#9 Missouri State

QB Kierra Harris hands the ball to Mikael Cooper-Falls
against Western Illinois last season.
(Photo: Missouri State Athletics)

Missouri State finished the 2012 season 3-8. However, one of their wins came against Illinois State who made the playoffs and finished the season 9-4. They also came 5 points shy of upsetting #1 ranked North Dakota State. Here are some other close losses: Lost vs. Murray State 28-23, Lost vs. Southern Illinois 14-6, Lost @ South Dakota State 17-7. If the Bears were too find a way to win those close games they would have been looking at a 6-5 or 7-4 record instead of a 3-8--they also played Louisville and Kansas State last year as well.

Here is what makes this Missouri State Bears team interesting. Last year they decided to start a transfer QB from Missouri, Ashton Glaser. Glaser turned out to be a bust--half way through the season he put up dismal numbers (116-210 for 1221 yards, 2 TDs & 12 INTs). Kierra Harris finished the season with the starting QB job and although he wasn't phenomenal he was able to make big plays that helped the Bears get some momentum going. Kierra Harris finished the season with just under 1000 yards passing with 7 TDs & 8 INTs. If Harris could expand on his successes in 2012 the Bears might just find a grove and have a really good offense. The kicker, of course, is that they need to be consistent, balanced, and smart.

Missouri State's 2013 Football Schedule

The Bears return a few  running backs that should provide stability to the offense. Mikael Cooper-Falls, Scott Vernan, and Ryan Heaston all played a part in the running game last season. The running game needs to become more consistent for Missouri State if they hope to break through to that next level. In 2012, the Bears combined had only 1385 yards on the ground. Compare that to the top MVFC teams last year--North Dakota State had over 3000 yards on the ground (albeit they played 4 more games), South Dakota State had over 2300 yards, and Illinois State had 1700 yards (close, BUT Illinois State had 3400 yards passing compared to Missouri State's 2200 yards). Missouri State's offense just needs to become more dynamic--If they can't break through in the run game or the pass game, they'll continue to be at the bottom of the MVFC standings year-in & year-out.

Defensively, Missouri State returns alot of their key players. However, their top tackler is their safety--thats a problem. Kudos to Safety, Caleb Schaffitzel, who had 109 tackles and 5 INTs last year, but if you're making that many tackles as a safety...your front seven are not getting things done. At LB, Andrew Beisel & Nick Canavan will likely be the catalyst on how well the Bears will stop the run. Grady Anthony will return the most experience on the line with 49 tackles and 5 sacks.

Overall, Missouri State needs to find a sense of identity. With that identity will come consistency and momentum. The last time the Bears had a winning record was 2009 when the team finished a mediocre 6-5. Seven of the last 10 seasons, the Bears have finished under .500.