SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Four days after a season-high performance from 3-point range, Northern Iowa did it again.

Seth Tuttle scored 22 points and the No. 13 Panthers matched their season-high with 12 3-pointers to beat Missouri State 68-57 on Sunday. They also hit 12 3s against Illinois State on Wednesday.

Jeremy Morgan and Deon Mitchell each added 11 points for Northern Iowa (24-2, 13-1 Missouri Valley Conference). Camyn Boone had 14 points and six rebounds to lead Missouri State (9-17, 3-11 MVC).

A strong first-half was the difference for Northern Iowa. The Panthers shot 57 percent from the field (16 of 28) in the first-half, including nine of 14 from behind the arc. Northern Iowa had 14 assists and led 42-20 by halftime.

“We’re getting some pretty good looks,” Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said. “We’ve got guys that are finding themselves with some really good looks. My message to the guys is that you’re going to go out and play really aggressive, and the guys are doing a good job.”

Tuttle made 10 of 12 shots on Sunday, including the first eight he took. He added four rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes.

“Seth is so unselfish and he’s got such a good feel that, no matter how he’s going to get defended . he makes everything work,” Jacobson said. “He could take more shots, but he doesn’t because he wants our team to have good offense. He wants our team to do well.”

The victory stretched Northern Iowa’s win streak to 13-games — the fifth-longest current streak in the nation. Missouri State lost for the 10th time in its last 11 games.

“We ran into a buzzsaw,” Missouri State coach Paul Lusk said. “I thought they came out and … stole our energy and stole our spirit and that’s what good teams do. We just didn’t have any answers. When they shoot it like that, they’re one of the best teams in the country.”

Tuttle scored 10 points in the first six minutes as Northern Iowa blitzed to a 16-4 lead. The Panthers made six of their first eight shots, including four of five from 3-point range.

The Panthers’ lead grew to 16 on a 3-pointer by Nate Buss midway through the half, prompting Missouri State coach Paul Lusk to burn his second timeout. It didn’t help. Back-to-back treys from Jeremy Morgan and Wyatt Lohaus stretched the Northern Iowa lead to 35-13 with 6:08 remaining. Seven different Panthers made 3’s in the first-half.

“We’ve been playing pretty good on the road,” Mitchell said. “Getting off to a good start, especially on the road today, is something that helps us.”

Missouri State rallied in the second half, closing the game on an 11-2 run that made the final margin closer than the game actually was. Despite his team’s lackluster finish, Jacobson wasn’t concerned.

“That’s more on me and what I’m talking about as opposed to what (our guys) are doing,” Jacobson said. “I thought the guys played great all the way through.”

TIP-INS:

Northern Iowa: With the win, Jacobson became the eighth coach in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference to reach 100 league victories. Henry Iba (1934-57) owns the most coaching wins in the conference with 187.

Missouri State: After competing with only seven scholarship players in their last two games due to injuries, the Bears were back to nine scholarship players in uniform on Sunday. Dorrian Williams (concussion) and Christian Kirk (precautionary/health) returned to action.

UP NEXT

Northern Iowa: visits Loyola on Wednesday.

Missouri State: hosts Indiana State on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — D.J. Balentine scored 20 points and Evansville pulled away in the second half to beat Missouri State 73-66 on Tuesday.

Adam Wing added 17 points and the Purple Aces (17-8, 7-6 Missouri Valley Conference) snapped a three-game losing streak.

Balentine is tied for 25th in the nation in scoring and has notched double figures in all but two of Evansville’s games this season

Evansville led early but Shawn Roundtree put Missouri State up 24-22 with a layup. Wing hit two free throws to tie it at 30 at halftime.

The lead traded hands seven times until Jaylon Moore tied it at 51 with a free throw, sparking an 11-2 Evansville run, then Balentine hit back-to-back buckets and the Purple Aces pulled away 65-57 with 3:27 left.

