SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Missouri State head football coach Dave Steckel announced several staff changes Monday, including the addition of assistant coach Jason Ray and the elevation of Sean Coughlin and Mack Brown as co-offensive coordinators.

The promotions of Brown and Coughlin fill the void on the Missouri State staff left by the departure of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco,  who accepted an assistant coach post at the University of Central Florida in December. Coughlin, who is entering his 11 season on the Bears’ staff, will continue to mentor the MSU offensive linemen, while Brown will shift roles and work with the Bears’ signal-callers after tutoring the wide receivers in his first year with the program.

“After great thought, I felt it was important to name Mack and Sean as co-offensive coordinators to provide continuity and a solid foundation moving forward and for the future of our program,” Steckel said.

Brown moves into the role of co-offensive coordinator after a whirlwind first year in Springfield that saw the Overland Park, Kan., native work with the Bears tight end and wide receiver position groups while also helping coordinate MSU’s special teams units. Eight different receivers recorded at least 10 receptions for the Bears this past season, while a pair of MSU special teamers earned all-conference recognition, including sophomore return specialist Deion Holliman, who was a first-team All-MVFC pick after leading the nation in combined kick return yardage.

Brown joined Steckel’s first MSU staff last winter following a three-year stint as a graduate assistant at Missouri, where he helped MU post dramatic statistical improvements in numerous offensive categories and back-to-back SEC East Division championships.

Over the last nine seasons, Coughlin’s linemen have earned 10 MVFC all-conference selections, including 2015 honorable mention choice Riley Shantz. Three of Coughlin’s pupils have moved on to the NFL ranks, including David Arkin, a 2011 fourth-round pick, who remains active on the practice squad of the St. Louis Rams. Under Coughlin’s watch, the 2014 Bears were fourth overall in the Valley in rushing yards per game (180.7) thanks to an offensive line that included three All-MVFC honorees.

This past fall, Shantz earned league-wide recognition, starting the first 10 games of season — including the last eight at center — blocks as the stabilizing veteran force in the middle of the MSU line.

Ray will join the Bears after previous coaching stops at Wyoming (2009-12), Oklahoma State (2013-14) and fellow Missouri Valley Football Conference member UNI (2015). This past fall, the Porter, Okla., native helped guide UNI to a 9-5 mark, a third-place finish in the MVFC and an NCAA Division I FCS Quarterfinal berth. Ray, who coached the Panther wide receivers, helped guide a balanced offense that ranked fourth in the Valley in scoring (29.5 points per game) and featured seven different players who reached double-figures in receptions on the year. UNI posted six wins over Top 25 opponents in reaching the quarterfinal round of the FCS Playoffs for the 13th time in school history. “Ray has a wealth of knowledge and experience and that has been evident in his playing and coaching career,” Steckel added. “He has been successful at every stop as a coach at Wyoming, Oklahoma State, and most-recently UNI. He has great intensity, enthusiasm and knowledge and will be a great addition to our offensive staff.”

Prior to joining the UNI program, Ray spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State mentoring the Cowboys receivers and return specialists. In 2014, he guided a position group that saw six different receivers notch double-digit reception totals, while first-team All-Big 12 and league newcomer of the year Tyreek Hill ranked second nationally in combined kick return yardage (996).

The Cowboys turned in one of the strongest offensive performances in school history in 2013, ranking 14th nationally in scoring and registering the No. 5 passing offense in program history to earn a berth in the 2014 Cotton Bowl Classic. Second-team All-Big 12 performer Josh Stewart — who set a Big 12 Conference record with a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown — ranked fourth nationally in punt return average (18.2), while Justin Gilbert led the conference in kickoff return yardage (26.6 yard per return).

Ray also spent four years on Wyoming head coach Dave Christensen’s staff, helping lead the Cowboys to a pair of bowl game appearances during his stay in Laramie. He coached the Cowboys’ running backs for three seasons, overseeing the development of All-Mountain West performer Alvester Alexander, who capped his Wyoming career with 2,127 yards and 27 touchdowns to rank among the top 10 rushers in school history in both categories.

