When Missouri State emerged from the locker room after halftime in last week's loss at North Dakota, head coach Bobby Petrino said he noticed a clear difference between his offense and the defense.
The offense looked a little more motivated, he said, while the defense looked down.
It showed in the second half. The Bears went from having a one-point lead at the half to losing 48-31 while giving up more than 500 yards of total offense.
The Bears are now losers of three straight games. With six games remaining, including a challenging game this week, Missouri State is now facing an uphill climb if it wants to qualify for its third straight postseason.