Camyn Boone led Missouri State (9-16, 3-10) with a career-high 21 points, Chris Hendrix scored 13 and Gavin Thurman 12.

— Associated Press —

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita State guards Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker have had a good chemistry for some time.

So when Baker says he could see something different in VanVleet’s eyes Saturday night, it’s probably true.

“Fred just had this look in his eye like, `Shoot it,’ when he passed it to you,” Baker said. “He’s setting us up with these perfect passes, this perfect backspin, and you could tell he wanted you to make the shot.”

It was part of the reason VanVleet had the Shockers’ first triple-double in 43 years as No. 16 Wichita State routed Missouri State 78-35.

VanVleet finished with 10 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for the Shockers (21-3, 11-1 Missouri Valley Conference). He completed the feat in just 24 minutes of playing time and knew he was close early in the second half.

“While still playing the game the right way, my guys helped me get over the hump,” he said. “It’s pretty special.”

Baker led all scorers with 17 points, while Shaquille Morris and Darius Carter added 10 each for Wichita State.

Missouri State (9-15, 3-9) has lost nine of its last 10 games and suited up just seven scholarship players due to injuries, illness and departures. Gavin Thurman led the Bears with nine points.

The Bears had not been held to 35 or fewer points since Feb. 11, 1950.

Starting point guard Dorrian Williams did not play due to symptoms from a concussion suffered Wednesday. Christian Kirk, scheduled to start at forward, also did not play due to what coach Paul Lusk called “health issues.”

“They dominated us in every way possible,” Lusk said. “We started a freshman point guard and couldn’t take him out. I’ve never been through anything like this.”

Predictably, the Shockers pressured the short-handed Bears non-stop in the first half and Missouri State turned it over nine times. And even when the Bears were able to run their offense, fatigued legs helped contribute to going 5 of 26 from the floor in the first half.

The Shockers took advantage. Three-pointers from Evan Wessel and Baker helped Wichita State to a 14-3 lead.

Missouri State got within nine, 20-11, on Loomis Gerring’s long jumper with 7:58 remaining in the half.

Wichita State went on a 17-2 run the rest of the half to lead 37-13.

“As much as I honestly feel for what Paul is going through with his roster, you want to win the game,” Shockers coach Gregg Marshall said. “We wanted to make it a track meet. That played in our favor.”

It only got worse in the second. After a Missouri State basket, Wichita State scored 12 straight.

Baker sank two 3-pointers to ignite the run. Carter converted a layup and alley-oop dunk, and Baker turned a steal into a layup.

Wichita State led 49-15 with 16:54 to play, the crowd exploded and the Bears took a timeout.

“We got tons of deflections, and we were relentless on the glass,” Marshall said.

The Shockers used 14 players, twice that of Missouri State.

“I think the past three days, the two practices and this game, have been some of our best-played basketball,” Baker said.

TRIPLE THE FUN

With 13:52 remaining in the game, VanVleet hit a 3-pointer and the crowd let out an extra cheer.

He was already at 10 rebounds and 11 assists, and the 3-pointer gave him 10 points for his triple-double. He exited soon after. He is the first Shocker with a triple-double since 1972, when Terry Benton had 20 points, 22 rebounds and 10 assists against Tulsa.

TIP-INS

Missouri State: Lusk faced his 14th ranked opponent in four seasons at Missouri State. That equals the total of the previous three Bears coaches combined. . Missouri State’s Austin Ruder drew a first-half charge on Baker. It was the first charge drawn by Missouri State since Dec. 20.

Wichita State: The Shockers have won 29 straight home games, the fourth longest active streak nationally. . Wichita State has won 10 straight against Missouri State, the longest streak in a series that dates to 1942. . Baker became the 43rd Wichita State player with at least 1,000 career points. . Wichita State’s 1965 Final Four team was recognized at halftime.

UP NEXT

Missouri State: Travels to Evansville on Tuesday.

