SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Behind 206 rushing yards on 39 carries from sophomore tailback Shakir Bell, the Indiana State football team topped Missouri State, 28-20, on a windy afternoon in front of 5,278 fans at the Plaster Sports Complex.

With his 206 yards on the ground, Bell pushed his season total to 1,533, passing Derrick Franklin's school-record of 1,505 from the 1991 campaign.

The win moves the Sycamores to 6-4 on the season and 4-3 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play, while the Bears fall to 1-9 overall, 1-6 within the league. The victory also secures a winning season for the Sycamores, their first back-to-back winning seasons since 1995 and 1996.

ISU never trailed on Saturday, jumping out to a 14-0 lead after 20 minutes of action. Bell put the Sycamores on the board, capping a 12-play, 73-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdown run with 3:05 remaining in the first quarter. The Sycamores doubled their lead on their first drive of the second quarter, converting a pair of third downs and one fourth down before Bell punched in a score from two yards out with 10:53 left until halftime.

Missouri State hit a pair of field goals in the time remaining before the half, as Austin Witmer connected from 22 yards and 44 yards out to make the score 14-6 at the break.

At the half, Bell collected 117 rushing yards on 23 carries with a pair of touchdowns. Senior quarterback Ronnie Fouch was 6-for-10 for 52 yards. Sophomore Donald Spencer and Bell both hauled in a pair of receptions in the first half.

The second half did not start well for the Sycamores, as the Bears forced a turnover on ISU's second play of the third quarter. MSU's Rodney Kelly broke through the ISU offensive line and caught Bell in the backfield, forcing a fumble that the Bears recovered at ISU's four-yard line. Missouri State scored on third down, as Trevor Wooden found running back Chris Douglas out of the backfield for a five-yard score, cutting the ISU lead to 14-13 with 13:04 left in the third.

Momentum began to turn Indiana State's way on Missouri State's next drive, thanks to the Sycamore defense. The Bears started their drive at midfield, but could not pick up a first down, as juniors Ben Obaseki and Aaron Archie stopped Wooden on a fourth-and-two at the ISU 40.

A punt return by sophomore Leonard Riston set up ISU's next score, coming in the middle of the third quarter. MSU hit a line-drive punt that Riston fielded at the ISU 42 and saw plenty of open space on the left side of the field, taking the ball back 28 yards to MSU 30. After a one-yard loss by Bell and a false start penalty, Fouch found Spencer on the left side of the field and threw it up for the 6-foot-2 transfer from Michigan State and let Spencer do the rest. Spencer out-jumped a pair of defenders to haul in the pass, putting the Sycamores in front 21-13 with 6:02 left in the third.

Momentum swung entirely to the Indiana State sideline in the fourth, thanks again to the Sycamore defense. Missouri State forced a fumble by Bell as the running back was fighting for more yardage, taking over at ISU's 14-yard line. Obaseki stopped Douglas on a third-and-one at the five and Witmer missed a 23-yard attempt to keep the score 21-13 in favor of Indiana State.

Two drives later, the Sycamores put their final points on the board in a drive that saw Bell break the single-season rushing record. ISU started their drive at their own 18 with 8:30 to play, driving the length of the field on runs by Bell and senior Brock Lough. After Bell converted a third-and-one with a two-yard rush, Lough found plenty of space on the field, rushing for back-to-back carries of 17 and 12 yards, respectively. Bell came back after that, rushing for 24 yards to the goal line, setting up Obaseki for a one-yard score. The drive took off over half the time on the clock in nine plays, putting ISU in front 28-13 with 3:57 to go. The junior defensive end now has four carries for six yards and four touchdowns this season.

That two-yard run on third down for Bell broke the single-season rushing record set by Franklin in 1991.

Missouri State got back within striking distance thanks to pair of catches by Jermain Saffold, including a 12-yarder for the score. That touchdown cut ISU's lead to 28-20 with 1:39 to play.

The Bears went for an onside kick after that, but senior Alex Sewall jumped high for the bouncing ball and secured the recovery. The Sycamores put the game away on a 12-yard first down run by Lough on second down.

For the game, Bell posted his fourth 200-yard rushing game of the season, going for 208 yards on 39 carries. Fouch finished at 8-for-18 for 90 yards and one touchdown, with Spencer leading the receivers with three catches for 52 yards and a score.

Junior Jacolby Washington led ISU with 12 tackles, while Obaseki totaled nine, including one sack and 4.5 stops for loss. Sophomore Calvin Burnett intercepted the first pass of the afternoon by Missouri State and led the way with a pair of breakups.

Indiana State closes out the regular-season next Saturday, when the Sycamores host the Salukis of Southern Illinois at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 19. Kickoff is set for 2:05 p.m. (ET) and will include the honoring of Indiana State's seniors prior to the game.