Springfield Standard

Missouri State University Bears football team will play its second game of the 2025 season against the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday, September 6, at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia. The matchup is scheduled for 5:02 p.m. Central Time and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between Missouri State and Marshall. Both teams enter the contest with a record of 0-1 after their opening games.

The Bears recently completed their season opener against USC, where they posted a 71.43 percent completion rate (20-for-28), leading Conference USA in that category. Three current Bears—tight end Hayden Hagler and wide receivers Sean Reese and Antonio Robinson—previously played for Marshall, with Hagler appearing in eight games for the Thundering Herd in 2020.

In last week’s game at USC, freshman Tristian Gardner became the first Missouri State freshman since 2019 to catch a touchdown pass in his collegiate debut. Safety Maguire Neal recorded nine tackles, placing him tied for fifth in Conference USA for tackles per game.

Saturday’s contest is one of six night games scheduled for Missouri State this season—the most since 2003. The attendance at last week’s USC game was reported as 62,841, making it the fifth-largest crowd ever to watch a Bears game.

Quarterback Jacob Clark was named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List on August 20. Clark is approaching several career milestones: he needs 159 passing yards to reach 5,000 career yards and has thrown for over 200 yards in thirteen of his seventeen starts.

Wide receiver Ronnel Johnson is also nearing a milestone with just over 100 receiving yards needed to surpass 1,000 career yards. Jmariyae Robinson requires thirteen receptions to become the seventeenth Bear with at least one hundred catches; he also holds a unique distinction as the only Division I player with four rushing touchdowns on fewer than twenty carries.

This will be Missouri State’s first football game against an opponent from West Virginia. Later this season, the team will travel east again for matchups against Liberty and Kennesaw State.

Head coach Ryan Beard was appointed as Missouri State's head football coach on December 19, 2022. At thirty-six years old entering the current season, Beard is among the youngest head coaches in FBS football. In his previous two seasons leading Missouri State—first at FCS level—Beard guided the program to an eight-win campaign and national ranking last year and oversaw one of college football's most efficient offenses nationally.

Coach Beard’s background includes stints as defensive coordinator at Missouri State under Bobby Petrino and assistant coaching roles at Central Michigan and Louisville before joining MSU staff in 2020. He played collegiate football as a defensive back at Western Kentucky University from 2007-2011 and holds degrees from WKU in business management and recreation/sport administration.

"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."

"At 36 years old, coach Beard enters the 2025 season as the fifth-youngest head coach in the FBS ranks."

"Last season (2024), the Bears' final campaign at the FCS level, Beard guided MoState to an 8-4 overall record and No. 23 national ranking with 12 all-conference standouts and three All-Americans in his camp."

"Quarterback Jacob Clark finished 14th in the Walter Payton FCS Player of the Year voting, while running back Jacardia Wright signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Seahawks after the season."

"The Bears reeled off eight straight wins from Sept. 14 to Nov. 9, the squad's longest since a stretch from 1988-89."

"The 2024 Bears finished 6-2 in Valley play to tie for fourth place (one game behind tri-champions NDSU, SDSU and USD) and match the team record for conference victories (1978, 2021), including MSU's first 6-0 start in conference play since 1978."

"Likewise, the Bears started 8-2 overall for the first time since 1990 and reached eight overall wins for the ninth time in program history -- first since the 2021 NCAA playoff team."

"Likewise, MSU's four-game road win streak was its first since a split-season stretch from 1996-97."

"Beard's 2024 squad boasted one of the nation's most efficient offensive attacks, racking up306.2 yards per game through air(5th),424.8 total yards per game(17th)and34.8 points per outing(13th), all of which ranked intop20 nationally."

"In his inaugural head coaching season (2023), Beard guided the Bears to a4-7 overall recordand a3-5 ledgerin MVFC.The team's strong November surge included anda35-16 home win over No18-ranked Northern Iowa."

"The2023Bears finishedNo5in nationin passing offense(3003),No7in pass efficiency(15877),26thin total offense(4008)and31stinscoring(298)."

"Missouri State was rewarded with seven All-MVFC selections in Beard's first campaign as head coach,incl.first-teamers Grant Burkett(P)and Raylen Sharpe(WR).Sharpe finished fourthin MVFC Offensive PlayerofYear voting.Likewise,Burkett(second team)and Sharpe(third team)were namedto Associated Press FCS All-America Team whileBears also boasted three Phil Steele Freshman All-America honorees,incl.first-teamers Cash Hudson(OL)and Avery Powell(CB)."

"At endof2023campaign Beardlessnamedto American Football Coaches Association's exclusive35Under35Coaches Leadership Institute."

"During his three seasonsasMSUdefensive coordinator(2020–22),Beard played significant roleinthe team's resurgence undercoach Bobby Petrino managinga defensive unitthatboasted18all-conference selections,fourAll-Americansandthree professional playersinhis tenureatMoState."

"Before comingtoMissouriStateBeard spent2019seasonatCentral Michiganasspecial teamsandsafeties coachforheadcoachJimMcElwain.HejoinedCentralMichiganstaffinFebruaryof2019andhelpedleadChippewastoan8–6campaignonadefensivesecondarythatcreated13interceptions."

"Beard servedasanassistantatLouisvilleduring2017and2018seasons startingasthedefensivebackscoachandinqualitycontrolbeforemovingontobecomeCardinals'linebackerscoachandtheirco-specialteamscoordinator.AstheDBcoachatWKU(2016),BeardwaspartofaCUSAchampionshipBocaRatonBowlwin."  

"He wasa standoutdefensivebackatWesternKentuckyhimselffrom2007–11.Hewasa two-timeAll-Sun BeltConference selectionandwasnamedtotheleague'sAll-FreshmansquadanditsAll-Academicteam.AnativeofBowlingGreen,KY.,Beardwasafour-yearlettermanatBowlingGreenHighforcoachKevinWallacewherehiseffortshelpedPurplesadvancetothestate3Achampionshipcontesteachofhislasttwoyears."  

"Beardholds twodegreesfromWesternKentucky:abachelorofscienceinBusinessManagement(2012),anda masterofscienceinRecreationandSportAdministration(2014)."  

"HeismarriedtotheformerKatiePetrino.ThecouplehavefourchildrenwithsonBeauanddaughterLainey,inadditiontotwinsJacobandKaileyborninthespringof2022."