Spring 2021 might not bring many wins for Missouri State, but it’s clear they’re willing to make bold moves to get out of the Valley cellar.
Everyone’s got jokes. Missouri State football has heard them all, and they’re sick of them.
Unfortunately, those fond of the “Misery State” moniker have quite a bit of supporting evidence. The last time Missouri State made the FCS playoffs, it wasn’t even called Missouri State. Jesse Branch led the Southwest Missouri State Bears to back-to-back conference titles – the only coach to achieve that feat in the program’s 112 year history – in 1989 and 1990, with the only playoff win in school history coming when the Bears rallied from an early ten point deficit to beat Maine 38-35 with eight seconds left. The Bears flirted with the bubble of a 16 team field in 1996, and haven’t been close since. Coach after coach – including Terry Allen, who won seven conference titles in eight years at Northern Iowa, couldn’t get Missouri State over the hump. The Bears haven’t won more than six games in the lifetime of anyone on the current roster.
So, after a 1-10 season in Dave Steckel’s fifth year in charge, a tenure in which the Bears never finished higher than eighth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, athletic director Kyle Moats made a change late in the coaching cycle, and he went big.
The name Bobby Petrino means different things to different people. There’s no denying his name comes with baggage; it’s hard to forget the images of him in a neck brace at that fateful press conference at Arkansas or the way he left the Atlanta Falcons to take that Arkansas job in the first place. His name also carries enormous cachet, particulary his track record of success with college quarterbacks: Jake Plummer at Airzona State, Ryan Mallett at Arkansas, and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson in his second stint at Louisville. Petrino has already infused the staff and the roster with intriguing talent, bringing in a number of transfers from both junior colleges and four-year schools. His team also has something of a head start: the Bears played more games in the fall than the rest of the Missouri Valley Football Conference combined.
Of course, the Bears lost all three of those games, displaying a wildly inconsistent offense that alternated explosive plays with an alarming number of turnovers and a defense repeatedly forced to defend short fields. They didn’t sit idle during the winter, however; their performance in the fall spurred further transfer reinforcements. Perhaps no program in any of the three FCS power conferences is so clearly on “square one” in terms of the on-field product as Missouri State, and external expectations could remain low for this group for some time. It’s clear, however, the school and the program are tired of being a Valley cellar-dweller. They’re making aggressive moves to get competitive, because the only way they’ll get where their other, competitive athletics programs are is to swing for the fences.
RETURNING STARTERS (as of September 12th, 2020)
Offense: 7/11 (LT, LG, C, RG)
Defense: 5/11 (DT, LB x2, CB, S)
Specialists: 1/3 (P)
STATISTICAL LEADERS (Fall 2020 Stats)
Passing: Jaden Johnson (49.4% completion, 383 yards, 0 touchdowns, 4 interceptions)
Rushing: Kevon Latulas (18 rushes, 142 yards, 1 touchdown)
Receiving: Damoriea Vick (9 receptions, 95 yards, 0 touchdowns)
Tackles: Tyler Wiltz (16 solo, 31 total)
Sacks: Isaiah Sayles (2.5)
Interceptions: Jeremy Webb (2)
OFFENSIVE PERSONNEL
In FCS, some offenses can get away with pedestrian quarterback play and still find success; Illinois State had little at quarterback at the end of 2019 and rode James Robinson and excellent defense to a quarterfinal appearance. When a team is attempting to build from scratch, however, getting quality quarterback play can go a long way.
To that end, Petrino and the Bears sought help after it was clear redshirt freshman Jaden Johnson and true freshman Jake Van Dyne weren’t ready for the role full-time. Missouri State added Idaho State quarterback Matt Struck via the transfer portal, and Struck will be eligible immediately. His numbers in one season as the starter for the Bengals won’t win any awards – 7.3 yards per attempt and just 51.2% completion – the Bears are hoping for stability and consistency after the offense committed 11 turnovers in three games in the fall, 10 of which came in two games against Central Arkansas. Struck is the only non-freshman quarterback on the roster this spring.
