OPINION |
Don’t blink or the college football season will be over. It’s hard to believe that Missouri State has only four games remaining and, in just 22 days, we’ll be dissecting Ryan Beard’s first season as head coach for the history books.
The Bears have won two in a row and are 3-4 entering Saturday’s road game against 24th-ranked Youngstown State. Beard said he’s never seen the sunshine in previous visits to the “Ice Castle” and that is unlikely to change this time. Youngstown is a tough place to play. Gray, cold and wet is usually the norm for Stambaugh Stadium.
That same description summed up Missouri State’s season through the first five weeks as the Bears opened 1-4. But there is some sunshine on the Bears’ side after back-to-back wins over Western Illinois and Murray State.
Taking a tough stretch one game at a time
Three of the final four opponents are ranked in the Football Championship Subdivision, including a season-ending trip to No. 1 South Dakota State. While ithe difference in 5-6 or 4-7 might not seem like much, picking up a couple of wins the rest of the way would be huge for the program.
Beard might be a rookie head coach, but he’s already mastered the football coaches’ favorite cliche of playing ’em one at a time. Asked about what beating a couple of ranked teams could do for the program heading into the offseason, Beard threw a caution flag.
“That would be great,” Beard said of beating ranked opposition. “But we take it a day at a time and try to be our best selves first. I think that has helped us the last few weeks.
“I go back to the North Dakota State game. All you heard all week is the Bison are this, the Bison are mad, they’re this and that. Sometimes, I think you let that sink in. We need to worry about who we are as a football team and what we want to achieve and what we can achieve and build on that.
“But it would be tremendous for our football program and it starts with Youngstown.”
Encouraging signs in win over Murray State
Murray State will never be confused with North Dakota State or other perennial top powers in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, but how the Bears prevailed over the Racers was encouraging.
Missouri State fell behind before a bunch of the homecoming-day fans had disposed of their beverages and made their way into Plaster Stadium. A turnover on the first play from scrimmage led to a quick Murray State touchdown and could have put the Bears on their heels.
Instead, Missouri State’s offense answered in a fun-to-watch first half that went back and forth en route to a 21-all deadlock. The second half turned into a defensive battle, with punting and field position key until the Bears prevailed down the stretch for a 28-24 victory.
Devin Goree’s sack in the final minute clinched the victory. Elite teams need to learn how to win close games and that’s something the Bears excelled at during their back-to-back playoff runs in the 2021 spring and fall seasons under former head coach Bobby Petrino.
Laying a foundation for the future
Beard said the blowout win at Western Illinois and the tense battle with Murray are helping his team grow up. It might be too late to make a playoff push this fall, but this is the type of stretch that can lay the foundation for such contention in 2024.
Goree is the type of pass rusher who can be a game-changer. Quarterback Jordan Pachot is proving capable after taking over for the injured Jacob Clark three games ago and both players are due to return next season, giving the Bears two good options at the position.
It’s never too early to think about next season, especially when the clock is ticking on the current one.
“I think we’re riding the momentum of what it takes to win on Saturdays in regards to how you have to prepare during the week, how you have to practice with and the focus,” Beard said earlier this week. “I think our players firmly believe we can be competitive in any game.
“We’re a gritty group. They care about each other. We challenged the guys pretty hard after the North Dakota State game and they have responded well.”
‘We have grit'
That growth will be further measured on Saturday, then with home games against Illinois State and Northern Iowa before the tough assignment at South Dakota State. After opening 1-4, finishing 5-6 would be great. Winding up 6-5 would be downright terrific.
“We’ve won a few games in a row, but we still have so much growth and so much to learn in consistently putting a game together,” Beard said. “We’re young, we’re beat up, but we have grit. We know how to fight.
“We sat here a few weeks ago and said it’s about to be a big October. We’re still on track for that. We’ve had to have some guys mature quickly. You see it out there. There are some growing pains, but the guys believe in each other.”
Evangel remains unbeaten
Springfield’s best under-the-radar football story continues to evolve at Evangel University, where the Valor remain undefeated and have moved up to No. 12 in the NAIA rankings.
Looking to reach postseason play for the first time in 18 years, Evangel plays at McPherson on Saturday and at No. 9 Southwestern College on Nov. 4. That game will likely determine the Kessinger Division champ of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and the automatic rep to the NAIA playoffs.
The Valor closes the regular season at home against Bethel College, at Eagle Stadium in Nixa, Nov. 11.
Hall of Fame finale for Holly Hesse
Missouri State announced earlier this week that Holly Hesse will retire at the conclusion of the 2024 softball season, her 36th as Bears’ head coach. Hesse has a 903-857–2 record while leading Missouri State to six NCAA Tournament appearances and six Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles since 1988.
The winningest coach in program history also has the second most coaching victories both overall and in league play.
“I have been blessed and honored to spend my entire head coaching career at Missouri State, a community that I deeply love and cherish,” Hesse said in a news release. “For the time being, my focus is on preparing for the spring season and the journey ahead as we challenge for (an) MVC Championship.”
Missouri State unveiled its 2024 schedule on Thursday. It opens its season Feb. 8 against Clemson as part of the 17-team NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida. The Bears will play in Springfield for the first time March 12-13 as they open a six-game home stand. It starts with a two-game series against Southern Illinois, which marks the opening of Missouri Valley Conference action.
