Football Bears Under the Lights for Saturday Home Opener

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First and Ten Notes

• Missouri State returns home this Saturday for the team’s home opener against in-state opponent, Lindenwood University, at Robert W. Plaster Stadium. The game will kick off at 6 p.m., with coverage on ESPN+ in addition to the Missouri State Radio Network. Fans are encouraged to wear black BearWear with a free MSU headband giveaway and post-game drone show. 
• The Bears are 71-37-4 all-time in home openers, including a 30-10-2 mark in home lid lifters as a Division I program (since 1982) with 3 straight home-opening victories. During his tenure at MSU, including three years as defensive coordinator, coach Ryan Beard is 3-1 in home openers (1-0 as head coach).
• Missouri State begins its 84th season at Robert W. Plaster Stadium, holding an all-time home record of 228-183-12 (.553) since 1941.
• Standout safety Todric McGee (Jr., Wichita Kan.) is coming off a career-high 16 tackles at Ball State, racking up 6 solo stops and 10 assists to go with a tackle for loss (3 yards). It marked McGee’s 8th career double-figure tackle game (2nd this season). He currently ranks No. 3 nationally in total tackles per game (13.5), which leads the MVFC, and is 22nd among active FCS players in career tackles per game (6.54).
• The Bears have scored in 17 of their last 20 quarters (dating back to last season) and notched double-figure scoring totals in 41 consecutive ball games, including 20 or more points 33 times in that span.
• Missouri State is 5-5 in night games over the last three years (2-0) at home.
• Jacardia Wright (Sr., Decatur, Ill.) needs 276 rushing yards to reach 2,000 for his career to go with his 378 carries and 17 rushing TDs. He is part of Missouri State’s “Thunder and Lightning” backfield along with Jayden Becks (So., Waxahachie, Texas). The tandem has combined for 172 ground yards and 3 rushing scores through Missouri State’s first two ball games.
• Missouri State enters Week 3 of the college football season sharing the FCS national lead with 1.000 red-zone efficiency (6-of-6) with 34 other teams. The Bears also rank 19th in passing offense (257.5), 28th in scoring offense (29.0) and 35th in total first downs (40). 
• Hunter Wood (Sr., Springdale, Ark.) ranks 20th nationally in punt return average (7.3).
• MoState QB Jacob Clark (Sr., Rockwall, Texas) ranks 10th nationally in passing yards per game (257.5) and total passing yards (515), both of which rank 2nd in the MVFC. Clark leads The Valley in completions per game (21.0), which ranks 12th nationally, while his total offense per game (247.0) ranks 18th in FCS.
• Punter Grant Burkett (Sr., Joplin, Mo.) ranks No. 2 among active FCS punters in career average (43.8). The three-time All-American and four-time All-MVFC standout ranks No. 1 on MSU’s career average list, No. 2 in punt yds. (9,120) and No. 4 in attempts (208). He has 54 boots of 50+ yards and 49 inside the 20. 
• Sixth-year Bears and All-American specialists Grant Burkett (P, Joplin, Mo.) and Caden Bolz (LS, Overland Park, Kan.) have both played in 46 consecutive games, the most by any current Missouri State player.
• WR Jmariyae Robinson (So., Cocoa, Fla.) scored two more touchdowns in last week’s game at Ball State, giving him 3 scores this season, including two on the ground. He ranks 8th nationally in total TDs (3) and 12th in scoring per game (9.0), both of which lead the MVFC. His 5.0 receptions per game ranks 35th nationally.
• MSU linebacker Kanye Young (Jr., Menifee, Calif.) ranks 2nd in The Valley in sacks per game (1.0) and tackles for loss per game (1.5), which also rank 14th and 18th, respectively, in the FCS national rankings.
• The Bears are coming off a 34-point outing at FBS Ball State, the second-most points ever scored by Missouri State against an FBS foe (43 at Missouri in 2017).

Series History

• This will mark the first-ever meeting between the Bears and Lindenwood in football.

Coach Ryan Beard

• Missouri 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, 35, 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.