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FCS Playoff Preview: Missouri State Meets North Dakota in the First Round

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For the first time in 30 seasons, Missouri State will be playing the NCAA FCS playoffs this week when the Bears travel to fellow Missouri Valley Football Conference foe North Dakota in a first-round game Saturday (3 p.m.) at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. MSU was originally scheduled to play UND in a regular-season conference game on April 3 before the COVID-19 protocol in UND's Tier 1 caused the game to be canceled by the MVFC.

MSU enters the NCAA playoffs ... For the first time since a 1990 first-round game vs. Idaho (with Bobby Petrino serving as Idaho assistant coach) ... With 4 straight wins (3 over ranked opponents), dating back to its win at No. 21 South Dakota on March 13 ... With a 3-0 road record this season, including a 2-0 ledger in domed stadiums ... With a share of the MVFC regular-season title for the first time since 1990.

Missouri State head coach Bobby Petrino was announced Monday as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the FCS National Coach of the Year. Petrino is in his first season as head coach of the Bears and inherited a team that was 1-10 last season and was picked 9th in the MVFC preseason poll. He is one of 16 coaches on the list of Eddie Robinson Award finalists, which also includes UND coach Bubba Schweigert.

The Bears rank of 12th in this week's STATS Perform FCS Top 25 poll marks the team's highest national ranking since Oct. 28, 1996 (7th). Missouri State also jumped to No. 17 in the AFCA coaches poll this week.

In league games, the Bears have surrendered just 35 second-half points this season (5.8 ppg) with its six MVFC foes punting on 17-of-32 (.531) second-half drives with 9 turnovers (including 3 on downs), 4 TDs and 2 field goals.

The Bears defense continue to lead the MVFC in third-down defense, holding opponents to just a 28.7 percent conversion rate in league games and 28.8 percent (6th nationally) overall. Missouri State's defense also ranks 11th nationally in take-aways (14), 13th in red zone defense (.690) and 24th in rushing defense (118.0).

MSU's reputation as "Sack City" continues to grow as the Bears have accumulated a school-record 27 total sacks this season, which leads all FCS schools. A total of 18 different Bears have contributed to that sack total. MSU's 2.67 sacks per game in MVFC play is second to UND, while its 3.00 sacks overall is 17th-best nationally.

Damoriea Vick (Jr., Oklahoma City, Okla.) has 544 receiving yards this season which ranks 12th nationally. In league games, he ranks 3rd in the MVFC in receiving yards per game (74.8) and is 6th in receptions per game (5.2). He has started 30 consecutive games.

Jordan Murray (Jr., Lee's Summit, Mo.) has recorded a pass reception in 29 consecutive games, the fifth-longest streak in program history. For his career, Murray has 73 catches for 845 yards and 9 TDs.

Bears defensive backs Jeremy Webb (Sr., East Mims, Fla.) and Montrae Braswell (So., Avon Park, Fla.) are tied for 4th nationally in total interceptions with 3 apiece. Braswell was named MVFC Defensive Player of the Week on March 14 after he scored a pair of touchdowns in MSU's win at South Dakota (36-yard interception return, 100-yard kickoff return), while Webb had a season-high 8 tackles in MSU's win at UNI.

Kicker Jose Pizano (So., Lehi, Utah) converted the game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Bears past No. 10 Southern Illinois on March 27. The transfer from Snow College (Utah) is 11-of-13 (.846) on field goal tries this season (5 in a row) and 18-for-18 on extra points, ranking 15th nationally in FG accuracy and 24th in FG per game (1.22). He was named MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his 33-yard field goal with 4:30 remaining helped the Bears secure their first win at the UNI-Dome since 1998.

QB's Matt Struck (Sr., Central Point, Ore.) and Jaden Johnson (RFr., Memphis, Tenn.) have teamed up to provide the Bears with a dual threat at signal caller this spring. An Idaho State transfer, Struck is 3-0 as a starter and earned MVFC Newcomer of the Week honors after he was 18-of-26 (.692) passes for 245 yards in MSU's win over No. 10 SIU (March 27). The Bears are 2-1 when Johnson starts, with the USM transfer coming on in relief in the league finale vs. Youngstown State (April 10) to engineer three straight TD drives and clinch the Bears victory.

Coach Bobby Petrino

  • Missouri State University officially introduced Bobby Petrino as its new head football coach in a news conference at JQH Arena on the Springfield campus, January 16, 2020.
  • He is currently 124-60 (.674) in his 15th season as a head coach. He is 5-4 at Missouri State, including a 5-1 ledger this spring, 3-2 mark on the road (3-0 in the spring), and 2-2 at Robert W. Plaster Stadium. He has never coached against North Dakota.
  • He was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Coach of the Year on April 22 in his first season in the league.
  • Petrino previously served as head coach in two stints at Louisville as well as Arkansas and Western Kentucky. He spent 14 seasons at the FBS level and led his programs to 11 bowl appearances with seven teams ranked in the top 25 at season's end.
  • The Helena, Mont., native is in his 32nd year of collegiate coaching in 2020. He has guided his programs to top-six final rankings in the Associated Press poll three times (2004, 2006, 2011), directing some of the nation's top offensive programs along the way.
  • His clubs have finished in the top five nationally in scoring offense three times, while his 2004 club at Louisville led the country in scoring at 49.8 points per game. He has developed 34 NFL Draft selections during his illustrious career, including four in the first round, and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.
  • Petrino and his wife Becky have four children: Kelsey, Nick, Bobby and Katie — and six grandchildren. Nick Petrino is Missouri State's offensive coordinator, while sons-in-law Ryan Beard (defensive coordinator) and L.D. Scott (defensive line) are also on the MSU coaching staff this season.

Series History

  • The Bears are 1-1 all-time against North Dakota.
  • The Bears have played North Dakota twice in non-conference action with the teams exchanging shutouts in 2014 and 2017.
  • Missouri State recorded a 38-0 win over UND on Sept. 13, 2014 before a record crowd of 18,386 in the first game at the renovated Plaster Stadium in Springfield.
  • North Dakota avenged the decision with a 34-0 victory over MSU on Sept. 9, 2017 at Alreus Center