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The Bears only have one goal remaining for the season: Spoil the Salukis’ season.
Missouri State (6-4, 4-3 Missouri Valley Football Conference) looks to end its season on a high note Saturday as it faces No. 1 SIU at 2 p.m. in the final regular-season game at McAndrew Stadium.
Because Missouri State has already been knocked out of playoff contention, current Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week David Arkin said the team views this weekend as its own postseason.
“It’s going to be like a mini-playoff game for us,” Arkin said. “We’ll see how we stack up against the No. 1 team.”
The Bears’ offense hopes it can provide the fireworks for the final game at McAndrew.
Quarterback Cody Kirby is a week removed from throwing his school record 37th touchdown pass against Indiana State. Kirby is third in the league with 194 yards per game and 11 touchdowns passes.
He has also thrown 13 interceptions on the season and has been sacked 27 times. SIU leads the conference with 18 interceptions and an average of three sacks per game.
The Bears have also recorded 12 rushing touchdowns this season, but leading rusher Mikael Cooper-Falls is only averaging 45.8 yards per game. The Bears have used multiple running backs, with five players having at least 50 carries.
Most of the Bears’ offense lies on the shoulders of Clay Harbor.
The senior tight end enters his final collegiate game with 48 catches for 618 yards and three touchdowns. He is Missouri State’s all-time reception leader (139) and is 195 receiving yards shy of breaking the school’s record in that category.
Missouri State head coach Terry Allen said Harbor is up there with the greatest players he has coached.
“Clay is special, there’s no question,” Allen said. “I’ve had special players in the past, but he’s right up there with the best of them. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does with the rest of his career.”
SIU head coach Dale Lennon said his plan is to deny Harbor yards after the catch.
“He’s good enough that he’s going to get his catches,” Lennon said. “He’s just like a good running back. You got to know where he’s at, and you just got to limit the yardage that he gets. If he catches the ball, we got to be ready to tackle him.”
Allen said because his team will wrap up its season Saturday, it needs to go out and play up to the potential it has shown all season.
“We’re getting better there’s no question about that,” Allen said. “This is a great opportunity for us. It’s our final game. We’re playing in the last game at McAndrew Stadium. We’re playing Southern Illinois, who we have a long history with in all our sports. It’s going to be a good experience.”
