SPRINGFIELD — A pair of Missouri State junior standouts will join two senior teammates to represent the Bears football program as team captains for the 2018 season.
The quartet includes juniors Peyton Huslig (QB, Andover, Kan.) and McNeece Egbim (LB, Rowlett, Texas) along with seniors Jordan Turner (OL, Willard, Mo.) and Jared Beshore (S, Lamar, Mo.).
They were announced to the team after the squad’s first fall practice Wednesday evening. Beshore is the only carryover from last year’s team captains that included three departed seniors.
Huslig was an All-MVFC honorable mention and MVFC All-Newcomer Team selection in his first season in Springfield last fall. The dual threat quarterback passed for 1,981 yards and rushed for 621 more after coming to MSU from Garden City (Kan.) Community College. He earned MVFC Newcomer of the Week honors twice as a sophomore and was the league’s fourth-best rusher in conference games, compiling 78.5 yards per game against MVFC foes.
Egbim brought down 71 ball carriers as a sophomore in 2017, compiling 35 unassisted tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss with 10 starts at linebacker. He was a Preseason All-MVFC honoree a year ago, while Phil Steele named him as a third-team all-conference pick after the season. During his freshman season, Egbim had 75 tackles and earned MVFC All-Newcomer Team and All-MVFC honorable mention laurels.
Turner has started 32 of the Bears’ last 33 games on the offensive line, including 21 starts at left guard over the last two campaigns. In addition to being an academic standout with MVFC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award distinction, Turner helped anchor an MSU offensive line that racked up 361 yards per game in 2017 while collecting 169.4 yards per game on the ground.
Beshore finished third on the team in tackles his junior year, bringing down 58 ball carriers in 2017 with 37 solo stops and eight starts at safety. He averaged 6.0 tackles per game in league games a season ago and earned nearly every academic honor available, including CoSIDA Academic All-District, MVFC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award and others. He was an MVFC All-Newcomer selection as a rookie in 2015 and has started 26 times in his 33 college games.
The Bears open the 2018 campaign on Thursday, Aug. 30 at Oklahoma State University with the club’s home opener taking place a week later (Sept. 6) at Robert W. Plaster with a 6 p.m. kickoff against Lincoln University.
