Ryan Beard era at Missouri State begins Friday night at Kansas

Outspoken about national championship aspirations a year ago, Missouri State went into Arkansas and looked the part for about three quarters.

But the Razorbacks came storming back. A punt return for a score followed a long touchdown run. Within minutes, Arkansas erased a 10-point deficit and eventually walked away with an 11-point win.

Missouri State hasn't been quite the same since.

Including the loss to the Hogs, the Bears went on to lose six of their last eight games and missed the playoffs. The head coach took another job and left the program he helped resurrect.

It's up to Ryan Beard to make sure the momentum Missouri State football has gained won't go away.

Beard will make his head coaching debut on Friday at 7 p.m. at Kansas. The 34-year-old was promoted to head coach after serving as the team's defensive coordinator under Bobby Petrino for the last three seasons. He has retained most of the staff that helped MSU reach the postseason in two out of those three years.

"The time is here," Beard said Monday during his weekly press conference. "The time is now to see what you've done in regards to your recruiting and preparation for the season. There is no better time than to start it off in Kansas versus the Jayhawks."

Among the many changes at Missouri State this season, there will be plenty of new names on both sides of the ball who are expected to impact the game at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Missouri State's plan on offense

A new quarterback will be behind center for the Bears but it's unclear who will claim the starting job. Beard said there will be "significant packages" for both Jacob Clark and Jordan Pachot who backed up Jason Shelley last season.

"They're both going to play," Beard said. We have significant packages for both players and both are ready to go. I think they've earned that. I think throughout camp, sometimes a guy will take a true step ahead and separate themselves. Sometimes, you think there's a flavor of the week that both can help you win. I think that's where we're at right now."

The Bears hope to establish the run more than they did last season behind Jacardia Wright, who is a second-team preseason All-Missouri Valley Football Conference performer going into the year. Western Kentucky transfer Jakairi Moses, sophomore Connor Lair and freshman Jayden Becks are expected to get some time running the ball as well.

MSU fans' eyes will go to the offensive line which is expected to be a completely overhauled group from what it was a year ago. Two expected starters are transfers and will have two combined starts in a Bears uniform between the five. The Bears were the second-worst in the nation last year in terms of sacks allowed.

At receiver, Missouri State has had some changes over the last few weeks. It's without its leading receiver from the last two seasons, Ty Scott, who spent training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bears will replace his production by committee with the return of Raylen Sharpe, D'Vontae Key, Hunter Wood and others.

"They're an explosive group," Beard said. "They're a resilient crew and they've done a really nice job with it."

What the Bears will look like on defense

Defensively, Missouri State's focus will go on trying to slow down quarterback Jalon Daniels who was named the Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Daniels has been banged up in recent weeks with a back injury but is expected to start.

Daniels averaged 223.8 yards through the air last season to go with 47.2 yards on the ground per game. He missed a good chunk of the year with a shoulder injury but he's an explosive athlete who helped Kansas turn into one of the feel-good stories of last college football season.

"He does some things that you don't see very often," Beard said. "He can run the football. He has good vision down the field and he really does a nice job progressing. He's not just a runner and I think he plays football the right way. He's got a chip on his shoulder."

Defensively, the Bears have been solid in previous seasons but took a step back last year. It was in the bottom half of the MVFC in most categories.

Linebackers will look mostly familiar with Tahj Chambers and Von Young staying at outside linebackers. Jared Lloyd takes over in the middle following the graduation of Ferrin Manuleleua.

The secondary will almost of a completely different look with Todric McGee and P.J. Hall taking over at safeties and Kaleno Levine and Jamal McMurrin expected to start at the corners. Between the four, they had eight combined starts last season.

Missouri State will have a familiar look along the defensive line to go along with Charlotte transfer Darion Smith who has already commanded the respect of his teammates to be voted as a captain for this season.

Smith was one of the more impressive players on the defense during the preseason and coaches have spoken extremely highly of the St. Louis native who they hope will come in and revamp a pass rush that was lacking last season.

"I'm excited to show all the work that I've put in," Smith said. "I've put in hours and hours of blood, sweat and tears into this game. I pray every day that this game loves me back as much as I love it. It's my passion and it's what I love and that's what I want everyone to see."

What Kansas is saying about Missouri State

Kansas isn't going to take a Week 1 game against an FCS foe lightly.

The Jayhawks were nearly upset by South Dakota to open the 2021 season and by Indiana State in 2019. Third-year head coach Lance Leipold doesn't sound like he's going to let the Jayhawks overlook the Bears.

“They’re going to come in here expecting to win, not wanting to win,” Leipold said about Missouri State. “They’re not going to flinch at an opportunity to play against a Power Five opponent. Year in and year out that (Missouri Valley Football) conference seems to get a win against an FBS opponent. So, they have our respect.”

Missouri State says it's ready for its next challenge

Heading into his first game as head coach, Beard said he will take a moment before the game to appreciate the seat he's in. He wants his players to do the same as they begin a new football season with hopes of improving from the year before.

Missouri State won't be intimidated by the moment as new names hope to step up and give the Bears hope heading into the rest of the schedule — win or lose.

The $450,000 guarantee payment Kansas will give Missouri State for playing the game will be nice. Getting paid that much to beat the Jayhawks would be even better.

"We have to show them what this football team is and how good we can be," Beard said. "We're not going to walk out there timid looking at the lights thinking 'oh my goodness, this is a big, bad stadium.' We've all been there, done that and it's just football at the end of the day."

How to watch Missouri State football vs. Kansas

• When: Friday, 7 p.m.

• Where: Lawrence, Kansas

• Watch: ESPN+

• Listen: KWTO-FM 101.3

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 X at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State football vs. Kansas preview: Ryan Beard makes debut