Wichita State: Hosts Indiana State on Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Earl Peterson and Ben Richardson scored 12 points apiece as Loyola of Chicago held on in the face of a second-half rally to beat Missouri State 53-50 on Wednesday night, snapping a five-game slide.

Montel James added 10 points and led with six rebounds for the Ramblers (14-9, 4-7 Missouri Valley Conference) who hit 20 of 50 (40 percent) from the field overall and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.

Loyola of Chicago dominated the first period and led 31-19 at the break. But Missouri State rallied in the second half, outscoring the Ramblers 31-22 in the period before ultimately falling short. The Bears (9-14, 3-8) finished 22 of 51 from the field overall including just 2 of 14 from beyond the arc.

Gavin Thurman led Missouri State with 15 points. Camyn Boone added 13 points and seven rebounds.

— Associated Press —

NORMAL, Ill. (AP) — DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell scored 20 points, hauled in a career-high 12 rebounds and led Illinois State to a 67-57 win over Missouri State on Wednesday night.

Daishon Knight contributed 14 points and Reggie Lynch added 12 for Illinois State (13-8, 5-4 Missouri Valley), which shot 44 percent from the floor on 55 attempts and controlled the boards 36-26. Akoon-Purcell sank all eight of his shots from the free throw line and his 20 points tied a career best.

Leading by three at the break, Illinois State opened the second with a 9-2 run capped by Knight’s 3-pointer to make it 37-27 with 17:40 to play and held on the rest of the way. Buckets from Missouri State’s Chris Kendrix twice cut the gap to seven in the final 2:22.

Camyn Boone led Missouri State (8-13, 2-7) with 13 points and Christian Kirk added 10 as the Bears lost their seventh straight.

— Associated Press —

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Warren Jones scored 16 points, including a late 3-pointer, and Bradley withstood a second-half rally by Missouri State for a 61-59 win on Saturday night.

A pair of free throws by Austin Ruder pulled Missouri State (8-12, 2-6 Missouri Valley), which lost its sixth-consecutive game, within one with 1:56 to play.

Tramique Sutherland found Jones for a 3-pointer 25 seconds later to make it 60-56.

Missouri State’s Chris Kendrix and Bradley’s Josh Cunningham each made 1 of 2 free throws and the Braves led by four with 15 seconds remaining.

Ruder’s jumper cut it 61-59 just six seconds later but missed a jumper to tie it with three seconds left and a potential winning 3 as time expired.

Bradley (7-14, 2-6), which shot 55 percent from the field and made 5 of 10 3-pointers in the first half, made just two field goals in the final 11 minutes.

Ruder led Missouri State with 15 points.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Wichita State’s three-guard tandem was too much for Missouri State to handle.

Ron Baker made five 3-pointers and finished with 15 points to lead the 14th-ranked Shockers to a 76-53 victory Wednesday night.

Tekele Cotton and Fred VanVleet also scored 15 apiece for the Shockers (17-2, 7-0 Missouri Valley Conference), who have won 25 consecutive conference games dating to last year. VanVleet added seven assists against the Bears.

“They’re really good,” Missouri State coach Paul Lusk said. “They have the ability to make a deep, deep run. When you have three guards in college basketball that are so versatile … you’re going to have a chance in every game.”

Darius Carter scored 14 for Wichita State, which shot 11 of 21 on 3-pointers and outrebounded Missouri State 40-24.

Baker was 5 of 7 from behind the arc. Cotton held the Bears’ best shooter, Austin Ruder, to six points on 3-of-9 shooting.

“Tekele is a strong, athletic kid and he’s in great shape,” Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said. “He was trying to be in Ruder’s hip pocket all night long.”

Chris Kendrix and Dorrian Williams each had 10 points for Missouri State (8-11, 2-5), which has lost five straight.

Carter, who had a career-high 25 points in a win over Southern Illinois last week, scored the first eight points of the second half for Wichita State. Baker made consecutive 3s to fuel a 20-8 run as Wichita State built a 67-47 lead before Marshall subbed out his starters.