If Struck is indeed the starter, he will hope for better play from his offensive line than what the youngsters got in the fall: Bears quarterbacks were sacked 20 times, including 16 sacks allowed in two games against Central Arkansas. The shakeup for this unit appears to be ongoing; starting center Derek Kohler entered the transfer portal in late January, and spots are up for grabs along the line. Second year starter Daniel Allen returns after playing all three games at left tackle in the fall. Andrew Colvin returns at left guard, and sophomore Kobe Brandt could take the lion’s share of reps at right tackle, though true freshman Grant Goodson started two of the three games in the fall. Reinforcements come in the form of guard Kendrick Davis, a Fort Hays State (Division II) transfer who started just one game for the Tigers before an injury ended his junior year.
The starter won’t lack for decent weapons, however, starting with former Texas JUCO standout Kevon Latulas, who led the Bears in rushing with 148 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries in the fall while also tying for the team lead in receptions and sitting second in receiving yards. Latulas took over for Damoriea Vick in the return game and was the primary punt returner in the fall. He’s joined in the backfield by redshirt sophomore Jeremiah Wilson, who returned from a 2019 knee injury and ran for 100 yards and a score in the October matchup with Central Arkansas. Louisville transfer Tobias Little transfers in as a senior to bolster the backfield. Petrino recruited Little to Louisville, where he fought for special teams reps and navigated a knee injury in his second year.
At receiver, the towering combo of senior Lorenzo Thomas (6’5″) and junior Damoriea Vick (6’3″) are the top returning receivers from a season ago and were frequent targets in the fall. Vick has factored into the offense from the moment he stepped on campus and earned Preseason All-MVFC accolades for 2020-21. Junior tight end Jordan Murray caught five touchdown passes in 2019 but had few opportunities to do so in the fall, catching 5 passes for just 22 yards and no scores. He provides another tall, long receiver for the quarterback to target.
DEFENSIVE PERSONNEL
All things considered, Petrino and his staff would be within their rights to be pleased with the way their defense showed in two games against Central Arkansas. In two games, UCA failed to score a touchdown when starting in its own half of the field. The touchdowns UCA did score either came from defensive or special teams plays or were the result of turnovers setting UCA up with extremely favorable field position: UCA’s longest touchdown drive in two games was 43 yards. MSU sacked Breylin Smith seven times and held UCA to just 445 total yards of offense over two games, including just 2.6 yards per rushing attempt.
When Missouri State aggressively pursued both junior college and four-year transfers to immediately reinforce the roster, they were hoping for players at the level of Isaiah Sayles. A 6’3″, 238 pound defensive end with a nose for the backfield, Sayles had 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 11 games as a sophomore at San Diego Mesa and already has 2.5 sacks in three games for the Bears. Another JUCO standout, I.K. Ahumibe, brings a stout frame to the interior alongside three-year starter Eric Johnson.
Ferrin Manuleleua joins the JUCO brigade in the front seven as a standout linebacker. A two-time Region I All-California pick at Modesto Junior College, Manuleleua has already made a name for himself as a major factor in the middle of the defense as the team’s second leading tackler. Junior Tylar Wiltz joins him in the middle of the field, and second year starter Kevin Ellis works the outside and must be accounted for when the Bears bring pressure on the quarterback.
The defensive backfield did get some help during the winter with a player who is used to the spotlight. Kyriq McDonald has a national championship ring from his redshirt season at Alabama and played 11 games for the Crimson Tide in 2018 before transferring to Cincinnati. He now joins the Bears as a versatile player who will see time at safety and nickel, giving the staff wiggle room in the development of Mikey Miles, a promising true freshman safety who played extensively in the fall. Titus Wall played extensively at strong safety in 2019 and started there in the fall but could move to different positions get all three of himself, McDonald, and Miles on the field at the same time. Cornerback Jeremy Webb will be under the spotlight as well after the Virginia Tech transfer snagged two interceptions and four pass breakups in three games in the fall.
SPRING 2021 SCHEDULE
Missouri State comes into the spring season 0-3 after a blowout loss at Oklahoma and squandering a pair of halftime leads against Central Arkansas in the fall. The conference schedule is a reasonable one for the Bears, with most of their toughest opponents spread out and many of them at home. They open with Illinois State on February 20th, then visit Western Illinois, where they won in triple overtime last season, on February 27th. They host the Bison on March 6th, then travel to South Dakota and Northern Iowa in consecutive weeks for a pair of tough road contests. The Bears haven’t beaten the Panthers in Cedar Falls since 1998 and have never won at the Dakota Dome. Southern Illinois (March 27th) and Youngstown State (April 10th) are at home late in the season with a game at North Dakota (April 3rd) slung between them.
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