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First and Ten Notes

Still very much in the hunt for a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference regular-season title, the Missouri State Bears close out the regular season Saturday with a 2 p.m. showdown against South Dakota State on Senior Day at Robert W. Plaster Stadium. MoState is currently in a three-way tie for second place in the MVFC standings, one game behind North Dakota State, but a Bears' victory over SDSU on Saturday and a South Dakota home win over NDSU would create a three-way co-championship between the Bears, Bison and Coyotes.

The Bears have won 5 straight games at Robert W. Plaster Stadium (dating back to 11/11/23) and are looking for their first 5-0 season at home since 2010. MoState's home win streak is tied for the 14th-longest active streak in FCS. MSU has been unbeaten at home just 6 times in club history -- 1948 (6-0), 1963 (6-0), 1974 (5-0), 1989 (6-0), 1992 (5-0) and 2010 (5-0).

Bears super seniors Grant Burkett (P, Joplin, Mo.) and Caden Bolz (LS, Overland Park, Kan.) have played in 55 consecutive games, dating back to 2020, matching current New England Patriot Eric Johnson's team record (2017-21) for career games played. 

Missouri State will honor 13 players during pregame Senior Day ceremonies on Saturday.



This season, All-America candidate Jacob Clark (QB, Rockwall, Texas) has surpassed Missouri State season records for passing yards (3,418), touchdowns (26) and completions (248), while on pace to break the Bears record for pass efficiency (176.5) and completion percentage (.719). He is a four-time MVFC Offensive Player of the Week this season and ranks in the FCS national top 10 in nine categories, including No. 1 in yards per attempt (9.91), No. 2 in total offense (312.4), passing yards (3,418) and passing yards per game (310.7). See p. 6 for Clark's national rankings.

Jacardia Wright (Sr., Decatur, Ill.) needs just 4 points to become the sixth Missouri State player to eclipse 100 points in a season. His 16 touchdowns this season is tied for the fourth-best in program history and is just 3 behind Gerald Davis (2007) for the team single-season mark. The last non-kicker to lead the Bears in scoring was Kierra Harris (54 points) in 2013. In 31 games as a Bear, Wright has 476 carries (6th) for 2,215 yards (9th) and 29 rushing touchdowns (4th), all of which rank in the MSU career top-10. 

WR Hunter Wood (Sr., Springdale, Ark.) needs 5 receptions to reach 100 for his career, an exclusive fraternity that includes 16 program greats. His 1,125 receiving yards ranks 21st on MSU's career chart. Wood ranks 3rd in the MVFC and 24th nationally in receptions per game (5.5).

The Bears enter their season finale needing 33 points to match their all-time season scoring record (434), set in 1989. At 36.5 points per game this season, MSU is still on pace for its highest per-game scoring average since 1922 (44.0). The Bears are 10-3 under coach Ryan Beard when scoring 30+ points.

MoState is 17-5 in its last 22 home games (13-4 vs. Valley foes) and has scored two or more touchdowns 21 times in that span, dating back to March 13, 2021. The Bears have also scored 30 or more points 17 times in that run. MSU has won 5 straight home contests and has cemented its fourth straight winning home season.

MSU's "Thunder and Lightning" backfield combination of Jacardia Wright and Jayden Becks has combined for 1,253 rushing yards and 26 total TDs and 5.3 yards per carry this season. 

The Bears need 123 yards on Saturday to eclipse 5,000 for just the 4th time in club history and first since 2021. MSU (27) is also 2 passing touchdowns away from matching last year's school-record total of 29. 

MSU's league-best 12 interceptions this year is the club's second-most in the last 10 years (15 in 2021).

Another notable MoState senior playing in his final game is DE Jalen Williams (Overland Park, Kan.). Williams will be making his 53rd appearance and has 14.5 career sacks to go with 120 career tackles.

Series HistorySouth Dakota State leads the all-time series between the teams, 13-1, with the Jackrabbits reeling off 8 straight wins since MSU's only win in the series on Oct. 19, 2013. Missouri State's 35-21 win at Plaster Stadium in 2013 makes the Bears 1-6 at home in the series and 0-7 in Brookings. 

In the last meeting in Springfield (9/24/22), No. 2 SDSU rallied for 14 points in the game's final eight minutes to break up a fourth-quarter tie and defeat Missouri State, 28-14, in the MVFC opener. The Bears fell behind 14-0 early in the second half but rallied behind a pair of third-quarter scoring drives to tie things up. Jacardia Wright's 15-yard TD run capped a six-play, 71-yard scoring drive for MSU ahead of a 67-yard scoring strike from quarterback Jason Shelley to Raylen Sharpe on the home squad's next possession. Sharpe's dash knotted the score with 2:55 to go in the third. MoState came up with its only takeaway of the game on SDSU's next possession when Kevin Ellis jumped on a fourth-and-one Jackrabbits' fumble at the MSU 33. The Bears were unable to capitalize on the mishap, and a 21-yard TD pass from Mark Gronowski to Zach Heins put the exclamation point on a 10-play drive that chewed up more than five minutes of clock and gave the visitors the lead once again.

Last season in Brookings (Nov. 18, 2023), No. 1 ranked SDSU rang up 477 yards of total offense and pulled away late to defeat Missouri State, 35-17, SDSU extended its overall win streak to 25 in a row and picked up its 18th straight home win. The Bears completed their first season under coach Ryan Beard with a respectable showing against the nation's top FCS club, playing even in the second half and racking up 343 total yards. QB Jordan Pachot completed 23-of-35 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns with standout receiver Raylen Sharpe reeling in 8 receptions for 86 yards for MSU. After trailing 21-3 at the half, the Bears drove 93 yards on just seven plays to open the third quarter. The three-yard TD pass from Pachot to Hunter Wood capped the drive after a 31-yard completion to Sharpe started the series, and a 27-yard rush by Jayden Becks took it to the Jackrabbit four. Pachot hit Wood three plays later to make it 21-10. Wood finished the day with 4 receptions for 78 yards. | Final Stats