# 2024 Missouri State Bears football team

The 2024 Missouri State Bears football team represented Missouri State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by second-year head coach Ryan Beard and played home games at Robert W. Plaster Stadium located in Springfield, Missouri. Because they were set join the Conference USA of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision in the following season, they were not eligible for the NCAA Division I playoffs nor the MVFC title this season.

## Preseason
### MVFC poll

The MVFC released it preseason prediction poll on July 22, 2024. The Bears were predicted to finish ninth in the conference.
MVFC media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | South Dakota State | 482 (42) |
| 2 | North Dakota State | 437 (1) |
| 3 | South Dakota | 371 |
| 4 | Southern Illinois | 293 |
| 5 | North Dakota | 276 |
| 6 | Illinois State | 264 |
| 7 | Youngtown State | 255 |
| 8 | Northern Iowa | 227 |
| 9 | Missouri State | 164 (1) |
| 10 | Indiana State | 68 |
| 11 | Murray State | 67 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 3 Montana* | Washington-Grizzly StadiumMissoula, MT | ESPN+ | L 24–29 | 26,482 |
| September 7 | 1:00 p.m. | at Ball State* | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN | ESPN+ | L 34–42 | 10,018 |
| September 14 | 6:00 p.m. | Lindenwood* | Robert W. Plaster StadiumSpringfield, MO | ESPN+ | W 28–14 | 9,642 |
| September 21 | 6:00 p.m. | at UT Martin* | Graham StadiumMartin, TN | ESPN+ | W 31–24 | 3,985 |
| September 28 | 2:00 p.m. | Youngstown State | Robert W. Plaster StadiumSpringfield, MO | ESPN+ | W 38–31 | 12,117 |
| October 12 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 16 Illinois State | Hancock StadiumNormal, IL | ESPN+ | W 41–7 | 6,232 |
| October 19 | 2:00 p.m. | Indiana State | Robert W. Plaster StadiumSpringfield, MO | ESPN+ | W 46–21 | 11,280 |
| October 26 | 4:00 p.m. | at Northern Iowa | UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA | ESPN+ | W 49–42 | 10,848 |
| November 2 | 2:00 p.m. | Southern Illinois | Robert W. Plaster StadiumSpringfield, MO | ESPN+ | W 38–17 | 8,134 |
| November 9 | 1:00 p.m. | at Murray State | Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY | ESPN+ | W 59–31 | 5,127 |
| November 16 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 1 North Dakota State | FargodomeFargo, ND | ESPN+ | L 21–59 | 14,679 |
| November 23 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 3 South Dakota State | Robert W. Plaster StadiumSpringfield, MO | ESPN+ | L 9–45 | 7,142 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at No. 3 Montana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 3 Grizzlies | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, MT
* Date: Saturday August 31, 2024
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 26,482
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Missouri State | Passing |
| Missouri State | Rushing |
| Missouri State | Receiving |
| Montana | Passing |
| Montana | Rushing |
| Montana | Receiving |

### at Ball State (FBS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 7 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 34 |
| Cardinals (FBS) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 42 |
at Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, IN
* Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 64 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 10,018
* Referee: Billy Williams
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Kelsie Kasper (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
| Statistics | MOST | BALL |
| First downs | 18 | 25 |
| Total yards | 320 | 435 |
| Rushing yards | 62 | 173 |
| Passing yards | 258 | 262 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 19–32–1 | 28–38–1 |
| Time of possession | 21:30 | 38:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Missouri State | Passing | Jacob Clark | 19/32, 258 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Missouri State | Rushing | Jacardia Wright | 15 carries, 46 yards, TD |
| Missouri State | Receiving | Jmariyae Robinson | 7 receptions, 102 yards, TD |
| Ball State | Passing | Kadin Semonza | 28/38, 262 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Ball State | Rushing | Braedon Sloan | 21 carries, 103 yards, TD |
| Ball State | Receiving | Cam Pickett | 7 receptions, 69 yards |

### Lindenwood

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Bears | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
at Robert W. Plaster Stadium, Springfield, MO
* Date: Saturday September 14, 2024
* Game time: 6:00 PM
* Game weather: Sunny, 80 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 9,642
* Referee: Jason Berg
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | LIN | MOST |
| First downs | 18 | 28 |
| Total yards | 328 | 476 |
| Rushing yards | 127 | 174 |
| Passing yards | 201 | 302 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–24–3 | 28–33–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:41 | 36:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Lindenwood | Passing | Nate Glantz | 13/22, 122 yards, 3 INT |
| Lindenwood | Rushing | Steve Hall | 13 carries, 100 yards |
| Lindenwood | Receiving | Jeff Caldwell | 6 receptions, 137 yards, 1 TD |
| Missouri State | Passing | Jacob Clark | 28/33, 302 yards, 2 TD |
| Missouri State | Rushing | Jacardia Wright | 21 carries, 143 yards, 2 TD |
| Missouri State | Receiving | Hunter Wood | 10 receptions, 90 yards |

