Our 5 biggest takeaways from Missouri State football's 2023 media day
College football is getting closer as Missouri State held its annual football media day on Saturday morning at Great Southern Bank Arena.
Ryan Beard sat in the head coach's chair for the first time, expressing excitement in his team less than a month before it will take the field at Kansas. The coach expressed optimism in different units on the team that have been looked at as weak spots in recent years. Any improvement could help the Bears overachieve against a preseason prediction of eighth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Here were our five biggest takeaways from the morning, along with what we think the depth chart looks like right now.
This staff has never talked this highly about the Missouri State offensive line
A complete overhaul of the Bears' offensive line appears to be in the works — which not a lot of people will complain about when it's been the team's weakest unit under this coaching staff.
From the sound of it, Missouri State's coaching staff hasn't been this high on an offensive line since it's been here. There is a jump in size, with coaches often mentioning their bump in physicality. Offensive coordinator Nick Petrino said the Bears are going to have cleaner pockets and this might be a unit that can push opposing defensive lines off the ball.
"We should be able to move people," Petrino said. "We're going to be a lot more athletic and they will be a lot tougher up front. We should be able to get guys on the edge and be able to pull our guards and tackles. They can run really well and they're athletic to where we can get the ball out on the edge and use our speed at running back."
Petrino said the biggest difference will be the size of the guards, as the Bears had leaned toward smaller players at the position in years past. The interior line will likely see sophomore Mark Hutchinson (6-foot-2, 298 pounds) at guard and Tulane sophomore transfer Hutson Lillibridge (6-3, 318 pounds) at center.
The other guard position is currently unfilled, with Petrino saying a tackle might make the move inside because of the depth on the outside. A likely candidate appears to be SMU transfer Danielson Ike who stands at 6-foot-6, 325 pounds and saw some action on the inside when he was with the Mustangs.
Petrino said redshirt-freshman Cristian Loaiza (6-5, 315 pounds) has established himself as "the top guy" on the group and that he's trending toward a starting tackle spot. Ole Miss transfer Erick Cade (6-7, 345 pounds) is expected to start on the other side.
"We've had smaller guys at guard for the last two years and they were able to get pushed back into the pocket," Petrino said. "We should have a lot more time to throw the ball. For the last few years, what's been tough is that we've been scared to call play-action because those plays take longer to develop. With this o-line, we should be able to take advantage of the entire playbook."
How the Bears will fix their pass-rush problem
Missouri State went from school-record pass rush numbers in 2021 with 30 sacks to just 18 a year ago. A number of factors played into the dip, including Eric Johnson being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts and the early-season injury to Anthony Payne.
The Bears went into this offseason determined to not let one injury derail their defensive push again.
Missouri State has the majority of its defensive line back, and it's added players who are expected to make an immediate impact. Defensive coordinator L.D. Scott noted a point of emphasis this offseason was to use a few more scholarships on the defensive line to be sure it has enough depth for the year ahead.
Charlotte transfer Darion Smith has been the headliner as a 6-foot-4, 260-pound edge rusher. He's added to the likes of Devin Goree and Jalen Williams, who were banged up a bit last season. Coaches have also said that former Reeds Spring star Caden Wiest could get some looks in the rotation this season.
Adding depth to the interior might have been what the Bears attacked the most. Armon Wallace and Allen Love return and the Bears expect a bump in Sterling Smithson's production. Freshman Tim Brantley Jr. out of Allen High in Texas is someone the Bears think is a steal along with Trinity High (Louisville) prospect Mitchell Toney.
"Winning football is pressuring the quarterback — that's my belief," Beard said. "It's either pressure or the illusion of pressure. Those guys have been fighting all offseason for the right to get on the field versus Kansas. We've done a good job on both of our fronts in recruiting and they've shown us that they've tried to make us right."
Who's going to be the Missouri State starting quarterback?
Beard is still playing it close to the chest while saying Jacob Clark, Jordan Pachot and Chase Brewster are all in the running. Petrino said Clark, who has been the expected starter, has been the one running mostly with the ones.
"Jacob Clark has done a really good job so far," Petrino said. "He's a really smart, bright kid. You tell him something, he gets it and understands it."
Clark is a 6-foot-5, 226-pound redshirt sophomore who transferred from Minnesota and backed up Jason Shelley last season. He's a pro-style quarterback who Petrino said is a willing runner and has good speed when running in a straight line.