As a student-athlete, Ray was a three-year letterwinner, second-team academic All-Big 12 selection and 2007 team captain as a wide receiver at Missouri, where he was a part of four different bowl-qualifying Tiger squads from 2003-07. Ray served a leadership role on Mizzou’s 2007 Big 12 North championship team that set a program record for wins (12) and garnered the school’s first No. 1 national ranking in 47 years. In addition to playing a key role on an MU offense that ranked No. 5 nationally and paved the way to a Cotton Bowl bid as a senior, Ray was a part of the Tigers’ Independence Bowl teams of 2003 and 2005, as well as the 2006 club that earned a trip to the Sun Bowl.

Ray earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration-Marketing with a minor in English from Missouri in 2007. He served as a development associate for the Tiger Scholarship Fund, where he assisted with prospective donor solicitation, coordinating special events and projects and cultivating stewardship toward his alma mater’s primary athletics fundraising operation before beginning his coaching career.

The new staff alterations and Ray’s hire are subject to formal approval by the Missouri State Board of Governors at its next regularly-scheduled meeting.

— MSU Athletics —

CHICAGO (AP) — Daquon Miller shut the door on Loyola of Chicago, hitting a runner with 3.4 seconds left and Missouri State beat the Ramblers 56-54 on Saturday.

Miller, who led Missouri State (6-10, 2-2 Missouri Valley) with 16 points, scored the final four in the last 1:19 to foil a late comeback by the Ramblers (7-9, 0-4).

Loyola closed the first half on a 10-5 run to grab a 29-23 lead, hitting five shots without a miss. They extended the lead to 33-23 before Missouri State came to life.

Obediah Church slammed two dunks as the Bears went on a 19-8 run to lead 42-41. Loyola climbed back as the Bears went through an extended dry spell. Milton Doyle stole an inbounds pass and drove for a 54-54 tie with seven seconds left, but Loyola was unable to get a final shot off in time.

Eric Peterson led the Ramblers with 18 points, Doyle 13.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Dequon Miller’s layup with five seconds left lifted Missouri State to a 59-58 victory over Northern Iowa on Wednesday night, snapping the Bears’ four-game losing streak.

Ryan Kreklow made three free throws, two with 42 seconds left, to cut Northern Iowa’s lead to 58-57. After the Panthers struggled to get the ball upcourt, calling two timeouts, Klint Carlson missed on a baseline drive. Kreklow got the rebound and Miller raced down the floor and scored before the Panthers’ Wes Washpun missed a short jumper at the buzzer.

The victory snapped a six-game losing streak to Northern Iowa.

Chris Kendrix scored 17 points to lead the Bears (5-10, 1-2 Missouri Valley). Obediah Church added 10 points and eight rebounds.

Washpun and Matt Bohannon each had 15 points for the Panthers (9-7, 1-2).

The Panthers never trailed in the second half until Miller’s winning basket, leading by 10 with 9:17 remaining.

— Associated Press —

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State knocked down 15 3-pointers, including 10 in the second half, and overcame an early 13-point lead by visiting Missouri State here Wednesday to defeat the Bears 74-61 in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both teams.

Illinois State (7-7) was unstoppable from 3-point range in the second half, knocking down two bonus balls in the first minute of the period to take the lead for the first time since the game’s opening moments. The Redbirds would hit 9 of their first 10 from bonus distance in the second stanza and finished the game 15-for-27 (.556), a Redbird Arena record and one shy of an MSU opponent record.

After leading 27-25 at the intermission, MSU (4-9) tied the game twice early in the second half and recaptured the lead twice – both on buckets by Dequon Miller. But a decisive 26-2 ensuing run by the Redbirds put the game out of reach. The Bears scored just one bucket in a seven-and-a-half minute stretch while ISU tallied five 3-pointers in that span, including four by Deontae Hawkins.

Hawkins led ISU with 17 points on 5-of-5 from bonus distance, while DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell came off the bench to score 14 for Illinois State, which improved to 6-2 at home this season.

Missouri State was led by Miller’s 17 points, while Camyn Boone tallied 12 with a game-high 8 rebounds.

ISU out-rebounded the Bears by a 31-26 margin, and both teams committed 12 turnovers.

In the first half, Missouri State used a 13-0 run to overcome an early four-point deficit and never trailed again before the intermission.

