Ahead of MTSU’s home football game on Wednesday night, Mikey DiLullo of the Springfield News-Leader offered a look at the Blue Raiders’ week 7 Conference USA opponent, the Missouri State University Bears (2-3, 0-1 CUSA).

The first-year Football Bowl Subdivision squad has picked up two wins so far in its first CUSA campaign, including a road win over Marshall University, the only common opponent so far between MSU and the Blue Raiders. 

The opposing coach: Ryan Beard 

A former Western Kentucky defensive back, Beard is in his third year at the helm of the Bears. Beard spent three years as Missouri State’s defensive coordinator under former head coach Bobby Petrino, the current interim head coach at the University of Arkansas.  

Since taking over for Petrino, Beard has led the Bears to a 14-14 record heading into their first matchup with MTSU since 1986, where the Blue Raiders won the matchup 42-19. 

After going 4-7 in his first season in 2023, Beard’s squad made a huge jump last year. The Bears finished 8-4 in their last campaign at the Football Championship Subdivision level, along with finishing No. 23 in the FCS rankings. 

“He’s really been optimistic, and I think that the performance Missouri State has shown this season has backed that up,” DiLullo said. “They have two wins, one of which is an FBS win on the road.” 

Although Missouri State holds a record of 2-3, it is not entirely indicative of the season the way they have played. Two of the three losses came against Power Four programs, as the Bears dropped contests on the road against the University of Southern California and Southern Methodist University. 

Missouri State’s other loss came on the road in its CUSA debut, falling to Western Kentucky 27-22. 

“Ryan Beard is a very quality coach for the program at this point in their history, moving up to FBS,” DiLullo said. “He’s the kind of guy you want in the locker room.” 

Players to watch 

Quarterback — Jacob Clark 

“Jacob Clark, and I say this with respect, he is one of the oldest players in college football,” DiLullo said. 

Born in 2000, Clark is embarking on his seventh year of college football. The signal caller from Rockwall, Texas, began his career in 2019 with the University of Minnesota and spent three years there. He transferred to Missouri State in 2022 and earned the starting quarterback job in 2023 before sustaining a season-ending injury after four games. 

Clark came back for his sixth year of college football in 2024 and found success all over the FCS level. He finished the year fourth nationally in FCS rankings with 300.3 passing yards per game. 

The post-grad student has come out hot in his first and only year as an FBS quarterback. Clark ranks fourth in CUSA with 1,195 passing yards and is tied for second with eight passing touchdowns. 

“This group has a quarterback who can really spin it at the end of the day,” MTSU head coach Derek Mason said. “He’s as good of a quarterback as we’ll see.”  

The Bears quarterback suffered a lower-body injury in the last game against WKU and was later spotted on the sideline on crutches with a knee brace. It seems that was more precautionary than anything, though, as MTSU is fully preparing for Clark to begin the game under center. 

“I know that he got hurt in the last game, but we fully expect him to play,” Mason said. 

If Clark is injured, true freshman quarterback Deuce Clark will be next up for Missouri State. 

“He played all right for a true freshman against Western Kentucky, but you could definitely tell that was his first start,” DiLullo said.  

Wide Receiver — Dash Luke 

A 5-foot-8-inch wide receiver transfer from the University of Louisiana-Monroe, Luke has solidified himself as one of the top weapons in the Bears’ offense.

Luke ranks sixth in CUSA in receiving with 610 yards and has hauled in a pair of touchdowns this year. He leads Missouri State in receiving with just 98 more yards than Jmariyae Robinson. 

“Dash Luke has played really well this year,” DiLullo said. “He also gets in on punt returns, so he’s kind of one of those guys that impacts all facets of the game.” 

The speedy return man has made an impact with his opportunities in the punt game, posting the second-highest average yards per return in the conference with 9.2. 

Running back — Shomari Lawrence 

Lawrence is one of the few faces that the Blue Raiders are familiar with, after spending the past two seasons with Florida International University. 

The fifth-year running back did not play last year against the Blue Raiders but did run for 31 yards on 12 carries in a 40-6 loss to MTSU in 2023 in what turned out to be the final game of the Rick Stockstill era.

Lawrence is seventh in CUSA with 286 rushing yards and has served as the lead running back for the Bears’ offense since arriving on campus last spring. 

“I would expect [Missouri State] to lean on the run game,” DiLullo said. “He’s kind of showed out a bit this season. He had a few long touchdown runs, a few more that were called back due to penalties. He’s definitely shown that he can last at this level with this program.” 

Where to watch 

MTSU’s first weekday game of the season will be nationally televised on ESPN 2, with a 6:30 p.m. CDT kickoff. 

Odds/ Point Spread

The Blue Raiders are currently a +2.5 point underdog at home, according to FanDuel sportsbook. 

Editor Picks 

Willie Phaler, Lead sports reporter (2-3) 

Mo State 24, MTSU 20 

Brett Walker, Co-sports editor (3-2) 

Mo State 30, MTSU 17 

Jacob Burgess, Co-sports editor (2-3) 

Mo State 27, MTSU 17 

Mikey DiLullo, Sports reporter, Springfield News-Leader (Guest pickers 3-2) 

Mo State 24, MTSU 21 

To contact the sports editor, email [email protected]. 

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