### at UT Martin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| Skyhawks | 7 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
at Graham Stadium, Martin, TN
* Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game attendance: 3,985
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | MOST | UTM |
| First downs | 19 | 19 |
| Total yards | 403 | 308 |
| Rushing yards | 15 | 95 |
| Passing yards | 388 | 213 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:06 | 29:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Missouri State | Passing | Jacob Clark | 26/33, 388 yards, 3 TD |
| Missouri State | Rushing | Jacardia Wright | 16 carries, 22 yards, 1 TD |
| Missouri State | Receiving | Lance Mason | 3 receptions, 94 yards |
| UT Martin | Passing | Kaiya Sheron | 20/27, 213 yards, 2 TD |
| UT Martin | Rushing | Patrick Smith | 16 carries, 63 yards, 1 TD |
| UT Martin | Receiving | Trevonte Rucker | 6 receptions, 73 yards |

### Youngstown State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penguins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Robert W. Plaster Stadium, Springfield, MO
* Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
* Game time: 2:00 PM
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Youngstown State | Passing |
| Youngstown State | Rushing |
| Youngstown State | Receiving |
| Missouri State | Passing |
| Missouri State | Rushing |
| Missouri State | Receiving |

### at No. 16 Illinois State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 16 Redbirds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL
* Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
* TV: ESPN+
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Missouri State | Passing |
| Missouri State | Rushing |
| Missouri State | Receiving |
| Illinois State | Passing |
| Illinois State | Rushing |
| Illinois State | Receiving |

### Indiana State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Sycamores | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Robert W. Plaster Stadium, Springfield, MO
* Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
* Game time: 2:00 PM
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Indiana State | Passing |
| Indiana State | Rushing |
| Indiana State | Receiving |
| Missouri State | Passing |
| Missouri State | Rushing |
| Missouri State | Receiving |

### at Northern Iowa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA
* Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
* Game time: 4:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
* TV: ESPN+
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Missouri State | Passing |
| Missouri State | Rushing |
| Missouri State | Receiving |
| Northern Iowa | Passing |
| Northern Iowa | Rushing |
| Northern Iowa | Receiving |

### Southern Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Salukis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Robert W. Plaster Stadium, Springfield, MO
* Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
* Game time: 2:00 PM
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Southern Illinois | Passing |
| Southern Illinois | Rushing |
| Southern Illinois | Receiving |
| Missouri State | Passing |
| Missouri State | Rushing |
| Missouri State | Receiving |

### at Murray State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Racers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY
* Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
* TV: ESPN+
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Missouri State | Passing |
| Missouri State | Rushing |
| Missouri State | Receiving |
| Murray State | Passing |
| Murray State | Rushing |
| Murray State | Receiving |

### at No. 1 North Dakota State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| No. 1 Bison | 21 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 59 |
at Fargodome • Fargo, ND
* Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
* Game time: 2:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 14,679
* Referee: Jason Perkins
* TV: ESPN+
| Statistics | MOST | NDSU |
| First downs | 22 | 27 |
| Total yards | 382 | 575 |
| Rushing yards | 86 | 364 |
| Passing yards | 296 | 211 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 20–32–0 | 19–27–1 |
| Time of possession | 31:21 | 28:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Missouri State | Passing | Jacob Clark | 18/30, 247 yards, TD |
| Missouri State | Rushing | Jacardia Wright | 13 carries, 68 yards, TD |
| Missouri State | Receiving | Hunter Wood | 4 receptions, 73 yards |
| North Dakota State | Passing | Cam Miller | 17/24, 155 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| North Dakota State | Rushing | Barika Kpeenu | 10 carries, 169 yards, 2 TD |
| North Dakota State | Receiving | Chris Harris | 3 receptions, 48 yards |

### No. 3 South Dakota State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Jackrabbits | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Robert W. Plaster Stadium, Springfield, MO
* Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
* Game time: 2:00 PM
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| South Dakota State | Passing |
| South Dakota State | Rushing |
| South Dakota State | Receiving |
| Missouri State | Passing |
| Missouri State | Rushing |
| Missouri State | Receiving |