SPRINGFIELD — Plaster Stadium was jumping for Missouri State’s non-conference contest against Marshall.
After 60 minutes of play, the only people leaping for joy were in green and white. Marshall defeated the Bears 30-24 in a highly competitive game on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Here are some takeaways from Missouri State’s loss to Marshall.
Missouri State’s red zone struggles
The Bears had a chance to seal the win with less than three minutes on the clock. With the ball at Marshall’s 7-yard line, the Bears failed to score a touchdown.
Missouri State elected for a Connor Lair 1-yard rush followed by three straight pass plays. All three of the plays ended in an incompletion giving Marshall the victory.
Before the
end of the first half, Missouri State failed to convert from inside the 7-yard line. The Bears elected for a short field goal, which was inevitably blocked. Missouri State went 2-for-4 from the red zone chance, compared to Marshall’s 5-for-6.
“They are a good defense and we have to execute and finish,” Missouri State coach Casey Woods said. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to score touchdowns in the red zone, which helps lead you to victories.”
Missouri State’s defense can’t get off the field
Marshall was driving to ice the game with less than six minutes on the clock. The Thundering Herd had the ball inside Missouri State’s 20-yard line.
Trailing by six points, the Bears needed a turnover. Jashawn Cooper punched the ball out of Marshall’s Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. Antonio Smith jumped on it quickly and the Bears were granted a lifeline.
Besides forcing three red zone field goals instead of touchdowns, the forced fumble was the only big defensive highlight for the Bears.
Missouri State allowed Marshall to go 7-for-13 on third down. The Herd also went 1-for-1 on fourth down, which ended in a 39-yard passing touchdown in the first quarter. Marshall’s offense totaled 464 yards. It was simply not good enough, according to linebacker Bird Lloyd.
“At the end of the day, we have to get off the field. They went 7-for-13 on third down, that’s unacceptable,” Lloyd said. “You want the God’s honest truth, we beat ourselves.”
Penalties becoming way too common
The Bears were called for 11 penalties for 87 yards in the loss. Penalties have been a Missouri State weakness through the opening three weeks.
In Week 1, Missouri State was called for eight penalties for 41 yards. The Bears also committed 11 penalties for 90 yards against Lindenwood.
“The first two games was really high level of procedural penalties and that’s something that we really emphasized cleaning up. I thought we did a better job of that tonight,” Woods said. “Any time that you have aggressive penalties, that’s something you have to wait and look for on film and see exactly where you were.”
In the third quarter, safety Christian Ford was called for targeting. He was ejected and will miss the first half of next week’s game against SMU. Left tackle King Large was also charged with three penalties: two holding and one personal foul.
Skyler Locklear shines in defeat
Quarterback Skyler Locklear made some big plays to keep Missouri State in the game. He threw for 309 yards on 19-for-28 passing. He tossed two touchdowns to Witt Edwards and Jeron Askren.
Locklear also rushed for 53 yards on eight carries. He moved the ball efficiently and threw on the move incredibly well. He linked up with wide receiver Isaiah Myers seven times for 141 yards. Myers remains a key piece of the Bears’ offense.
“Skyler had a really gutsy performance,” Woods said. “He almost took us 93 yards to win the game. It was a gritty performance.”
Locklear’s only blemish was an interception in the second quarter. Marshall looked to have jumped the snap early. Missouri State’s offensive line did not move.
As Marshall’s defenders sprinted towards Locklear, he threw it into Marshall’s secondary, assuming he had a free play. The referees did not call offsides and the interception was granted to the Thundering Herd.
“We have to coach that situation better,” Woods said. “That’s a situation that he has to be more educated on what was happening. Really, without a flag on the field, that needs to be a different throw that he makes. We have to coach that better.”
Missouri State fans pack Plaster Stadium
Missouri State fans arrived early and in large numbers for the game against Marshall. Missouri State announced an overall attendance of 16,010. This was the fourth-largest attended game in school history.
The most attended game in Bears history came against North Dakota with 18,386 in 2014. Plaster Stadium filled 17,835 people for a game against Chadron State in 2015. Missouri State's 1997 game against Pitt State ended with 16,672, ranking it third-most.
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Missouri State athletics for The Springfield News-Leader. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Takeaways from Missouri State's loss to Marshall: 'It's unacceptable'