The teams traded the lead 10 times within the first 10 minutes until Wichita State used an 8-0 run to gain separation. The Shockers’ lead grew to 34-24 on a 3-pointer by Cotton, but Missouri State finished the half on a 9-2 surge and trailed 39-33 at halftime despite shooting 52 percent from the field (13 of 25).

Cotton scored nine of the Shockers’ final 11 points of the half.

Missouri State opened the game by making six of its first nine shots.

“I thought their team did a good job the whole first half,” Marshall said. “Paul had his guys playing hard … and harder than us, at times.”

Missouri State was held to 20 points in the second half and shot just 28 percent from the field (7 of 25), as the Shockers clamped down defensively.

“I thought their half-court defense was probably better than last year, and they had a pretty high bar to start with,” Ruder said. “They’re probably more aggressive on the defensive end this year.”

Wichita State has held 14 of its first 19 opponents to 60 points or fewer.

“We were just pushing them out on the court and making their first entry tough,” Baker said. “Anytime they start their offense farther away from the basket is good for us.”

—

TIP-INS

Wichita State: The Shockers’ 44-9 road record since 2010-2011 is the best in the nation. Nine teams have 40 or more road wins in the past five years.

Missouri State: The Bears have lost nine consecutive games to Wichita State. Their last win over the Shockers was on Feb. 1, 2011, a victory that gave Missouri State the Missouri Valley regular-season title.

COURTSIDE

Coaches from both teams wore sneakers as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative. … Baker chipped a tooth within the first 5 minutes while diving for a rebound. He tossed the chipped piece off the court and stayed in the game.

UP NEXT

Wichita State hosts Drake on Sunday.

Missouri State visits Bradley on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Hunter hit 7 of 8 shots, including three 3-pointers, to score 17 points off the bench and lead Illinois State to a 69-55 win over Missouri State on Sunday.

Hunter had 12 points and MiKyle McIntosh had all 11 of his points as the Redbirds (10-6, 2-2 Missouri Valley) raced to a 49-27 lead at the half.

The Bears (8-8, 2-2) never got closer than 14 in the second half. Tyler McCullough was the leading scorer with 12 points and Marcus Marshall added 11.

With Hunter going 3 of 4 behind the arc, Illinois State was 9 of 15 but the Redbirds were only 11 of 35 from inside the line. Missouri State made just 1 of 13 treys and shot 36 percent for the game. The Bears were also outrebounded 39-29.

— Associated Press —

Missouri State head football coach Dave Steckel did not have to look far to complete his initial Missouri State coaching roster, tabbing four current or former University of Missouri graduate assistants for full-time roles on MSU’s 2015 staff. Steckel announced the hiring of Peter Badovinac (linebackers), Mack Brown (tight ends/special teams), John Egorugwu (wide receivers) and Munir Prince (running backs) as assistant coaches Thursday, just four days after his own appointment as the 20th head coach in MSU history.

The new group of coaches puts the finishing touches on Steckel’s staff, following Wednesday’s announcement (linked above) of the hiring of offensive coordinator Mario Verduzco, defensive coordinator Marcus Yokeley, assistant coaches Kenji Jackson (safeties) and Chris Morton (defensive line), as well as the retention of Sean Coughlin (offensive line).

All four of the new hires – which are expected to be formally approved by the Missouri State Board of Governors at its next scheduled meeting on Jan. 21 — have direct ties to Steckel and the University of Missouri football program and will officially begin their roles at MSU following the Tigers’ Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl appearance.

“I’m excited to be able to bring in such a talented batch of young coaches,” Steckel commented. “Each of these guys either played or coached under us at Mizzou and they all bring tremendous knowledge and enthusiasm to the table, as well as an understanding of how we plan to put this program together.”

