SPRINGFIELD — It’s simply a must-win game for Missouri State football (1-4, 0-1 in CUSA) on Wednesday, Oct. 13. The Bears host Kennesaw State (1-4, 0-1) in what is expected to be a rain-drenched affair.
Quarterback questions remain for the Bears. For the first time this season, Missouri State has not listed a starting quarterback on the depth chart.
The quarterback position isn’t the only issue Missouri State is looking to correct. The rushing attack needs to improve to help balance the offense.
Last week, the Bears fixed their penalty problem with only three flags. Missouri State was called for at least eight penalties in each of the previous four games.
Casey
Woods is well aware of his team's problems and is determined to fix them and get them back on track. According to Woods, it all comes down to execution across the board.
“We have to do as little as necessary to execute better and we have to do as much as necessary to execute,” Woods said. “Why is this a play that we’ve been calling since fall camp that we can’t get the guy blocked that we know that we have to block? Is it because he’s thinking of 30 other things? Is it because he just blew it? Is it because he’s not capable of making that block and we need to put somebody else in?”
The defending Conference USA champions Kennesaw State has looked better than its record has indicated. The Owls have lost four straight games after beating FCS West Georgia in their season opener.
Kennesaw lost 17-14 to Arkansas State two games ago. Last week, the Owls lost 27-26 to Jacksonville State in a game where they held the lead multiple times.
“Both of them are very capable quarterbacks,” Kennesaw State head coach Jerry Mack said about Locklear and Belin. “Both of those guys have played a lot of football in their career. Whenever you have a two-headed monster like that, you've got to have a great game plan because you never know who is going to be in the game.”
Missouri State has to deal with an elusive quarterback once again. Kennesaw’s Rickie Collins is one of the league's best dual-threat players. He’s thrown for 1,042 yards, completing 69% of his throws for three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Collins also leads the team with 246 rushing yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and has scored a team-high four rushing touchdowns.
Stopping the quarterback run will be crucial for the Bears. They struggled against Western Kentucky quarterback Brock Glenn, who rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown.
Opposing quarterbacks have rushed for 293 yards on 60 carries against Missouri State’s defense this season. Quarterbacks are averaging 4.9 yards per carry.
If Missouri State wants to beat the Owls, it has to slow down Collins in the run game.
“We have to find a way to get our safeties more involved,” Woods said. “Right now, we are playing a multiplicity of defense. We’ve got to make sure that everything we are doing is something we can execute and give our guys the best chance to do that.”
Missouri State has yet to defeat an FBS opponent this season. The team has stated goals of bowl eligibility and playing meaningful games in November.
To reach that mark, the Bears must defend home turf against an Owls team that has also failed to defeat an FBS opponent this season.
Bears and Owls kickoff at 6:30 p.m. inside Plaster Stadium.
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: Missouri State needs to 'execute' better to defeat Kennesaw State football
