MSU Bears football makes stop at PBHS

The Missouri State Bears football team made a quick stop in Poplar Bluff to get in a few more reps before college football on Saturday.

On the way to compete in their second game of the season against the UT Martin Skyhawks in Tennessee, the Bears visited Poplar Bluff High School for one more practice walk-through at Mules Stadium.

PBHS athletic director Kent Keith said this surprising visit came about by the connections from the Mules head football coach, Dave Sievers.

Brad Jarman, Director of Football Operations at Missouri State University, contacted Coach Sievers on Sunday asking to use the stadium for practice on September 8, as the school is about the halfway point for the Bears trip to Tennessee-Martin.

“Coach Sievers reached out to both me and principal Dr. Ivy (Valerie), and we immediately thought of a way to make this happen,” Keith said. “With my background in college football, I've been responsible for organizing practice venues on away trips, and I understand how important this is for team travel. Dr. Ivy and I both supported opening our facility to Missouri State, and we are pleased we were able to assist them in their travels.”

The Bears hit the field for a quick run-through of their offense and defense, and head football coach Ryan Beard was amazed by the facilities at PBHS.

Poplar Bluff High School Mules football coach Dave Sievers (left) and head football coach Ryan Beard of Missouri State had a talk about football during the Bears quick stop at Mules Stadium Friday.DAR/D'COURTLAND CHRISTIAN

“What a beautiful campus,” Beard said. “We’ve had a good relationship with Coach Sievers for a while, and we've done a good job recruiting in the area. This stop was just a natural place to come and get our guys off the bus about halfway and get some good work in on a beautiful field on a beautiful day. We appreciate the guys here for letting us come in and use their facility.”

After the week one loss against the University of Kansas, Beard said the team is stepping into their game against UT Martin with something to prove.

“We’re feeling pretty good about the game,” Beard said. “Our guys had a great week of practice, and we’re ready to go. We’re coming off the Kansas loss, and I believe most of the guys still have a chip on their shoulders to prove what we can really do. We played 50 minutes of good football last week, but we need 60 from whistle to whistle in this game. I believe if we do that, we'll have a chance to be in the game.”