and needs 30 yards to catch Tyler Currie (2017-19) at the No. 17 spot. Thomas now has 91 receptions in 34 career games.
- MSU has surrendered just 105.0 yards per game on the ground through its first three games this season, ranking No. 8 nationally in that category. The Bears also rank No. 5 in the FCS ranks in tackles for loss, stopping opposing ball carriers behind the line at a rate of 8.3 times per game, including 3.67 sacks per contest, which ranks 5th among all FCS programs.
- Isaiah Sayles (Jr., San Antonio, Texas) ranks 30th nationally in sacks after recording 2.5 sacks in 3 fall contests. The transfer from San Diego Mesa CC, also shares the team lead with 3.5 tackles for loss.
- In his first year as the Bears primary punter, Grant Burkett (RFr., Joplin, Mo.) is averaging 40.6 yards per attempt, which ranks No. 7 nationally. He had a 75-yard punt at UCA on Oct. 17.
- Kicker Jose Pizano (So., Lehi, Utah) converted 3-of-4 (.750) field goals this fall, including his last three attempts, while posting a perfect 5-of-5 extra points. The transfer from Snow College (Utah) converted a 47-yard field goal attempt at UCA in week 2.
- Newcomer Jeremy Webb (Sr., East Mims, Fla.), a transfer from Virginia Tech, snagged 2 interceptions in the fall and ranks 3rd in the nation in passes defended with 6 (2.0 per game).
- The Bears defense was one of the nation’s best third-down units in the fall, holding opponents to just a 28.9 percent conversion rate over three games. MSU opponents were just 13-for-45 in third-down situations, including 7-of-33 (.212) by FCS opponents.
- One of the many new faces on the Bears squad this spring is QB Matt Struck (Sr., Central Point, Ore.). Struck started 11-of-12 games as a junior in 2019 for the Idaho State Bengals, completing 164-of-320 (.512) passes for 2,334 yards with 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He had three 300-yard passing games, including a season-high 402 yards (9/5/19) on 23-of-41 vs. Western Colorado.
- Missouri State signed a total of 22 players to National Letters of Intent during the December (18) and February (4) signing days. Though not all eligible for the spring semester, seven early commitments are already on campus, particularly players on the active two-deep Ryan Suliafu (OL), Nick Gallo (OL), Tobias Little (RB), Kyriq McDonald (DB), and Ron Tiavaasue (TE).
- The Bears have three players originally from the state of Illinois — Ethan Barnett (OL, Hudson, Ill.), Ian Fitzgerald (OL, Hawthorn Woods, Ill.), and Eric Johnson (DL, Plainfield, Ill.).
- Bears head coach Bobby Petrino is 1-0 in his career against the Leathernecks, defeating WIU 28-24 while serving as head coach at Arkansas on Aug. 30, 2018. His 119 career wins ranks 15th among active FCS coaches.
Coach Bobby Petrino
- Missouri State University officially introduced Bobby Petrino as its new head football coach in a news conference at JQH Arena on the Springfield campus, January 16, 2020.
- He is 119-59 (.669) in his 15th season as a head coach.
- Petrino is 0-3 as Bears head coach — 0-1 at Robert W. Plaster Stadium and 0-2 on the road. Petrino is 1-0 against Western Illinois in his illustrious head coaching career.
- He previously served as head coach in two stints at Louisville as well as Arkansas and Western Kentucky. He has compiled a 119-58 record in 14 seasons at the NCAA Division I FBS level and led his programs to 11 bowl appearances with seven teams ranked in the top 25 at season’s end.
- The Helena, Mont., native is in his 32nd year of collegiate coaching in 2020. He has guided his programs to top-six final rankings in the Associated Press poll three times (2004, 2006, 2011), directing some of the nation’s top offensive programs along the way.
- His clubs have finished in the top five nationally in scoring offense three times, while his 2004 club at Louisville led the country in scoring at 49.8 points per game. He has developed 34 NFL Draft selections during his illustrious career, including four in the first round, and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.
- Petrino and his wife Becky have four children: Kelsey, Nick, Bobby and Katie — and six grandchildren. Nick Petrino is Missouri State’s offensive coordinator, while sons-in-law Ryan Beard (defensive coordinator) and L.D. Scott (defensive line) are also on the MSU coaching staff this season.
Series History
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- The all-time series between the Bears and Leathernecks is tied, 18-18-1. The Bears are 11-8 all-time in Macomb, including a 37-31 3ot win for MSU in the most-recent matchup (Nov 18, 2019). Missouri State has also won four of the last five meetings between the teams at Hanson Field.
- In Missouri State’s only win of the 2019 campaign, the Bears claimed their first triple-overtime game in program history. MSU posted a season high for both rushing (114) and passing yardage (315) with Lorenzo Thomas, hauling in two TD receptions from Peyton Huslig, while Kendall Stewart’s tip-toe down the sidelines, 22-yard rush proved to be the game winner. Defensively, Matt McClellan came up with two critical sacks on WIU’s final drive, including a sack on the final play of the game to end the Leatherneck’s comeback hopes. With the win, Missouri State improved to 2-10 all-time in overtime games, with their first OT win since 2008. STATS
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