Catch up on all the action

Missouri State returns to the road again this week when the Bears travel to Muncie, Ind., to square off with the Ball State Cardinals on Saturday at 1 p.m. (Central). The Bears are coming off a near-upset at No. 3-ranked (FCS) Montana in the season opener, leading the Grizzlies until the closing minute of the third quarter. 

Standout safety Todric McGee (Jr., Wichita Kan.) was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday after posting a game-high 11 tackles, 3 solos and a tackle for loss in the season opener at No. 3-ranked Montana, while holding the Grizzlies under 30 points for just the second time in the past nine ball games. Last year, McGee ranked 13th nationally (FCS) in solo tackles per contest (5.4), which was 1st in The Valley, while his 9.3 total tackles per game ranked 23rd nationally and was 2nd in the MVFC. 

The Bears have scored points in 14 of their last 16 quarters (dating back to last season) and notched double-figure scoring totals in 40 consecutive ball games, including 20 or more points 32 times in that span.

Jacardia Wright (Sr., Decatur, Ill.) posted a game-high 145 all-purpose yards in MSU's narrow loss at No. 3 Montana in the opener. He notched 76 rushing yards on 19 carries with a TD (4.0 ypc) and also banked 6 receptions for 69 yards, ranking him 17th nationally in all-purpose yards per game and 19th in receptions per game.

Coming out of week one, the Bears' offense ranks 1st nationally (FCS) in red zone efficiency (1.000), 13th in time of possession (36:37), 17th in passing offense (257.0), and 20th in total first downs (22). Defensively, MoState ranks 8th in 3rd down efficiency defense (.222), and 25th in red zone defense (.750).

Hunter Wood (Sr., Springdale, Ark.) ranks 19th nationally in receptions per game (6.0) after snagging 6 catches for 70 yards at Montana, which pushed him to 40 career receptions for 515 yards in 43 career games. His 21-yard punt return at Montana on his only attempt pushed the Bears to No. 6 nationally in team punt return avg.

After opening week, QB Jacob Clark (Sr., Rockwall, Texas) ranks 9th nationally in completions per game (23.0), 15th in passing yards per game (257.0), 19th in total passing yards (257) and 20th in total offense (237.0).

This is the 35th straight year Missouri State (NCAA Division I FCS) has played at least one FBS program in football. The Bears are 1-40 all-time vs. FBS foes, including a 31-24 victory over UNLV on Sept. 1, 1990. The Bears dropped a 48-17 decision at Kansas in last year's season opener in Lawrence.

Missouri State has a current Indiana connection with former QB DeAndre Smith on the coaching staff of the Indianapolis Colts. Smith played for the Bears from 1987-90 and earned All-America status for two FCS playoff teams (1989-1990). His legacy propelled him to one of four retired jerseys in Missouri State program history.

Punter Grant Burkett (Sr., Joplin, Mo.) ranks No. 2 among active FCS punters in career average (44.0), narrowly behind Florida A&M's Trey Wilhoit (44.0). The three-time All-American and four-time All-MVFC standout ranks No. 1 on MSU's career punting average list, No. 3 in punting yards (8,894) and No. 5 in punt attempts (202). He has 202 career punts with 53 boots of 50+ yards and 48 downed inside the 20. 

MoState returns 20 starters from last season -- 10 on both sides of the ball -- and also boasts 11 players named to the Preseason All-MVFC Team. 

The Bears received 14 points in this week's AFCA FCS Top 25 poll, tied for the 35th-highest vote total. Seven MVFC teams are ranked in the Top 25 in addition four other league teams receiving votes.

• All-American specialists Grant Burkett (P, Joplin, Mo.) and Caden Bolz (LS, Overland Park, Kan.) have both played in 45 consecutive games, the most by any current Missouri State player, and are both sixth-year players.
• Bears head coach Ryan Beard has a previous victory in Muncie when he was part of the Central Michigan coaching staff. On Nov. 16, 2019, CMU topped Ball State, 45-44, scoring the winning TD with a minute to go.
• WR Jmariyae Robinson (So., Cocoa, Fla.) scored on 7-yard carry last week, giving him 3 touchdowns over the last two season openers, including rushing and receiving TDs at Kansas (2023) and the rush vs. Montana (2024).
• Series HistoryThis will mark the first-ever meeting between the Bears and Ball State in football.
• Coach Ryan BeardMissouri State University officially presented Ryan Beard as its new head football coach on Dec. 19, 2022. At the time of his hire, Beard was the program's youngest coach on record and was the 22nd person to hold the football Bears' top coaching position.
• His elevation to head coach came on the heels of three seasons as defensive coordinator (2020-22) at Missouri State under former head coach Bobby Petrino.
• In his inaugural head coaching season, Beard guided the Bears to a 4-7 overall record and a 3-5 ledger in the MVFC. The team's strong November surge included and a 35-16 home win over No. 18-ranked Northern Iowa.
• The 2023 Bears finished No. 5 in the nation in passing offense (300.3), No. 7 in pass efficiency (158.77), 26th in total offense (400.8) and 31st in scoring (29.8).
  Missouri State was rewarded with seven All-MVFC selections in Beard's first campaign as head coach, including first-teamers Grant Burkett (P) and Raylen Sharpe (WR). Sharpe finished fourth in the MVFC Offensive Player of the Year voting. Likewise, Burkett (second team) and Sharpe (third team) were named to the Associated Press FCS All-America Team, while the Bears also boasted three Phil Steele Freshman All-America honorees, including first-teamers Cash Hudson (OL) and Avery Powell (CB).
• At season's end, Beard was named to the American Football Coaches Association's exclusive 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute.
• During his three seasons as MSU's defensive coordinator, Beard played a significant role in the team's resurgence, managing a defensive unit that boasted 18 all-conference selections, four All-Americans and three professional players in his tenure at MoState.
• Before coming to Missouri State, Beard spent the 2019 season at Central Michigan as the special teams and safeties coach for head coach Jim McElwain. He joined the Central Michigan staff in February of 2019 and helped lead the Chippewas to an 8-6 campaign on a defensive secondary that created 13 interceptions.
• Beard served as an assistant at Louisville during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, starting as the defensive backs coach and in quality control before moving on to become the Cardinals' linebackers coach and their co-special teams coordinator. As the DB coach at WKU (2016), Beard was part of a CUSA championship Boca Raton Bowl win.
• He was a standout defensive back at Western Kentucky himself from 2007-11. He was a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection and was named to the league's All-Freshman squad and its All-Academic team. A native of Bowling Green, Ky., Beard was a four-year letterman at Bowling Green High for coach Kevin Wallace, where his efforts helped the Purples advance to the state 3A championship contest each of his last two years.
• Beard holds two degrees from Western Kentucky: a bachelor of science in Business Management (2012), and a master of science in Recreation and Sport Administration (2014).
• He is married to the former Katie Petrino. The couple have four children with son Beau and daughter Lainey, in addition to twins Jacob and Kailey born in the spring of 2022.