Yes, Western Illinois is awful. It didn't take away encouragement shown by Missouri State.

MACOMB, Ill. — In the Bears' swan song against the Fighting Leathernecks of Western Illinois, they did exactly what they needed to do.

A 48-7 beatdown of a horrible Leathernecks football team put an end to a conference matchup that dates back to 1981. No one is complaining as the football facilities on Western Illinois' campus probably haven't been updated since then and Saturday's version of the Leathernecks might have been worse than any of the Bears' worst.

It is rightfully time for Western Illinois to downgrade to the Ohio Valley Conference as it is likely headed toward its second-straight winless season.

Western's play shouldn't take away from a win the Bears desperately needed while coming off of two losses and the loss of their starting quarterback. They did everything they were supposed to do and they're clearly not in the dumpster fire bottom of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

"There's nothing like winning," first-year head coach Ryan Beard said. "We gotta stay in the fight no matter how last week's game went. As long as you believe in each other and believe in your process and what you're doing, good things can happen on any given Saturday."

More: Missouri State football uses Wright's career game in blowout at Western Illinois

The Bears finally ran the ball well

Beard has seen the confusion in his audience's faces during press conferences when he has continued to preach how the Bears are going to be able to run the ball. The Bears have had one of the worst rushing offenses in the country when he and the rest of the staff said confidently before the season that they would be capable of establishing a ground game this season.

Those promises finally made an appearance when the Bears ran for 203 yards behind Jacardia Wright's career-high 163 yards on the ground. He also rushed for two touchdowns.

"It's been a little frustrating losing games and not being able to run the ball," Wright said. "This is a start. This is a good start to a good October."

The Bears had an obvious push from the first play of the game. There were holes big enough for the team's bus to drive through throughout against one of the nation's worst run defenses.

MSU knows it's been a problem through the first few weeks and it knows that Saturday was a first step toward where the ground game needs to be.

"Baby steps," Beard said. "We were able to be efficient today on the ground which is what we've been talking about since I got the head coaching job. It came through today and it's a compliment to our offensive line and our guys finally took it upon themselves to move the line of scrimmage. Jacardia had an unbelievable day."

Missouri State can win with Jordan Pachot at quarterback

Wright owned the first half and Bears starting quarterback Jordan Pachot claimed the second.

Making his second Division I start in place of the injured Jacob Clark, Pachot earned his first win as he completed 17 of 24 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns. In the second half alone, Pachot completed 7 of 8 passes for 103 yards and three scores.

"That just built confidence in me," Pachot said. "I already had the confidence but just going out there and doing it makes it even better. For the team to see me playing like that, I think it gives them confidence in me, too."

Pachot has a few big throws in tight windows down the field. He's a strong-arm quarterback who hit Terique Owens for a 30-yard score that somehow made it over the defender's outstretched arms. Owens caught six passes for 98 yards and the score.

He had the game despite being without receiver Raylen Sharpe who was out with a lower leg injury. Beard had hoped Sharpe would've been available on Saturday but he'll be further evaluated next week.

The most encouraging part of Pachot's game was the lack of turnovers which he's been a little prone to throughout his first two weeks of extended action. He never put the Bears in a bad spot which is what they need, especially if there's a chance of playing complimentary football with the ground game in the coming weeks.

"He was tremendous," Beard said. "Jordan can really rip it. He's got good vision and he learned from last week. I think that one of the biggest things you saw was his growth as a quarterback and understanding defense and taking what's there and what's not. It was really cool to see him counting it down with the guys. He had a great day."

The defense showed up but Beard wasn't satisfied

The Bears forced two Western Illinois interceptions and held the Leathernecks to just 55 yards on the ground but Beard wasn't 100% satisfied.

The rushing numbers were a bit skewed as the Bears got to the quarterback five times with Devin Goree recording three total sacks. Western Illinois lost 37 yards because it couldn't protect its quarterback — as it came into the game allowing the most sacks in the nation.

"We still have to get better at stopping the run and being more sound," Beard said. "When you play that physical and that fast, it takes care of all of the other issues. They played with some conviction today on the defensive side of the football and I was glad to see them live up to their name finally."

Southwest Missouri athletes were fun to watch

Local stars saw their time in the spotlight and maybe showed they are deserving of more time.

The most impressive might have been former Glendale standout Cooper Roy who immediately recorded half a sack on the first play he got in. On the next play, which was a fourth-and-long, Roy got to the quarterback again and forced an incompletion and turnover on downs.

Roy still holds Missouri's record in career sacks. His first step and knack for getting after the quarterback were still evident.

Nixa's Steven Ward II had his moment when Roy forced a fumble late in the fourth quarter in MSU territory. Ward picked it up and outran the Leathernecks' offense 69 yards to the house for a score — he looked just as fast as his younger Nixa standout of a brother, Spencer Ward, who was in attendance on a visit to Western Illinois. He visited Missouri State earlier in the week.

Former Glendale quarterback Cole Feuerbacher got a series late in the fourth. On every play, Feuerbacher handed the ball off. He confirmed after the game that he didn't hand the ball off one time during his high school career at Glendale.

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 showed encouraging signs vs. Western Illinois