Down one with about a minute and a half remaining, quarterback Jason Shelley had the Bears crossing midfield. He was trying to orchestrate one of his vintage "Cardiac Bears" comebacks that he had led all season long.
On a quick pass across the middle of the field, a UT Martin defender timed his hit on Naveon Mitchell perfectly as the ball ricocheted up into the air. A Skyhawks defender grabbed the ball and one of the great seasons in Missouri State history was suddenly over.
From that moment, the countdown for the 2022 season anxiously began. Shelley, along with stars like Kevin Ellis, Montrae Braswell, Kyriq McDonald and Tyrone Scott, would make their returns with a talented recruiting class that Bobby Petrino and his staff were all but guaranteed to bring in.