A day that many football fans around the Ozarks will remember: Missouri State’s home FBS debut against SMU, a team ranked just a week ago.
The excitement was palpable for Missouri State on Saturday.
“I’m ready for Bears football, we got this!”
The tailgating scene was unlike any game before for Missouri State. It’s easy to see the impact moving up to the FBS level has already had
“I think it’s great because it brings in more fans, too. And I’ve always wanted to go to a college that’s big on football and sports, so I think it’s really exciting that they’ve moved up because it makes people more excited about the games,” Missouri State alumnus Taylor Bell said.
And there’s plenty more to come. The SMU game was the first of multiple national broadcasts for the Bears this season, with the move to Conference USA
“It’s an awesome environment, awesome atmosphere, just being in this conference now and being able to play these big schools, I’m really ready for Missouri State to be on the map.”
For those who grew up in Springfield, no matter where you are now – even Dallas – it was pretty incredible to see the atmosphere at the stadium today
“It feels weird to be the enemy in my hometown,” Springfield native and current SMU student Tanner Wilson said. “It’s awesome, it’s good to see everyone coming to Missouri State for a big game, it’s really cool to see, so I’m excited to be back.”
They do it bigger in Texas, sure, but native Texans coming up were impressed with the Bears’ debut
“I’m not gonna lie, it’s bigger than I expected, they played it down pretty heavily, so I wasn’t expecting this,” Dallas native
What you can expect at Bears games if you’re byging what the athletics department is selling, is that the atmosphere will only get better. And that same Ozark hospitality will shine through.
