Missouri State vs Arkansas State Xbox Bowl takeaways as Bears fall short

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FRISCO, TX — Missouri State football ended a historic season, in which it qualified for a bowl game in its first season as an FBS program, with a loss in the Xbox Bowl.

The Bears made a late push, but came up short in a 34-28 loss to Arkansas State on Thursday, Dec. 18, in the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

Thus ends one of the best years in Bears football history, their first in Conference USA, where they went 7-6 and had their first six wins over FBS programs since 1990. Mo State won five one-score games, while reaching feats that were once thought impossible for a once-disastrous program.

Thursday night marked the end of the six-year Petrino family era for Missouri State, as news broke earlier in the day that the school was finalizing the hire of SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods as its next head coach. Woods will replace Ryan Beard, who didn’t coach in the Xbox Bowl after accepting the head coaching position at Coastal Carolina. Woods’ hiring is expected to be announced on Dec. 19.

Here are our takeaways from the Bears’ loss to the Red Wolves.

Missouri State late comeback came up short

The Bears trailed by 31-7 entering the fourth quarter, but they didn’t go down without a fight.

Mo State scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns, which included Jacob Clark’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Jmariyae Robinson with 1:54 remaining to bring the game within six.

With no timeouts, the Bears needed to get the following onside kick, but couldn’t recover.

Missouri State makeshift offensive line didn’t hold up

Missouri State entered the bowl game shorthanded at offensive tackle because of a transfer portal opt-out and Erick Cade sitting for unknown reasons. The Bears had to move players around, and it didn’t bode well for them.

Arkansas State’s pass-rushers, the strength of the team’s defense, got after Clark early and often. By the end of the game, the Red Wolves had nine sacks, with 15 tackles for a loss. Arkansas State put the nail in the coffin when it recovered a strip-sack with 9:01 left in the fourth quarter.

At the same time, the Bears couldn’t find a consistent ground game. Clark broke free a few times on scrambles, but they were called back for holding penalties. The Bears finished with 47 rushing yards.

Arkansas State hit on explosive plays

Red Wolves quarterback Jaylen Raynor had success when he went deep, throwing to a pair of talented receivers who made plays down the field.

A 71-yard touchdown connection between Raynor and Corey Rucker gave Arkansas State an early two-touchdown lead. Later, after the Bears cut the Wolves’ lead to 10, Raynor hit a diving Hunter Summers for a diving 39-yard reception to set up a 4-yard touchdown pass.

The Red Wolves didn’t stop there. Devin Spencer ran in a 25-yard touchdown early in the second half, which followed a 26-yard pass between Raynor and Rucker.

Jacob Clark had a solid game to end his college career

Playing his final game in a Missouri State uniform, Clark still delivered a solid outing when he was given enough time to throw the ball.

Clark finished 25-of-35 for 349 yards and four touchdowns. His three scores came off beautiful passes down the field, one being a 39-yard pass to a wide-open Dash Luke, the second being a 15-yard dime to Ramone Green Jr. on the first play of the fourth quarter and the third being a perfect rope to Luke over the middle of the field for a 47-yard score.

Luke finished the game with seven catches for 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Missouri State to enter new era under Casey Woods

The Bears’ loss to the Red Wolves marked the end of the program’s six years under the Petrino family, whether it was Bobby Petrino or his son-in-law, Beard. Missouri State will announce Woods, SMU’s offensive coordinator, as its next head coach on Friday, Dec. 19.

Woods has been SMU’s offensive coordinator since 2022, also coaching their tight ends. He helped lead the Mustangs to the College Football Playoff in 2024, their first year in the ACC. They averaged 32.9 points per game in 2025 and 6.3 yards per play, ranking sixth and fourth in the ACC, respectively.

His first game leading the Bears is scheduled for Sept. 5, 2026, against Texas A&M at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State vs Arkansas State Xbox Bowl takeaways, score, stats

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