MSU football picked to finish last in Valley preseason poll

Jermaine Saffold was the Bears lone MVFC first-team preseason selection.

Just when we thought Missouri State’s football program might have turned the corner and grabbed some respect and legitimacy in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Bears took a tough hit in the preseason poll.

After a multi-team tie for third place last season, Missouri State was chosen to finish last amongst 9 teams in the MVFC when today’s 2011 preseason poll and all-conference teams were announced. It’s the first time since 1987 that MSU has been picked last in the preseason poll. Northern Iowa was chosen as the league favorite..

“It’s more important where you are at the end of the season than at the beginning,” said MSU head coach Terry Allen who is beginning his sixth season with the Bears. “We have a lot of new faces, so I understand why they put us where they did.”

The Bears return five starters on offense and four on defense, but will have 34 lettermen and 56 squad members back when camp opens Aug. 4.

Northern Iowa recieved 29 of the 36 first-place votes and 316 total points to hold down the top spot in this year’s poll. The Panthers were followed by North Dakota State with six first-place votes and 275 points and Southern Illinois with the remaining top vote and 207 total points. South Dakota State (172), Illinois State (169), Indiana State (168), Western Illinois (151) and Youngstown State (88) were ranked fourth through eighth, respectively, while the Bears tallied 74 total points — by far the most ever by a team picked last in the MVFC preseason poll, which dates to 1986.

The only MSU player to earn Preseason All-MVFC first-team distinction is senior wide receiver Jermaine Saffold who was an All-MVFC second-team selection last year after he caught 53 passes for 869 yards and five touchdowns.  Three other Bears earned Preseason All-MVFC honorable mention status, including senior All-America running back candidate Chris Douglas, senior punter Jordan Chiles and senior cornerback Jimmie Strong.

The highlights:

• In 2010, Douglas became just the 10th MSU back to accumulate 1,000 rushing yards in a single season when he tallied 1,051 yards on 152 carries, scored 11 touchdowns and finished second in the nation in yards per carry (6.9). He achieved all that while getting just one start and sharing the workload with classmate Stephen Johnston who had 147 carries, 752 yards and 10 starts.
• Chiles averaged 38.3 yards per punt as a junior. Half of his 56 punts were fair caught or downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line, and he is poised for his fourth season as a starter on the Bears’ special teams.
• Strong led the Bears with four interceptions in 2010 and did so in just nine games as he spent a great deal of his junior year fighting the injury bug. He tallied 31 total tackles and defended six passes.

Season tickets for MSU’s four-game home slate are available by calling (417) 836-7678. The Bears went undefeated at Plaster Field in 2010 and own a six-game home winning streak headed into the 2011 season.

The Bears will kick off the 2011 season at Arkansas on Sept. 3 (6:00 p.m.) and will play their first four contests on the road, including their MVFC opener at Southern Illinois on Sept. 24.Tickets for the road games at Arkansas and Oregon (Sept. 17) are also available by calling (417) 836-7678.