OPINION |
Halfway through its debut season in Conference USA, Missouri State is becoming more than just a cute little story about a new Football Bowl Subdivision program that is overachieving.
Don’t look now, but these Bears are more grizzly-mean than fuzzy-warm, at 5-3 overall and 3-1 in CUSA. They’re a legit contender for a league championship as the calendar turns to November after running the table undefeated through three Wednesday specials.
After watching this program fight for any kind of relevance for three decades until the Bobby Petrino/Ryan Beard/Nick Petrino coaching family arrived five years ago, it’s a pretty remarkable sight. The latest example came on a cold, windy and damp Wednesday night at Plaster Stadium as Missouri State outlasted Florida International 28-21.
It was the fourth victory by a touchdown or less for a team that, on $2 hot dog night, was tougher than a $2 steak. Whether it’s quarterback Jacob Clark dragging his bad knee along for a game-clinching keeper, Shomari Lawrence dotting his former school for 104 yards and two touchdowns, or Jalen Brooks making a team-leading 13 tackles, there was grit to spare.
And there’s a lot more upside to reach for as the Bears enter the home stretch with road games at Liberty (Nov. 8) and Kennesaw State (Nov. 22), and home games with UTEP (Nov. 15) and Louisiana Tech (Nov. 29) awaiting.
There’s no substitute for a team that believes in itself
Missouri State head football coach Ryan Beard celebrates after FIU’s missed field goal on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Springfield. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
This team still makes things tougher than needed, with silly penalties or an inability to step on the opponent’s throat.
“We haven’t put four full quarters together. Hell, there were moments today that we could have folded and given the game away tonight,” Beard said. “As well as we played, there were moments that we have to be better in crucial situations.”
We’ve alluded previously to the change in culture that began in 2020 and has continued to blossom under Beard’s leadership as head coach. Even when facing adversity or having to overcome mistakes, there is no substitute for a team that believes in itself.
“Especially coming up to a new conference and everything,” Brooks said of the importance of culture. “We are Mo State, we’re the Show-Me State. When the game is on the line, we’ve got to fight hard enough and long enough and good things will happen. That’s the identity we roll with and go with.”
Beard said that was the first point he made in a joyous locker room afterward.
“We talked about that being a culture win,” Beard said. “It signifies who we are, it signifies and it stamps how hard you work in the off-season. It stamps how hard you practice because if you don’t grind a little bit, if you’re not tough mentally and physically, you don’t win those fourth-quarter games. You find a way to give it away or you melt down late, and our guys do nothing but stand up time and time again, and they’re resilient as it gets.”
Bears get a boost from their ‘heart and soul,’ and their defense
Missouri State defensive lineman Ahmad Poole celebrates after recovering a fumble on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Springfield. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
It was fitting that Clark, the undisputed heart and soul of the team, closed it out with a seven-yard keeper on third-and-five with just over a minute remaining. Beard said that Clark was probably about 80% physically after being less than that in a win a week earlier at New Mexico State, after a knee injury kept him out a game and a half.
Three other times against FIU, Clark scrambled for double-digit gains to move the chains and keep drives going. His passing numbers weren’t glittering (16 of 27 for 163 yards), but he connected with Jmariyae Robinson for two touchdowns, the former the 48th of his Missouri State career to break a tie with Cody Kirby for the school record.
Defensively, the Bears came up big multiple times to keep FIU points off the board after a blocked punt set up the Panthers deep in Missouri State territory, along with a three-and-out to open the second half before the Bears’ go-ahead, 86-yard touchdown drive. FIU punted on five of its first six second-half possessions.
‘This is a place that can be as good as we want it to be’
Missouri State wide receiver Jmariyae Robinson catches a touchdown on the edge of the end zone on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Springfield. (Photo by Ellie Frysztak)
While it’s fair to say that the Bears have far exceeded expectations in year one of the move to FBS, the predictions of winning only two or three games placed a chip on the program’s collective shoulder. Missouri State isn’t just having a good first season in CUSA; it’s having a good season, period.
“Our expectations are to win it all,” Brooks said of the league race. “We kind of hold ourselves to a standard.”
Unfortunately, the Bears are not bowl eligible as a transitioning program, even though they need just one more win to get to the necessary victory total. Beard said he would address the “archaic” rule once the team achieves another win. It sounded like he’s ready to lead a charge to revise the rule with the Bears carrying the banner.
“We don’t need a trophy,” Beard said, before adding, “If you win the conference and the chips fall your way, let the national media take it and run with it.
“To find a way to win those close games is monumental for our program. When we first got here, hell, we were lucky to field a team. It had been total despair for 30 years. Now we’re sitting here winning three out of three on national television. This is a place that can be as good as we want it to be. We’ve just got to continue our upward trajectory.”
Lyndal Scranton is a Springfield native who has covered sports in the Ozarks for more than 35 years, witnessing nearly every big sports moment in the region during the last 50 years. The Missouri Sports Hall of Famer, Springfield Area Sports Hall of Famer and live-fire cooking enthusiast also serves as PR Director for Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri and is co-host of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast. Contact him at Lscranton755@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @LyndalScranton. More by Lyndal Scranton