Category: Missouri State Bears
Missouri Valley Football Conference Recognizes "Silver Anniversary Team"
Founded in 1985 as the Gateway Football Conference, the Missouri Valley Football Conference is celebrating its 25th season of FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) football during the 2009 season. As part of a season-long celebration, the conference is paying tribute to its all-time greats by selecting a Silver Anniversary Team. Also selected was an NFL Greats and Institutional Greats team.
- 3203 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Southern Illinois Salukis, Indiana State Sycamores, South Dakota State Jackrabbits, North Dakota State Bison, Northern Iowa Panthers, Youngstown State Penguins, Western Illinois Leathernecks, Missouri State Bears, Illinois State Redbirds 4th and long - MSU rebuilding process enters crucial year
After 12-21 record in first three seasons, this is the year to see if Terry Allen’s rebuilding process is paying off.
Terry Allen had a choice to make when he was hired as Missouri State’s football coach.
Attempt a quick-fix and load up on transfers with an eye toward an immediate infusion of talent. Or lay a foundation with young recruits – even if that meant a longer time to build a winner.
MSU offense shines
Quarterback Cody Kirby throws four touchdown passes in scrimmage.
Much of the preseason focus at Missouri State football camp has surrounded the new-look defense.
As if to say “remember us,” the offense had an attention-getting Saturday in the Bears’ final scrimmage.
“I commend our offense on their success,” linebacker Terian Washington said. “They’ll do some damage this year.”
Junior quarterback Cody Kirby threw four touchdown passes and felt like a kid with new toys at his disposal.
Missouri State's Final Scrimmage of Fall Camp is a Wild One at Plaster
Missouri State’s final intrasquad scrimmage of its 2009 training camp Saturday morning was a wild one. The Bears’ offense collected 576 total yards, while the defensive unit came up with a pair of interceptions, three sacks, six pass break-ups, and two blocked kicks.
- 765 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Missouri State Bears TSN: UNI, SIU teams to beat in MVFC
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - There was little doubt that the addition of North Dakota State and South Dakota State would make a brutal Missouri Valley Fall Conference race even more competitive.
But when the dust had settled last season, it was traditional powerhouses Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois sitting on top of the league. Things will likely be just as competitive in 2009, but UNI and SIU are again the teams that should set the pace.
Northern Iowa is looking for a share of its third consecutive MVFC title and has developed into one of the more consistent programs in FCS under coach Mark Farley, going from a top-10 team to a squad capable of winning a national title in almost any given year.
- 2240 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Southern Illinois Salukis, Indiana State Sycamores, South Dakota State Jackrabbits, North Dakota State Bison, Northern Iowa Panthers, Youngstown State Penguins, Western Illinois Leathernecks, Missouri State Bears, Illinois State Redbirds MVFC Recognizes "All-Select NFL Team"
ST. LOUIS – Founded in 1985 as the Gateway Football Conference, the Missouri Valley Football Conference will celebrate its 25th season of FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) football during the 2009 season. To kick off the league’s 25th Year Celebration, the Missouri Valley Football Conference is paying tribute to its all-time greats - those who have had stellar careers or played with distinction in the National Football League.
Included in the list are former NFL Most Valuable Players, Pro-Bowl selections and Super Bowl participants. In all, former conference players have combined to play in 15 Pro Bowls and earned four MVP honors, while 12 players have combined for 23 Super Bowl appearances. Notably, 16 former league players on the list are currently active in the NFL.
- 1657 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Southern Illinois Salukis, Indiana State Sycamores, South Dakota State Jackrabbits, North Dakota State Bison, Northern Iowa Panthers, Youngstown State Penguins, Western Illinois Leathernecks, Missouri State Bears, Illinois State Redbirds Three Bears Recognized on Valley Football Preseason Team
ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Valley Football Conference released its preseason all-conference team and preseason poll Monday (July 20) at its annual Media Day festivities.
Three Bears were named to the Missouri Valley Football Preseason Team, including Clay Harbor (Sr., TE, Dwight, Ill.), David Arkin (Jr., OG, Wichita, Kan.) and honorable mention selection Cody Kirby (Jr., QB, Rogers, Ark.).
- 540 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Missouri State Bears Light Poles at Plaster Sports Complex to be Removed
SPRINGFIELD – As a safety precaution, the three remaining in-ground light poles at Missouri State University’s Plaster Sports Complex will be removed as soon as possible.
On Tuesday (July 14), the pole at the northwest corner of the facility fell to the ground. Fortunately, no one was injured. The other in-ground poles at the northeast, southeast, and southwest corners were inspected Wednesday by outside engineering consultants, which led to the decision to remove them.
- 364 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Missouri State Bears Missouri State Tailback Will Miss 2009 Season
Kingjack Washington, Missouri State University’s starting tailback last season, will sit out the 2009 season as he works to restore his academic eligibility and pursue his degree in sociology, the University announced today.
- 361 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Missouri State Bears Missouri State Names New Director of Athletics
Missouri State University’s search for its new Director of Athletics concluded today at JQH Arena with the introduction of Kyle Moats as the University’s 10th AD. Moats is currently the Associate Athletics Director for National Marketing at the University of Louisville.