Assisting the Bears as linebackers coach, Badovinac (pronounced buh-DOE-vuh-nack) joins the MSU staff after spending the past two years working at Mizzou, where he helped the Tigers to a 22-5 overall record and back-to-back SEC East titles. He began his MU tenure as a recruiting graduate assistant, working to develop and implement the Tigers’ recruiting plans. He moved into the role of defensive graduate assistant prior to the start of the 2013 season, assisting Steckel with oversight of the MU linebackers and the coordination of the Tigers’ day-to-day practice preparations and scouting operations.

Badovinac joined the Missouri staff following the completion of his own playing career as a quarterback at Michigan State, where he was a part of the Spartans’ 2010 Big Ten championship team. The Inverness, Ill., native started his collegiate career at FCS member Drake University, picking up Pioneer League Academic Honor Roll recognition in 2008. He earned his undergraduate degree in general business from Michigan State in 2012 and completed his master’s program in education and school counseling at MU this fall.

Brown will work with the Bears tight ends and oversee the MSU special teams following a three-year stay as a graduate assistant at Missouri. Like Badovinac, Brown started as a recruiting GA before expanding his role with the Tigers coaching staff. He moved into the role of offensive quality control graduate assistant prior to the 2012 season, assisting the Mizzou offensive staff with the development and implementation of offensive schemes and scouting evaluations, as well as the execution of various administrative duties. For the past two seasons, Brown has worked with the Tigers tight ends as an offensive graduate assistant, helping MU post dramatic statistical improvements in numerous offensive categories and two straight Southeastern Conference East Division championships.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in education from Baker University, Brown began his coaching career as an assistant coach at William Jewell College, working with the Cardinals wideouts during the 2010 season. He also served as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Lawrence (Kan.) High School the following fall before beginning his graduate coaching experience at MU. As a player, Brown was a first-team All-HAAC performer in 2008 and a three-time NAIA Academic All-American for Baker, leading the Wildcats to their first NAIA playoff berth in 15 years. The Overland Park, Kan., product also completed a master’s degree in health, physical education and recreation from Emporia State in 2011.

Egorugwu (pronounced EGG-or-oo-goo) will oversee the development of the MSU wide receivers after completing a four-year apprenticeship at Missouri in three different graduate capacities. The Kansas City, Mo., native worked on both sides of the ball for the Tigers, serving as an offensive graduate assistant the last two years and helping a pair of MU wide receivers earn All-SEC honors. During the 2011 and 2012 campaigns, Egorugwu tutored the Tigers defensive backs as a defensive GA following his introduction to the Mizzou program as a recruiting assistant. He earned a master’s degree in education and counseling psychology in 2014 after completing a dual undergraduate degree in accounting and business administration from William Jewell in 2008.

A standout linebacker for Jewell during his playing days, Egorugwu was a four-year starter and two-time All-HAAC honoree for the Cardinals. He worked in the corporate realm for UMB Bank for two years before returning to Jewell’s campus to begin his coaching career as an assistant coach working with the program’s inside linebackers in 2010. In his one season on staff, Egorugwu saw a pair of his pupils garner all-conference recognition while helping coach a Jewell defense that ranked 13th national in total defense.

Prince (first name pronounced muh-NEAR) comes to Springfield after a brief stint as an assistant coach at Drake University, where he coached the Bulldogs’ interior receivers. The St. Louis native worked as an account executive for Drake IMG Sports Marketing for one year before joining the DU coaching staff this past summer. Prince, who will work with the Bears running backs, earned two degrees from Missouri, finishing his bachelor’s degree in business management in 2010, before completing an MBA program while assisting Gary Pinkel’s coaching staff as an offensive quality control graduate assistant from 20

As a player, Prince was a part of two Big 12 North Division championship teams and three bowl-qualifying squads during his own playing career as a defensive back for the Tigers. He began his career at Notre Dame, playing in 20 total games as a running back and defensive back during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

“Munir is an extremely bright young coach who not only played for us, but also got his start in coaching with our staff in Columbia,” Steckel added. “He’s been able to go out and gain a new perspective at Drake, and we’re looking forward to having him on board here at Missouri State.”

