Following its 28-14 win over Lindenwood, Missouri State football has its first victory out of the way and it heads into the remainder of its final FCS season hoping to contend for a Missouri Valley Football Conference title while also preparing for its FBS future in Conference USA.
Missouri State jumped out to a quick 21-0 early in the second quarter only to win 28-14. Quarterback Jacob Clark turned in one of the most efficient passing games in the school’s history while running back Jacardia Wright went for 208 all-purpose yards. The defense produced three interceptions in the second half but allowed a handful of big plays.
The Bears travel to UT Martin next week, a program it’s played routinely for the last few seasons and will play in 2025 during their first season in Conference USA.
Here are three things Missouri State football needs to address in the weeks ahead, starting in Tennessee next week:
More: Grading Missouri State football after getting first win vs Lindenwood in Week 3 of 2024
How will Missouri State football OL look when it gets healthy?
The Bears’ offensive line dominated against Lindenwood but they won’t face a defensive front as weak as the Lions’ for the remainder of the year. They will also have to factor in acclimating a pair of starting tackles into the lineup when they get healthier in the coming weeks.
Missouri State kept Erick Cade and Cristian Loaiza sidelined despite thinking they’d be available this week. Bears head coach Ryan Beard said after the game that the two are “close” and they’ll hopefully be available next week.
“Any time you can have time together to practice and really work on what you need to work on, it showed up in the game,” Beard said. “I think that was the biggest thing. It’s just getting reps together as a starting unit and then operating effectively.”
Those reps as a full starting unit will go away once the Bears bring Cade into the mix for the first time since hurting his hip in fall camp. Loaiza was healthy until the first series of Missouri State’s season-opener at Montana. The current group has had two full weeks together, improving each game.
Can Jacardia Wright keep it up?
Wright has been a great player in the Bears’ backfield for three years now and it’s hard to believe Saturday night was only his third 100-plus-yard rushing performance of his career. Thanks to the offensive front and his own talents, he ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns, looking like the best player on the field for most of the night.
Seeing if Wright can consistently put up big numbers is something to watch next. He’s never had multiple 100-yard rushing performances in a season.
A Senior Bowl member was in attendance to watch Wright and he showcased the all-conference-caliber talent that Missouri State fans know he has. The size, speed and receiving ability are all there — it’s just a matter of seeing it stand out every week.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen a more determined football player,” Beard said. “He had a look in his eye all week this week. We knew we were just going to feed him the rock. He doesn’t go down on first contact, you see him break tackles and those powerful runs amplify the attitude of the entire offense.”
Can Missouri State football put together four quarters?
Missouri State led by three touchdowns after its first three drives of the game. The Bears only scored one for the remainder of the night in a 14-point win that felt like it should have been by a lot more.
There were moments when the Bears seemed lackadaisical after taking a three-touchdown lead. Four of their final 11 drives didn’t go for longer than six plays when it seemed like the Bears could have moved the ball at will.
Defensively, the Bears allowed a few chunk plays, including a 79-yard touchdown in the final two minutes. Four passes went for 17 yards or more and four rushes went for 11 yards or more. Those chunk plays added up to 212 of the 328 yards the Bears allowed.
It’s fair to say the Bears haven’t played their best four-quarter football game yet.
“Winning is hard,” Beard said. “We won the game and I’m happy about that. Obviously, there are some things we’ll get to on the film. Our guys played extremely hard and they care about their teammates. I think if we continue to do that, tighten the screws and things that come up, I think we’ll be just fine.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-14 21:03:00
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