close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • Missouri State football excited to start Conference USA, FBS era
    news

    Missouri State football excited to start Conference USA, FBS era

    Vaseline Posted on

    play

    Missouri State football felt the momentum shift when it recovered a fumble on a kickoff at the South Dakota State 2-yard line, putting the Bears two yards away from cutting the mighty Jackrabbits’ lead to four just before halftime.

    However, the Bears regressed. A first-down run was blown for a loss of three before a pair of incompletions. The Bears settled for a field goal before the Jackrabbits marched down for a touchdown just before halftime.

    It was the last time Missouri State scored en route to a 45-9 loss to finish its final season in the FCS and Missouri Valley Football Conference at 8-4 with a 6-2 record in Valley play.

    After eight consecutive wins against lesser opponents in the MVFC, the Bears were outscored 104-30 in losses over the past two weeks when they played North Dakota State and SDSU – two FCS championship contenders who could challenge for Group of 5 if they were in the league. the FBS at the moment.

    More: What QB Jacob Clark said about his future with Missouri State Football

    As Missouri State, as a member of Conference USA and FBS, heads toward the Aug. 30 showdown to kick off the 2025 season in Southern California, it’s clear the Bears still have a lot of work to do — even after a of their best seasons as a team. Division I program.

    “The last two weeks have been tough, but it’s been a really good evaluation,” Bears coach Ryan Beard said. “If you want your program and your standard to be national championships, you have to do a good job finding the right players for the state of Missouri. We have to get bigger, faster and stronger.”

    Beard enters Missouri State’s transformative offseason hoping to build a roster that can immediately compete in Conference USA. The program hasn’t defeated an FBS team since 1990 and will open the year against USC before traveling to Marshall and hosting the College Football Playoff against the SMU Mustangs.

    Based on how the Bears performed against NDSU and SDSU, most of the recruiting attention will be on rebuilding the offensive and defensive lines.

    Their defense line was pushed over by elite opposition. The unit allowed 177.9 rushing yards per game, including 364 to NDSU last week. The Bears allowed 200 or more rushing yards four times in 2024.

    More: Missouri State football saw championship infrastructure that it doesn’t have in the state of North Dakota

    Made evident by their inability to gain two yards when trying to challenge the Jackrabbits, the Bears were never able to control the line of scrimmage, establish a ground game or give star quarterback Jacob Clark the comfort he needed to excel as he did during the Bears’ eighth. game winning streak.

    “If you look at the games, we have to get bigger and be more physical at multiple positions,” Beard said. “We have to make sure that’s what we focus on and that we get guys here who love football and love competition. We have to keep the pieces that fit our culture and leave everyone else on the sidelines.”

    Beard said he doesn’t know how many scholarships he can use in the first year the Bears move to the FBS, while they will eventually have 105. The numbers could change with the upcoming House settlement with the NCAA.

    Recruiting for next season has already begun and a handful of high school players have signed up. The upcoming transfer portal opens on December 9 and will last until December 28.

    Beard and his staff will re-evaluate the current roster and see who comes and who goes in the coming days. The first big piece may have fallen with Clark, who is coming off the best season for a QB in MSU history and says he plans to be at Missouri State next year.

    “I like the direction we’re going,” Beard said. “It will only get better when we can present them with the projected images and everything that happens with the program.”

    Despite no playoff opportunity due to NCAA rules and the two big losses to end the year, Missouri State’s 2024 season proved successful and meaningful. For a program with yet another eight-win season since 1990, the Bears showed they are moving in the right direction under Beard, who completed his second season.

    A lot needs to happen between now and the next time the Bears win eight games or become bowl eligible. It will take time, investment and a lot of hits in recruitment.

    Missouri State’s new era of football begins now.

    “All you can ask for as a player and coach is to be at the top of your sport,” Beard said. “We have taken the step as a university to reach the pinnacle of our sport. It is a good time to be in this program.”

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like