Steckel will begin his duties at Missouri State in January after Missouri’s New Year’s Day bowl game against Minnesota in Orlando.

— MSU Sports Information —

New Missouri State head football coach Dave Steckel announced the first members of his initial Bears coaching staff Wednesday with the hiring of offensive coordinator Mario Verduzco and defensive coordinator Marcus Yokeley, as well as assistant coaches Kenji Jackson (safeties) and Chris Morton (defensive line). Additionally, offensive line coach Sean Coughlin, who served nine years on the Bears coaching staff under former coach Terry Allen, will return for the 2015 season in the same capacity, Steckel confirmed.

All four new additions to the Missouri State staff began their respective duties Wednesday and are expected to be formally approved by the Missouri State Board of Governors at its next scheduled meeting on Jan. 21.

Verduzco, who will work with the Bears quarterbacks, comes to Missouri State after spending 14 years on the staff of Missouri Valley Football Conference power UNI, including the last seven as co-offensive coordinator. During his time in Cedar Falls, Verduzco helped the Panthers claim six Valley titles and make eight NCAA Division I FCS postseason appearances, while mentoring seven different UNI signal-callers who earned all-conference recognition on a total of 13 occasions. Five of those honorees were selected as league freshman or newcomer of the year, and Eric Sanders was a 2007 Walter Payton Award finalist and the MVFC’s Offensive Player of the Year.

Before joining the UNI staff, Verduzco served as quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Rutgers, where he worked with Steckel on head coach Terry Shea’s staff from 1996-2000. During his time with the Scarlet Knights, Verduzco developed what has been called one of the top quarterback clinics in the nation. Two of his pupils – Rutgers’ Mike McMahon and UNI’s Tom Petrie – have gone on to play professionally in the NFL. Previously, Verduzco coached high school football at Soquel (Calif.) High School for 10 years before breaking into the collegiate ranks at Gavilan College and San Jose State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in human performance in 1988 and a master’s degree in biomechanics and exercise physiology two years later. The Pittsburg, Calif., native then moved on to De Anza College, where he spent a total of five years –the final two as head coach – before heading east to Rutgers.

“I’m excited about working with Mario,” Steckel commented. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and a very sharp offensive mind, as well as over a decade of experience developing quarterbacks and guiding championship-caliber offenses in this league.”

Yokeley joins the MSU staff after spending a total of six years over two separate stints at Lindenwood University, including the last three as the Lions defensive line coach. The Marshall, Mo., product led a unit that produced five All-MIAA defensive line honorees since his return to the program in 2012. Prior to that, Yokeley served as defensive coordinator at Avila in 2011, helping the Eagles lower their scoring defense by nearly 10 points per game. Working with the Eagles defensive backs, he tutored the school’s first All-American safety, Tyler Cardwell.

A former all-conference defensive back for Truman State, Yokeley was a two-time team captain for the Bulldogs before earning his undergraduate degree in psychology from the school in 2006. He worked on the Lindenwood staff from 2006 through the 2008 seasons, serving in a variety of capacities, including defensive secondary coach, special teams coordinator and assistant head coach while earning his master’s degree in education with an emphasis in strength and conditioning. In his first two years as a full-time assistant, the Lions went 21-4, captured the HAAC title in 2007 and advanced to the NAIA playoffs each season. Yokeley then joined Gary Pinkel’s Missouri staff as a graduate assistant, working on both sides of the ball and assisting with the coordination of the Tigers’ camps, film evaluation and scouting operations.

“Marcus is one of the brightest up-and-coming coaches out there,” Steckel added. “From our experience working together in Columbia, I know he’s familiar with our system and what we expect out of our players, and I’m looking forward to having him lead our defense.”

