Football

Football looks to move forward with new coach

STEPHEN TERRILL Sports Editor @Stevethe2nd

The Missouri State football team is now under the direction of Bobby Petrino.

Petrino comes to Missouri State after coaching at schools like Louisville and Arkansas — as well as a 13-game stint as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in 2007. He coached NFL MVP Lamar Jackson during his time at Louisville.

He takes over a Bears team that went 1-10 last season, but he said the

File photo by Kaitlyn Stratman/THE STANDARD MSU’s new football coach, Bobby Petrino, speaks at a press conference in January 2020.

team is not focusing on prior seasons.

“We’ve tried to come in and say ‘let’s not worry about what’s happened here in the past,’” Petrino said. “We’re tearing off the rearview mirror and looking forward.”

Even before Petrino was hired, the biggest question mark for the team was who would be the starting quarterback after three-year starter Peyton Huslig played his final game in 2019.

The apparent answer has come in the form of Jaden Johnson, a redshirt freshman who transferred from Southern Mississippi in the spring. Johnson was a four-star recruit in high school and was originally recruited by Petrino to play at Louisville.

“I know Jaden really well,” Petrino said. “He’s very, very bright — really understands the game of football. He’s a big and physical player that can stand in the pocket and make throws. He’s not a flashy runner like a Lamar Jackson, but he can run.”

The Bears’ playbook will still be taking shape when the season starts — the loss of the spring season due to COVID-19 took away time Petrino planned to use to figure out what the strengths of the roster are.

“I’ve always liked to throw the football,” Petrino said. “We’re going to try to throw the football down the field, we’ll do a drop-back passing game, and some play action too. We have to be able to throw and catch, especially in the early games.”

The running game is less defined — a result of the spring cancellations.

“You have to be able to run the football to win,” Petrino said. “We’ll put the whole offense in, and then we’ll figure out how we can mold it around our starting quarterback. Whether it’s a read-option or a power running game — we’ll have to figure out in a short period of time what our identity is going to be.”

File photo by Kaitlyn Stratman/THE STANDARD The Bears enter the home field before playing South Dakota State in November 2019.

File photo by Kaitlyn Stratman/THE STANDARD The Missouri State football team huddles at the beginning of a game against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in November 2019.

Part of that identity is already formed. Petrino has brought an air of confidence to the Bears. He said when he was hired one of his goals was to win a national championship at Missouri State. The team has not made the postseason since 1990.

A national championship may not come in his first season, but Petrino has foundational goals for this year.

“The number one thing we need to do is do the things we need to do to win,” Petrino said. “If you go out and do your best job individually and don’t worry about the scoreboard — wins take care of themselves.”

Those wins will have to come in a tough Missouri Valley Football Conference. The MVFC sent 4 teams to the postseason in 2019, including champions North Dakota State. The Bison have won eight of the last nine FCS national championships.

The Bears plan to open their sea son at Oklahoma on Sept. 5, but the schedule could change with COVID-19.