Springfield Standard

Missouri State University’s football team will face Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, October 8, in a Conference USA (CUSA) matchup. The game is scheduled for 6:32 p.m. Central Time at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This marks the Bears' first weekday CUSA contest.

Fans can purchase tickets through TicketMaster or by calling (615) 898-5261. The game will be broadcast on KWTO (101.3 FM) and streamed via the Bears Radio Network and Varsity Network App. Television coverage will be provided by ESPN2.

Missouri State has taken early leads in all five games this season and outscored opponents 34-14 in the first quarter. Punter Stewart McDonald averaged nearly 50 yards per punt against Western Kentucky and contributed as holder for special teams kicks. Linebacker Jared "Bird" Lloyd reached 100 career tackles last week, while wide receiver Jmariyae Robinson is three receptions away from joining an exclusive group of Bears with at least 100 career catches.

The Bears’ running game saw improvement against WKU with four rushes over 20 yards and a season-high 214 rushing yards on 34 attempts. Among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams, Missouri State ranks within the top half for passing yards per attempt, passing offense per game, and average time of possession.

In national rankings, Missouri State is currently No. 108 on MasseyRatings.com’s FBS computer rankings out of 136 teams—fourth among CUSA schools—and No. 111 in ESPN's SP+ Rankings, placing fifth within the conference.

Linebacker Kanye Young recorded double-digit tackles last Saturday, matching his career high with ten stops and contributing two tackles for loss and a sack. Wide receiver Dash Luke stands among conference leaders in receptions and receiving yards per game.

Despite totaling over 400 yards of offense—including more than 200 rushing yards—against WKU last week, Missouri State lost the contest under coach Ryan Beard for only the second time when surpassing those offensive benchmarks.

Quarterback Jacob Clark has started seventeen consecutive games for Missouri State—the program’s longest streak since Jason Shelley started twenty-three straight games from 2021 to 2022. Clark has twice received honorable mention honors for the Earl Campbell Award Player of the Week this season and was named Manning Award National QB of the Week earlier in September.

The upcoming meeting will be only the second between Missouri State and Middle Tennessee; their previous matchup was in October 1986 when MTSU won 42-19.

Ryan Beard became head coach at Missouri State University on December 19, 2022, making him both the youngest coach on record at that time for the program and its twenty-second head football coach overall. Entering this season at age thirty-six, he is one of the youngest head coaches across FBS programs.

In his first two seasons leading Missouri State’s football program, Beard guided them to an eight-win campaign last year—earning a national ranking—and helped produce several all-conference players as well as All-Americans. Last year also saw quarterback Jacob Clark finish fourteenth nationally in Walter Payton FCS Player of the Year voting while running back Jacardia Wright signed with an NFL team after going undrafted.

Before becoming head coach, Beard served as defensive coordinator at Missouri State from 2020 to 2022 during a period marked by multiple all-conference selections on defense and several players moving into professional football careers.

Beard previously coached at Central Michigan and Louisville before joining Missouri State's staff under Bobby Petrino; he played college football as a defensive back at Western Kentucky University where he earned academic honors alongside athletic recognition.