Another new Bear with ties to the Missouri program, Jackson will oversee the development of the MSU safeties after completing the 2014 season as a defensive graduate assistant at Northwestern. This past fall, four defenders earned All-Big Ten honors for the Wildcats, who finished 5-7. Over the previous two seasons, Jackson worked as a recruiting and quality control graduate assistant at Mizzou following the completion of his playing career in 2011. He assisted the MU coaching staff with its recruiting operations, video preparation and scouting analysis, helping MU post a program-record 12 wins and claim both the SEC East title and a Cotton Bowl victory en route to a No. 5 final AP ranking in 2013.

As a standout defensive back for the Tigers, Jackson was a two-year starter at safety and team captain as a senior, capping his career with an honorable mention All-Big 12 citation. A contributor on bowl teams in each of his four seasons, he earned Academic All-Big 12 recognition in 2009, as well as the team’s Inspirational Player of the Year honor in 2011. He completed his undergraduate degree in interpersonal communications in just three and a half years before earning a graduate degree from MU in educational and counseling psychology.

“Kenji is another sharp, young coach who knows our system inside and out,” Steckel said. “He’s a former All-Big 12 performer who brings a ton of enthusiasm, which I know will help him relate well with our players and be an effective recruiter.”

Morton will work with the MSU defensive lineman after spending the last two seasons on University of Wisconsin-Stout’s staff following a two-year graduate assistant stint at Missouri. Under Morton’s guidance, a pair of Blue Devils have garnered All-WIAC recognition in each of his two years in Menomonie, including 2014 All-West Region honoree Jamie Rohrig. Before joining the UW-Stout program, the Norfolk, Neb., native spent a total of four years in Columbia, where he worked as a compliance coordinator for two years before his initial coaching experience as a defensive graduate assistant under Steckel. In that role, he worked with the MU defensive line, linebackers and safeties, helping the Tigers go 8-5 in a 2011 season that culminated in an Independence Bowl victory over North Carolina.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, Morton starred at center for South Dakota, earning first-team AFCA All-America honors in 2007 after claiming the 2006 Rimington Award for Division II. He was honored with USD’s Dr. John Van Why Athletic Department outstanding male athlete award and graduated with his bachelor’s degree in accounting in 2007. Morton then worked as an auditor for the Missouri Attorney General’s office before heading to Mizzou, where he earned his master’s degree in health education and promotion.

“I worked with Chris during his time at Mizzou, so I know what an exceptional job he’s capable of doing,” said Steckel.  “His playing experience as a Division II Rimington Award winner and his track record of success in developing defensive linemen speak volumes about the kind of coach he can be here.”

Coughlin will return for his eighth year working with the MSU offensive linemen after helping develop one of the top units in the Valley over the past few seasons. The Kildeer, Ill., product joined Allen’s initial MSU staff from Iowa State, where he worked as a graduate assistant and offensive line assistant. He worked with the Bears’ tight ends and fullbacks his first two years and took over offensive line coaching duties in 2008. Over the last eight seasons, Coughlin’s group has earned MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors 12 times with 10 all-conference selections, three All-Americans and three players – David Arkin, Jake Duron and Randy Richards — signing NFL contracts.

The 2001 Drake University graduate was a standout offensive lineman during his own playing career, highlighted by three All-Pioneer Conference selections and back-to-back All-America honors in 1999 and 2000. Coughlin spent three seasons at his alma mater, working as an assistant offensive line and tight ends coach before joining Iowa State’s offensive staff in 2004 while pursuing his master’s degree in higher education.

“I am looking forward to having Sean stay on with our staff,” Steckel noted. “His attention to detail and work ethic, in addition to his history with this program and proven results in producing quality linemen, should make him a great addition to our staff.”

Steckel, who was named Missouri State’s 20th head football coach Dec. 14, will begin his duties in January, following Missouri’s Citrus Bowl appearance on New Year’s Day.

— MSU Sports Information —