A pair of free throws from Miller sandwiched in between two layups by Boone gave the Bears a 21-8 lead with 6:13 left in the opening half – their largest advantage of the game. Illinois State then rallied behind the 3-point shot and knocked down five of them over the next four minutes to tie the game at 25. But two key jumpers late in the half by MSU freshman Jarred Dixon returned the advantage to the visitors before the break, and the Bears held off a last-second shot from ISU to go into the break with a two-point lead.

For the game, Missouri State converted 24-of-51 (.471) shots, went 6-of-13 (.462) from long range and made 7-of-9 (.778) free throws with 7 steals and 26 points in the paint.

After a dismal start from the field, ISU rallied to finish 25-of-51 (.490) from the field and 9-of-14 (.643) from the line with 6 steals and 31 bench points.

The Bears return home Saturday to begin a two-game Valley home stand against Evansville at 3 p.m., in a game that will be televised on FOX Sports Net. Tickets for Saturday’s game are available at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or on game day only at the MSU Athletics Box Office at JQH Arena.

MSU’s home stand continues on Jan. 6 against Northern Iowa at 7:05 p.m. at The Q.

— MSU Athletics —

SPRINGFIELD – After trailing by as many as a dozen in the second half, Missouri State rallied within one point of visiting Southeast Missouri State here Tuesday, but could not overtake the Redhawks who posted five players in double figures in the scoring column in a 78-74 decision.

Antonius Cleveland finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Redhawks (1-10), who snapped an 11-game losing streak with accurate shooting and pressure zone defense. Isiah Jones knocked down 5 3-pointers to finish with 17 points, and Joel Angus tallied 14 points and 6 rebounds for the winning side.

The Bears (4-8) were led by Dequon Miller’s 17 points, while freshman Jarred Dixon registered 15 off the bench, and Dorrian Williams added 10 points and a season-high 8 assists. MSU’s reserves outscored the visitors’ bench by a 30-9 margin.

MSU led briefly in the first two minutes of the game, but played from behind the rest of the night, tying the game twice before halftime. The Redhawks, however, counter-punched well, and had an answer for every Bears’ rally.

After a pair of free throws from Ryan Kreklow got Missouri State within 58-56 with 7:49 remaining, SEMO reeled off five unanswered points to push back ahead by seven – first on a putback by Cleveland and later on a trey by Jones.

With just over three minutes to go, Loomis Gerring snagged a steal for MSU and scored while being fouled to get the Bears within 68-66. He missed the ensuing foul shot, and Southeast responded with a mini 3-0 push to lead by five at the 3:01 mark.

Finally, with 1:14 to go, the Bears got arguably their most-impactful shot of the night on a bonus ball by Kreklow from the right corner. The 3-pointer hit the rim, then the top of the backboard and fell through to make it 74-73. MSU immediately fouled Jamaal Calvin who made 1-of-2 shots.  But the Bears could not get to the rim to tie the game in their following possessions, instead going 1-for-3 at the foul line in the decisive final minute to fall to 3-3 at home on the season.

For its part, Southeast Missouri, just a 55-percent free throw shooting team through its first 10 games, made just enough free throws down the stretch to keep the Bears at bay. MSU was whistled for 8 fouls in the final three minutes with the Redhawks converting 6-of-14 from the stripe to win by a four-point margin.

Missouri State finished 26-for-63 (.413) from the field and set a season high with 28 3-point attempts, making just 6 (.214). The Bears converted 16-of-23 (.696) from the stripe, but went just 3-for-7 at the line in the final three minutes, 33 seconds.

The Bears out-rebounded the Redhawks by a 45-35 margin, but committed 16 turnovers against an aggressive zone defense.

SEMO scored 42 points in the paint, compared to 28 by MSU, and finished 29-for-60 (.483) from the field, 6-of-16 (.375) from long range and 14-for-29 (.483) at the line with 11 turnovers and an impressive 11 steals.

In the first half, the Bears led 6-5, but fought from behind the rest of the way, tying it twice. First, a transition layup by Miller with 6:19 to go, knotted the game at 25 apiece, and later a layup by Chris Kendrix with 5:30 remaining in the opening stanza made it 27-27. Southeast ended the half on a 13-6 run from there as the Redhawks matched their largest lead of the first half with a put-back before the horn by Tony Anderson to make it 40-33.