Moats is expected to begin his duties at Missouri State on July 1. He will replace Bill Rowe who will retire on June 30 after 27 years as Missouri State’s top athletics administrator after more than 50 years at the university as a student, coach and administrator.
- 677 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Missouri State Bears Missouri State football tries to get the buzz back
Terry Allen knew that creating a buzz in the Missouri State football program – on the field and in the grandstands – would not be an overnight process.
After three seasons as Bears head coach, Allen remains in search of a breakthrough season on the field. But is winning enough to put fans in the seats, especially once basketballs start bouncing across campus?
- 1349 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Missouri State Bears Missouri Valley Football Conference Announces 2008 Academic Awards
Thirteen student-athletes highlight nearly 400 who earned selection to the 2008 Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll, as announced by the league office.
- 1077 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Southern Illinois Salukis, Indiana State Sycamores, South Dakota State Jackrabbits, North Dakota State Bison, Northern Iowa Panthers, Youngstown State Penguins, Western Illinois Leathernecks, Missouri State Bears, Illinois State Redbirds MSU's Wade switching from line to tight end
Garett Wade tried to gain weight, but no matter how many extra calories he consumed he could not force the scales to climb above 245 pounds.
That’s not necessarily a good thing if you aspire to play offensive guard on the college level.
“I’ve actually gotten quite a bit stronger,” said Wade, a redshirt freshman on Missouri State’s football team. “But the weight I put on was all muscle. I lost some of my baby fat, I guess.”
- 559 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Missouri State Bears Tough early schedule for Bears next year
Missouri State’s football team will follow a major season-opening test with a three-game homestand.
The Bears face the Arkansas Razorbacks on Sept. 5 in Little Rock, Ark., to kick off the season.
- 212 words - Missouri Valley Football Conference, Missouri State Bears Grace or Davis? UNI's Farley Won't Give Hint
Cedar Falls, Ia. — Northern Iowa quarterback Pat Grace feels healthier, stronger and primed to play again.
But will Grace, out the past two weeks recovering from a right knee injury, start Saturday against Terry Allen-led Missouri State?
“I’m going to keep T.A. guessing,” said Panthers coach Mark Farley, whose fourth-ranked team has won consecutive road games with backup quarterback Zach Davis behind center. “I know who’s going to start, but I’m going to keep him guessing.”
Missouri St. Coach Faces Familiar Foe in UNI
Terry Allen knows Northern Iowa football - both past and present.
And that concerns Panther coach Mark Farley, whose fourth-ranked team plays Allen’s Missouri State Bears at 4 p.m. Saturday in the UNI-Dome.
“They know all our signals, they have all our playbooks, they know every term that we’ve ever done,” Farley said of Allen, who led the Panthers from 1989-96, and his staff. “They know everything from the inside out of this football program.”
Grace gets first start at Northern Iowa
Sioux City Bishop Heelan graduate Pat Grace makes his first collegiate start at quarterback Saturday when his Northern Iowa team takes on a Brigham Young outfit that many observers believe may have an outside chance of possibly playing for the Division I national championship.
The afternoon contest in Provo, Utah, matching the Division I-AA (FCS) Panthers and the host Cougars will showcase two quarterbacks of a vastly different background.
The 6-2, 230-pound Grace, since enrolling at Northern Iowa, has played several positions, including linebacker, but the redshirt junior, for the most part, has patiently waited in the wings for three years while record-setting Eric Sanders directed Panther fortunes.
Grace has played in 10 games for UNI, completing seven of eight passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
Rule change to benefit Bears
Play clock extended to 40 seconds; Could keep defenses waiting.
The college football season ushers in a rule change that Missouri State coach Terry Allen says will afford his offense additional flexibility.
The play clock will be set at 40 seconds, beginning the countdown when the previous play is whistled dead. Previously, it was 25 seconds, starting as the ball was spotted by the official.
“I’ve been trying to watch that during preseason,” Allen said. “We actually have been able to get into our cadence with 29 or 30 seconds.”
For a no-huddle offense like the Bears use, it could mean a faster pace.
Pair of carries redeems back
Washington holds onto ball, regains confidence
Kingjack Washington had been internally boiling for a week after losing a fumble in Missouri State’s first football scrimmage.
“I told myself that I needed to come back out and make it a day to redeem myself after last week,” Washington said.
Washington carried the ball only twice Saturday, in the Bears’ final preseason scrimmage. Both touches served a purpose.
The first resulted in a meager 2 yards, but the sophomore tailback absorbed a hard hit. The second was vintage Washington, a darting, dashing 38-yard run that left defenders whiffing until Cedric Alvis put a wallop on him at the finish.
Finding a place to play
The Bears’ spread offense has taken away from a fullback’s reps.
Jeff Sargent considers himself a fullback and, sure enough, he’s officially listed as one – the only one –on Missouri State’s football roster.
But in the Bears’ spread offense, a fullback is sort of a man without a country. Sargent had one carry last season.
“They took his position away,” offensive guard Seth Reichert said. “But look what he’s done.”
Sargent has become a dependable second tight end, able to block and catch.
And, when the situation arises a couple of times a game near the goal line, he returns to his old position.
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