Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard recaps loss to South Dakota State
Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard spoke about the team’s loss to South Dakota State and MSU’s future after its season finale.
Missouri State football has announced a home-and-home series with Arkansas State for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
The series will kick off with Missouri State hosting the Red Wolves at Plaster Stadium on Sept. 25, 2027, after road trips to Auburn and Cincinnati to start the season.
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A return game to the Sun Belt school, located in Jonesboro, Arkansas, will occur on Sept. 16, 2028. The only other game scheduled for 2028 is the Sept. 2 season opener at Texas Tech.
Being a home-and-home, no guaranteed money is expected to be attached.
Missouri State visited Arkansas State in 1991, 1997, 1998 and 2015. The Red Wolves defeated Missouri State in 2015, the program’s first season under Dave Steckel, 70-7.
Since announcing its move to Conference USA and the FBS ranks, the Bears have scheduled games with Southern California, Marshall, SMU, Auburn and Cincinnati. Both SMU and Marshall are set to visit Springfield over the next two seasons.
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Missouri State’s next step likely will be filling a season opener for the 2026 season. Kansas was originally scheduled to play in that date, but bought the game out.
The Bears will travel to USC and Marshall for the first two weeks of the 2025 season before hosting College Football Playoff participant SMU on Sept. 13.
Gov. Mike Kehoe announced two gubernatorial appointments Friday to vacant positions in mid-Missouri counties.
Doug Miller, of California, Mo., was appointed as Moniteau County associate commissioner, district one.
Miller is a Moniteau County native who has worked as a middle school physical education and health teacher in the county for 27 years. Since 2021, he has worked as an office manager for Rackers Manufacturing and a bus driver for the California school district.
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Rodney Southard, of Rolla, was appointed as Maries County eastern district commissioner.
Southard is a fifth-generation Missouri farmer who previously worked as a support specialist for NEW Solutions and a surface water specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey. He is currently the chairman of MU Extension in Maries County.
Edge rusher turned out to be a strong position for the New Orleans Saints last season. Saints edge rushers combined for 28.5 sacks in 2025, with Chase Young and Cameron Jordan accounting for 20.5 sacks and 52 pressures. Jordan is currently a free agent and will be in his 16th season if he does return. This leads most believing that the team will pursue a young edge rusher in the draft. One option could be Missouri Tigers pass rusher Zion Young if this happens. Young is one of a handful of talented edge defenders that could still be on the board midway through the second day. Here is a closer look at the profile of perhaps one of the more underrated defenders in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
Zion Young bio
Position: Edge
College: Missouri Tigers
Height: 6-feet, 6 inches
Weight: 262 pounds
Out of Westlake High School in Georgia, Young initially committed to the Michigan State Spartans in the Big Ten. He’d see limited playing time during eight games in 2022 but still managed a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss among 21 total stops. Young was much more involved for the Spartans in 2023, recording 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He’d enter the transfer portal after that season, landing with the Missouri Tigers in the SEC.
A stout Missouri defense was strengthened with Young’s addition. He contributed 2.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss among his 42 total stops in 2024. Last season, Young solidified his attention from NFL scouts. He led the Tigers with 16.5 tackles for loss, second best in the SEC, in addition to 6.5 sacks. Those numbers earned him 1st Team All-SEC honors.
Strengths
Prototype size and length for both 3-4 and 4-3 fronts
Displays good power and leverage on contact
Strength to muscle through double-teams
Sets the edge extremely well against the run
Keeps blockers off–balance with combination of speed and power
Sets up inside moves with good arm extension
Weaknesses
Inconsistent pass rush production
Lacks refined counter moves
Not a great bend around the outside of tackles
Must do a better job at disengaging for pursuit
Questionable agility for a stand-up edge rusher
Zion Young 2026 draft outlook
Most predictions have Young being selected in the second or third round. He does have the power and upside to be a surprise first round selection for the right scheme. While his agility and athleticism creates some questions, there is little doubt that he has the raw power and tenacity to be a defensive contributor.
New Orleans is expected to add an edge rusher within the first two days of the draft. With an emphasis on an improved run defense, Young could be a welcomed addition to their system as a strong side defender. Young’s upside as a pass rusher would govern how much he plays early, but he would likely be an immediate part of any defensive rotation along the outside.
KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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Thousands showed up to Mill Creek Park on Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri, in a wave of protests across the country criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration.
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Thousands show up to protest current administration at KCMO ‘No Kings’ rally
Multiple protesters told KSHB 41 News they participated in the protest because they feel like it is the only way their voices can be heard.
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Sharon
“Congress is not working for us,” said Sharon, a protester at Mill Creek Park. “I have called my Congress people numerous times.”
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It was the third wave of ‘No Kings’ protests across the country since June 2025.
“I’ve been here for each of the ‘No Kings,’ and I’ll admit that I’m frustrated that I have to be back here again,” protester Carter Taylor said.
Taylor is a teacher for Kansas City Public Schools with AFT Local 691, and she said she showed up to represent her students.
“I hope that everyone here doesn’t just stay here today — that they donate to food banks, that they check in on their public schools,” Taylor said.
Will Shaw/KSHB
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Protesters marched on the Country Club Plaza in a wave of No Kings protests across the country on March 28, 2026.
Protesters held signs critiquing the current administration’s stances on tariffs, ongoing wars and immigration enforcement, among other things.
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Lonnie Beattle
“It means that people care,” protester Lonnie Beattle said. “People care about what’s going on in this country, and people are not happy with what’s going on in the country.”
