# 2022 Missouri State Bears football team

The 2022 Missouri State Bears football team represented Missouri State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Bobby Petrino and played their home games at Robert W. Plaster Stadium in Springfield, Missouri. This was the Bears 116th season overall and their 37th season as a member of the MVFC.

## Preseason
### MVFC Media Poll

The media picked the Bears to finish in 3rd place. This is the highest ranking for the Bears since 1996 when they were selected 2nd.
MVFC media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st Place) |
| 1 | North Dakota State | 446 (39) |
| 2 | South Dakota State | 407 (2) |
| 3 | Missouri State | 355 |
| 4 | Southern Illinois | 306 |
| 5 | Northern Iowa | 304 |
| 6 | South Dakota | 235 |
| 7 | North Dakota | 190 |
| 8 | Illinois State | 178 |
| 9 | Youngstown State | 132 |
| 10 | Indiana State | 109 |
| 11 | Western Illinois | 44 |

### Preseason awards

Missouri State had eight players selected to the 2022 All-MVFC Preseason Team. Three from the defense, three from the offense, and two from the specialists. Seven players were picked to the first team and one to the second team.
Preseason All-MVFC Team
Preseason All-MFVC Team :
| Player | Team | Position | Year |
| Montrae Braswell | First Team | DB | JR |
| Landon Bebee | First Team | OL | JR |
| Jason Shelley | First Team | QB | SR |
| Kevin Ellis | First Team | DE | SR |
| Kyriq McDonald | First Team | DB | SR |
| Ty Scott | First Team | WR | JR |
| Grant Burkett | First Team | P | SO |
| Jose Pizano | Second Team | K | JR |
Award Watch Lists
Award Watch Lists :
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| FCS Punter of the Year | Grant Burkett | P | SO |
| Walter Payton Award | Jason Shelley | QB | SR |
| Buck Buchanan Award | Montrae Braswell | DB | Jr. |

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Alma mater | Joined staff |
| Bobby Petrino | Head coach | Carroll College (1983) | 2020 |
| Ryan Beard | Defensive coordinator/ Safeties | Western Kentucky (2012) | 2020 |
| Nick Petrino | Offense coordinator / quarterbacks coach | Western Kentucky (2014) | 2020 |
| Austin Appleby | Wide receivers coach | Purdue (2015) | 2020 |
| Skyler Cassity | Inside linebackers coach | Auburn (2016) | 2020 |
| Nelson Fishback | Tight ends coach/ co-special teams coordinator | Western Kentucky (2015) | 2020 |
| Ronnie Fouch | Running backs coach/ recruiting coordinator/ co-special teams coordinator | Indiana State (2004) | 2020 |
| Max Halpin | Offensive line coach | Western Kentucky (2016) | 2020 |
| Reggie Johnson | Inside Linebackers | Louisville (1996) | 2020 |
| L.D. Scott | Defensive line coach/ run game coordinator | Louisville (2009) | 2020 |
| Tramain Thomas | Defensive backs coach | Arkansas (2013) | 2020 |
| Kevin Elliot | Outside linebackers coach | Concord (2013) | 2022 |
| Lynn Mentzer | Director of football operations | Coastal Carolina (2005) | 2018 |
Source:

### Roster

Source:

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 7:00 p.m. | at Central Arkansas* | No. 5 | Estes StadiumConway, AR | ESPN+ | W 27–14 | 10,277 |
| September 8 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 14 UT Martin* | No. 5 | Robert W. Plaster StadiumSpringfield, MO | ESPN+ | W 35–30 | 9,872 |
| September 17 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 10 (FBS) Arkansas* | No. 5 | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | SECN+/ESPN+ | L 27–38 | 74,133 |
| September 24 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 2т South Dakota State | No. 6 | Robert W. Plaster StadiumSpringfield, MO | ESPN3 | L 14–28 | 13,189 |
| October 1 | 12:00 p.m. | at North Dakota | No. 7 | Alerus CenterGrand Forks | ESPN+ | L 31–48 | 10,020 |
| October 8 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 17 Southern Illinois | No. 20 | Robert W. Plaster StadiumSpringfield, MO | ESPN+ | L 21–38 | 7,061 |
| October 22 | 4:00 p.m. | Northern Iowa | | UNI DomeCedar Falls, IA | ESPN+ | L 20–41 | 8,809 |
| October 29 | 2:00 p.m. | Western Illinois | | Robert W. Plaster StadiumSpringfield, MO | ESPN+ | W 64–14 | 10,712 |
| November 5 | 1:00 p.m. | at South Dakota | | DakotaDomeVermillion, SD | ESPN3 | L 13–20 | 5,341 |
| November 12 | 2:00 p.m. | Youngstown State | | Robert W. Plaster StadiumSpringfield, MO | ESPN3 | W 25–22 | 5,148 |
| November 19 | 12:00 p.m. | at Indiana State | | Memorial StadiumTerre Haute, IN | ESPN+ | W 24–7 | 2,575 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||
Last updated: August 18, 2022. Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| STATS FCS | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 20 | RV | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4т | 9 | 19 | RV | | | | | | | |
| Athlon Power Poll | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |