The Skyhawks fell 31-24 as the Missouri State Bears moved out to an early 17-7 lead that the Skyhawks could not surmount. Both teams struggled in the ground game, but the passing game and turnovers made the difference for the Bears.
The new starting quarterback for the Skyhawks, Kaiya Sheron, played an efficient game through the air with 213 yards and two touchdowns on a 74.1 completion percentage, but could not completely protect the ball from the Bears. Sheron was sacked five times and fumbled twice, both caused by Missouri State defensive lineman Caden Wiest, leading to a 14-point swing in the Bears direction that proved to be too much for the Skyhawks to overcome.
Sheron’s favorite target is starting to make itself obvious in his second game as wide receiver Trevonte Rucker led the team in receiving with 73 yards on six receptions. This is Rucker’s third game of the season leading the team in receiving yards. The Skyhawk run game we are used to being dominant was stifled to 95 yards on 35 carries on the day. Specifically, leading rusher Patrick Smith ran for 65 yards on 16 carries. That averages to 3.9 yards per carry and a disappointing night for the Skyhawk offense.
Defensively the Skyhawks stopped the run, holding the Bears to even worse efficiency on the ground with 15 yards on 30 carries. However, it was through the air that gave the Skyhawk defensive backfield troubles throughout the night. Four Bears players had 50 or more receiving yards on the day with star receiver Lance Mason leading the team with 94 yards on three catches. Linebacker Chris Hunter led the Skyhawks in tackles with 11 and 1.5 tackles for loss followed by Tevin Shipp and Jacob Stevenson with eight and seven tackles respectively.
In the end, it was two turnovers leading to 14 points for the Bears that decided the game for the Skyhawks, who lost by seven. This moves the Skyhawks to 2-8 all-time vs the Bears and 1-3 on the season. Next week, the Skyhawks travel to Kennesaw State to face the (0-3) Owls on Sept. 28. The Owls will be the second FBS program the Skyhawks have faced so far this season.