The Bears will break for the holidays before beginning Missouri Valley Conference play on Dec. 30 at Illinois State (7 p.m.).

— MSU Athletics —

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — Alec Peters and Tevonn Walker scored 19 and 18 points, respectively, as Valparaiso rolled past Missouri State 74-45 on Saturday, running its win streak to five games.

The win also marked a coaching milestone for Valparaiso (10-2) as two generations of the Drew family combined for 1,000 wins. Dad Homer Drew coached 640 wins, Scott Drew 256 and his brother, current coach Bryce Drew, 104.

Walker, who missed the last four games to injury, and Peters sank back-to-back baskets to break a 5-5 tie. First, Walker rebounded his own miss and tipped it in, then he snared a defensive board and fed Peters for a jumper.

Peters also had 10 rebounds for his third double-double this season.

The Crusaders pushed the lead to 35-23 by halftime and led by as many as 31.

Dequon Miller was the only Missouri State player in double figures scoring 12 points. The Bears shot 32 percent (17-for-53).

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Camyn Boone scored 27 points and added seven rebounds to help lead Missouri State to an 85-66 win over Oral Roberts on Wednesday night.

Boone hit 9 of 14 shots from the field and 9 of 12 at the free throw line. Dorrian Williams added 14 points, seven boards, and five assists and Dequon Miller had 11 points for Missouri State (4-6), which has won three of four after starting the season 1-5.

The Bears shot 53.3 percent from the field while holding Oral Roberts to 35.9 percent.

Missouri State opened on an 18-2 run and led 45-22 at the half. A Jalen Bradley jumper for the Golden Eagles (8-4) trimmed their deficit 56-45 with 11 minutes left. But Missouri State answered with a 12-3 run to extend the lead back to 20 (68-48).

Obi Emegano scored 18 points for Oral Roberts.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — James Woodard made four 3-pointers and scored 20 points, and Tulsa held off a second-half rally to beat Missouri State 70-61 on Sunday.

Rashad Smith scored a season-high 12 points, Shaquille Harrison added 11 with six assists, and Tulsa (7-3) made 28 of 65 field goals (43 percent) but were outrebounded 43-38.

Trailing by 10 at halftime, Missouri State rallied to within 60-57 on Ryan Kreklow’s jumper with 4:08 left, but Smith hit a layup to spark an 8-2 run Tulsa used to close out the game.

Tulsa took control with a 16-3 run in which Woodard scored seven points for a 28-14 lead. Woodard scored 17 in the half and Tulsa led 38-28 at intermission.

Chris Kendrix scored 17, and Kreklow and Dequon Miller had 11 apiece for the Bears (3-6), who shot 32 percent and made 3 of 17 3-pointers.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Camyn Boone scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Missouri State to an 88-74 comeback win over IUPUI on Thursday night.

Chris Kendrix and Dorrian Williams added 19 points apiece and Dequon Miller had 15 for Missouri State (3-5), which forced 16 turnovers and went 23 of 27 from the line.

Trailing 42-33 at the break, Missouri State opened the second half with a 20-6 surge that included 3-pointers from Williams and Miller. IUPUI (3-8) tied the game at 56, 58, 60 and 62 before the Bears took control for good with six straight free throws and hung on down the stretch.

Darell Combs had 20 points for IUPUI, while Matt O’Leary added 16 points to go with eight rebounds and Jordan Pickett had 12 points.

It was the first meeting between the two programs.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – After one season as Missouri State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Mario Verduzco has accepted an assistant coaching job at the University of Central Florida, the school announced Tuesday (Dec. 8).

Verduzco joined MSU head coach Dave Steckel’s staff last winter after spending 14 years on the coaching staff of Missouri Valley Football Conference power UNI, including seven as the Panthers’ co-offensive coordinator. The Pittsburg, Calif., native worked with new UCF head coach Scott Frost in Cedar Falls for two seasons, while Frost served as UNI’s linebackers coach in 2007 and defensive coordinator the following campaign.

Steckel, who completed his first season with the Bears in 2015, indicated a search for Verduzco’s replacement will commence immediately.

— MSU Athletics —