Missouri State football secures second straight FCS Playoffs bid, set to host UT Martin in first round

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - The Missouri State Bears have clinched a second straight bid to the FCS Playoffs after closing out the regular season Saturday.

Missouri State will host the UT Martin Skyhawks in the first round of the FCS Playoffs. That matchup is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27 at Robert Plaster Stadium. The winner will advance to take on No. 8 Montana State.

“We are fired up to have a home game,” Missouri State head coach Bobby Petrino said on the FCS selection show. “We thought maybe we would get in the Top 8 but it didn’t happen. We are just excited to be here.”

While the Bears finished the regular season Saturday with an 8-3 record, they did not secure a national Top 8 seed or first-round bye. Instead, they will take on the Ohio Valley Conference Champion in UT Martin. The Skyhawks finished with a 9-2 record in the regular season.

“We have had a chip on our shoulder all season long,” said Petrino during the selection show. “Missouri State hasn’t been in the talk very often. We feel like we’ve been underrated all year long. We are going to come out and play like we always have with a big chip on our shoulder.”

The field for the 2021 FCS Playoffs was officially announced Sunday morning during a ESPNU selection show. Eleven teams automatically qualified for the FCS Playoffs, while 13 teams, including Missouri State, earned an at-large berth.

Missouri State is one of six teams representing the Missouri Valley Conference in the FCS playoffs. North Dakota State was the only MVFC team to receive a national seed at No. 2. South Dakota State, South Dakota, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa have also earned spots.

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