Pachot saw some time in the Bears' win over Western Illinois last season in which he showed off good athleticism and a big arm. He's been in the mix after being the third-stringer following a transfer from Ventura College in California.
We haven't yet seen Brewster, a redshirt freshman transfer from UMass. He didn't play in a 1-11 season with the Minutemen. Former Glendale quarterback Cole Feuerbacher has been mentioned as he learns the Bears' offense this year in a much different system than the one he played for in Mike Mauk's system with the Falcons.
One thing Petrino said, no matter who the quarterback is, is that the offense will look similar to the one that has been run since this staff came to Springfield under Bobby Petrino. The biggest difference will be how Nick Petrino builds the offense around the strength of the starting quarterback.
Shelley, who started for the Bears over the last two seasons, was special in his ability to use his legs and avoid pressure. These quarterbacks play more of a pro style as dropback passers.
"It'll be a little different," Petrino said. "There won't be as much quarterback-read stuff but that's why we have great running backs, tight ends and a great line. There might not be as much of the things we did with Jason but there will still be aspects of it in our offense."
Expect Missouri State to establish its rushing game
It sounds like the Bears will rely on the ground game more than they have in recent years. They believe they have a premier running back in Jacardia Wright, a few new weapons to complement him and an offensive line that can help make it happen.
"We're gonna run to win," Beard said. "You have to run the football in this league. You go against great defenses, great schemes and big bodies. If we can establish a run game and really invest in our offensive line and knock people off the ball and create a sense of a 'tough man's mentality,' that's going to really open up the pass."
Wright is coming off his first season with the Bears after transferring from Kansas State. He's a 6-foot, 220-pounder who is a preseason all-conference second-teamer after averaging 71.1 yards per game last season with six rushing touchdowns.
"He's a complete, all-around running back," Petrino said. "He can do it all. he's big, fast, physical and can catch the ball out of the backfield. I'm expecting him to have a great year."
Other backs in the mix are veteran Celdon Manning along with newcomers Jakairi Moses (Western Kentucky transfer) and Jayden Becks (Waxahachie High, Texas). The latter two are more speedy running backs who will see the field often.
What the coaches said about local standouts on the roster
Cole Feuerbacher, QB, Glendale — "I'm excited about his future. He's got a big arm and he's got some savvy to him and sometimes young guys come in and haven't found themselves yet as people. He stands tall, he doesn't shy away from getting in the huddle and getting the guys going a little bit and that's really good to see." — Beard
Cooper Roy, LB, Glendale — "His future is bright at outside linebacker. His role will be to affect the quarterback and we'll get him out there in a variety of different ways to rush the passer because that's what he's great at. He was our best pass rusher in the spring and we'll continue to grow off of that. He's a very young player and he's still got five years and he's still got his redshirt. We'll grow him slowly and we don't want to overload him. We want him to just go do what he's always done best and that's to affect the quarterback." — Scott
Caden Wiest, DL, Reeds Spring — "He really showed up in camp and has shown the ability to really have some juice." — Beard
Connor Lair, RB, West Plains — "He played linebacker when he first came here and then we moved him to running back in the spring. He's going to be a guy we can do multiple things with. We can use him at running back and do some things with him at fullback. He's an athletic kid." — Petrino
Predicted depth chart
This unofficial depth chart was created by the News-Leader based on what coaches said and hinted at during the university's in-house media day, previous conversations and what the Bears brought in this offseason. This depth chart will likely change before opening night.
Offense
QB - Jacob Clark
RB - Jacardia Wright, Jakairi Moses, Jayden Becks
FB - Connor Lair
WR - D'Vontae Key, Jmariyae Robinson
WR - Raylen Sharpe
WR - Craig Burt, Terique Owens, Larry Wright III
TE - Stetson Moore, Gary Clinton, Lance Mason
OT - Erick Cade
G - Mark Hutchinson
C - Hutson Lillibridge
G - Danielson Ike
OT - Christian Loaiza
Defense
DE - Darion Smith, Devin Goree
DT - Allen Love, Sterling Smithson, Mitchell Toney
DT - Armon Wallace, Tim Brantley Jr.
DE - Jalen Williams, Caden Wiest
LB - Von Young
LB - Jared Lloyd
LB - Tahj Chambers
DB - Keleno Levine, Caleb Blake
DB - Jamal McMurrin, Lemondre Joe
DB - Floyd Williams, Donovan Clark
S - P.J. Hall
S - Todric McGee
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State football takeaways from 2023 media day
