SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A pair of costly fumbles just before the halftime break shifted the momentum and Indiana State was unable to rally back in the Missouri Valley Football Conference road game in falling to host #23/20 Missouri State, 37-7.
 
The Sycamores (3-4, 1-3 MVFC) welcomed back the return of All-Conference wide receiver Dante Hendrix to the field on Saturday afternoon and the redshirt junior delivered with a 10-catch,121-yard performance in his first action since the opening game of the season. Peterson Kerlegrand added 16 carries for 67 yards on the ground as Indiana State fell for the third time in conference play this season.
 
MSU quarterback Jason Shelley sparked the Bears (4-2, 3-1 MVFC) offense with 225 passing yards and three touchdowns in the game with Tyrone Scott (three catches, 106 yards, two touchdowns) and Xavier Lane (three catches, 71 yards, one touchdown) his two favorite targets in the contest. Shelley added 15 rushing yards and a score on the ground in the win.
 
The Sycamores kept the game close throughout the first half until a costly stretch in the final two minutes swung the game in favor of the Bears. A pair of kickoff return fumbles set up short Missouri State fields over the final 2:19 of the first half with Shelley scoring the first touchdown on a three-yard rush, before finding Scott on a 24-yard touchdown pass on the second possession to put the score at 24-0 at the break.
 
Anthony Thompson was 18-of-31 through the air for the Sycamores for 177 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Phazione McClurge added three catches catches for 20 yards, while seven receivers hauled in passes overall in the game.
 
Defensively, Inoke Moala continued his assault on opposing backfields. The MVFC sack leader entering the contest, Moala picked up QB takedowns on the first MSU possession in each half and finished the day with two sacks to run his season total to eight on the year. Kaelub Newman added his second interception of the season in the fourth quarter.
 
Tylar Wiltz paced the MSU defense with nine tackles and added a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Kyriq McDonald added five tackles and two tackles for loss in the win.
 
How They Scored

• Missouri State was on the board first as Jose Pizano's 38-yard field goal capped a 12-play, 59-yard drive with 6:16 remaining in the first quarter.
• The Bears added to their lead with 2:19 left in the second quarter as Jason Shelley found Xavier Lane for a 45-yard touchdown pass down the left sideline to cap a six-play, 68-yard drive and put MSU ahead 10-0.
• Following an ISU fumble on the ensuing kickoff return, Shelley called his own number on a three-yard touchdown carry in front of the right pylon to put the Bears ahead 17-0 with 1:18 remaining in the first half.
• Another ISU fumble on a kickoff return set up the Bears with a short field and MSU took advantage as Shelley found Tyrone Scott for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 0:40 left in the first half to go up 24-0 just before the break.
• The Bears put another touchdown on the board with 9:16 remaining in the third quarter as Shelley found Scott for the second time in the game, this one from 59 yards out, to put the score at 31-0 following the four-play, 80-yard drive.
• MSU added a Jose Pizano 33-yard field goal to their totals with 4:02 left in the third quarter to extend the lead to 34-0.
• Pizano converted his third field goal of the game with 11:31 remaining in the contest as his 35-yard conversion put the score at 37-0.

Inside the Statistics

• Indiana State recorded 261 yards of total offense in the game with 177 yards coming through the air in the loss the Bears.
• The Sycamores posted 3.5 yards per carry with 84 yards on 24 carries paced by Peterson Kerlegrand's 16-carry, 73-yard game.
• Missouri State held the 21-15 first down advantage and the 35:04-24:56 edge in time of possession.
• The Sycamores turned the ball over three times in the game, while forcing one turnover.
• Indiana State struggled on third down converting 1-of-11 attempts, while MSU went 6-of-15 on the key down.
• Travis Reiner averaged 41.6 yards per punt attempt and pinned two inside the 20.

News & Notes

• Dante Hendrix ran his catch streak to 23 consecutive games dating back to the 2018 season as the redshirt junior wide receiver hauled in an 11-yard reception on the Sycamores' opening offensive play of the game.
• It was also Hendrix's first 100-yard receiving game of the season and first since 2019 when he picked up 135 yards against Northern Iowa (Nov. 9, 2019). It was his fourth career 100-yard receiving game.
• Hendrix's 10 catches marked his second career double-digit reception performance and his first since hauling in 11 catches against South Dakota back in the 2018 season.
• Moala's pair of sacks extended his MVFC lead in the 2021 season and continued a career year for the Mishawaka, Ind. native. His 12.0 tackles for loss also pace the conference through ISU's first seven games on the year.
• Rontrez Morgan ran his consecutive games with a catch streak to 12 contests prior to leaving the game due to injury in the second quarter. He leads the Sycamores with 33 receptions on the season.
• Zach Larkin ran his receiving streak to 14 consecutive games with a catch.
• Gunnar See made his 2021 debut in the third quarter as the redshirt sophomore became the third Sycamore quarterback to see the field this fall.
• The Sycamores welcomed back both Dante Hendrix and Michael Haupert to the lineup on Saturday afternoon. Hendrix was back in the lineup after missing the previous five games due to injury, while Haupert had been out the previous four after going down against Northwestern.

Up Next
The Sycamores return home to Memorial Stadium for Homecoming as Indiana State welcomes Youngstown State to Terre Haute for the October 23 kickoff. Game time is set for 1 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Football, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.