TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- In heartbreaking fashion, Missouri State's Peyton Huslig connected with Lorenzo Thomas on a four-yard goal line fade with 16 second remaining to secure the Bears' (4-2, 2-1) second Missouri Valley Football Conference win Saturday at Memorial Stadium, 29-26.
 
Indiana State (2-4, 0-3 MVFC) battled back from a 21-10 halftime deficit, scoring 16 unanswered points to take a 26-21 lead, before Missouri State used a 15 play, 68-yard drive that took nearly four minutes to culminate into what was the game-winning series.
 
The Sycamores outgained the Bears on offense, 440 to 352, including a 299 to 187 advantage on the ground. Senior Ja'Quan Keys rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns in the loss -- his fourth 100+ yard rushing game and his fourth multi-touchdown performance of the season.
 
Keys, a Hammond, Louisiana native, jumpstarted the Sycamore offense in the second half, punching in the first two touchdowns -- the first a two-yard run to cap off a 12-play drive before notching his third score of the day just seconds into the final quarter on a seven-yard run.
 
Ryan Boyle put together another strong performance at the quarterback spot, completing 18 of his 22 attempts for 152 yards. Boyle also played a factor in the run game, tallying 81 yards, including a 26-yard scamper in the third quarter, setting up the score from Keys early in the fourth.
 
Along with his runs, Boyle had several highlights through the air. The Urbandale, Iowa product hit Dante Hendrix for 24 yards -- one of five catches for Hendrix on the day, setting up a field goal to extend the ISU lead to 26-21.
 
Four Sycamores caught multiple passes in the loss. Leading the charge was Hendrix with five catches for 36 yards. Freshman Dakota Caton added five receptions for 34 yards while Dante Jones II and Joe Wildt each caught three passes.
 
Both offense and defense started slow for the Sycamores, but as the game went on each unit found their groove. Held scoreless in the opening quarter, ISU put up 10 points in the second to keep the Sycamores in striking distance before outscoring the Bears 16-8 in the second half.
 
A year ago, Missouri State led 38-6 at the half in Springfield and Huslig finished with 171 yards rushing. The Sycamore defense came out to prove a point against the Bears, holding the MSU at bay on chunk plays, with the longest play of the day being a 19-yard pass.   
 
The Sycamore defense also held Huslig to just 34 yards on nine rushes.
 
Redshirt junior Jonas Griffith led the charge on the defensive unit with double-digit tackles for the second consecutive week, finishing with17 total and six solo stops. Not far behind Griffith was redshirt senior Katrell Moss who had 14 tackles on the day.
 
Rex Mosley finished with nine stops and two tipped pass at the line of scrimmage for the Trees. ISU broke up seven passes by the Bears in total. Tyreeon Hambright had two breakups to go along with eight tackles. Both Rondell Green and Anthony Tucker Jr. tallied a tackle for loss.
 
Missouri State used a steady barrage of rushing early in the game and finished with a pair of rushers over 50 yards. Donovan Daniels led the way with 62 yards on 15 carries for a pair of touchdowns. Daniels put MSU on top early with a goal line touchdown to open the scoring action before adding a 10-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter to extend Missouri State's lead to 14-7.
 
Jeremiah Wilson added 61 yards to the MSU rushing attack on 14 attempts. MSU's Jordan Murray caught six passes for 23 yards in the win.
 
The Sycamores make their way to Carbondale next weekend as they matchup with Southern Illinois. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET at Saluki Stadium.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Football team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.