SPRINGFIELD (Interstat) — Marshall used a fast start and a late field goal to defeat Missouri State 30-24 on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, in an NCAA Football Championship Division game at Robert W. Plaster Stadium. The Thundering Herd improved to 2-1, while the Bears fell to 1-2. Marshall, the visiting team, finished with 30 points. Missouri State, the home team, finished with 24.

Carlos Del Rio-Wilson opened the scoring with a 39-yard touchdown pass to TJ Lester with 9:24 remaining in the first quarter. Jorge Diaz Nicholas added the extra point. Missouri State answered with a 25-yard field goal by Yousef Obeid. Marshall extended its lead when Jo’Shon Barbie scored on a 1-yard run with 2:25 left in the quarter, and Diaz Nicholas kicked the extra point. The Bears responded before the quarter ended when Skyler Locklear connected with Witt Edwards on a 38-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining. Obeid made the extra point. Marshall led 14-10 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Diaz Nicholas made a 28-yard field goal with 8:14 remaining to push Marshall’s lead to 17-10. Missouri State had a chance to cut into the margin before halftime, but Obeid’s 22-yard field goal attempt was blocked by K. Hardge II with about one minute left. The Thundering Herd took a 17-10 lead into the locker room.

Marshall added to its lead early in the third quarter. Del Rio-Wilson scored on a 6-yard run with 13:36 remaining, and Diaz Nicholas made the extra point. Missouri State answered when J. Dubar scored on a 1-yard run with 9:56 left, and Obeid kicked the extra point. Diaz Nicholas then made a 32-yard field goal with 5:40 remaining. The Bears stayed close when Locklear found Jeron Askren for a 25-yard touchdown with 2:06 left in the quarter. Obeid’s extra point made it 27-24 entering the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, Diaz Nicholas capped the scoring with a 31-yard field goal with 10:20 remaining. Missouri State could not produce another scoring drive, and Marshall left with a six-point victory. The Thundering Herd finished with 30 points, and the Bears finished with 24.

Del Rio-Wilson, a 6-foot-2, 232-pound quarterback from Atlanta, was Marshall’s top performer. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown, and he ran 16 times for 73 yards and one touchdown. Khalil Wilkins, a 6-3, 200-pound quarterback from Washington, D.C., completed his only pass for 21 yards and ran three times for 39 yards. TJ Lester rushed four times for 27 yards and caught three passes for 64 yards, including a touchdown. Jo’Shon Barbie ran 12 times for 81 yards and a touchdown. Judah Price added six carries for 55 yards and one kick return for 25 yards. Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw caught six passes for 73 yards. Chris Culliver had one catch for 14 yards and three kick returns for 72 yards. Adrian Norton caught three passes for 16 yards and returned one punt for 5 yards. Toby Payne had two catches for 23 yards, and Owen Sweeney had two catches for 7 yards.

Missouri State’s Stewart McDonald punted twice for 104 yards. Marshall’s Chris Culliver returned three kickoffs for 72 yards, and Judah Price had one kickoff return for 25 yards. Adrian Norton returned one punt for 5 yards. Obeid’s blocked field goal attempt was one of the special teams plays in the game.

Locklear led Missouri State with a strong passing game. The 5-10, 189-pound quarterback from Clayton, N.C., completed 19 of 28 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran eight times for 53 yards. Isaiah Myers caught seven passes for 141 yards. Jeron Askren had three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. Witt Edwards caught one pass for 38 yards and a touchdown. Connor Lair had two rushes for 2 yards and one catch for 21 yards. Mekhi Miller caught one pass for 8 yards, and Dillon Hipp had one catch for no yards. Jmariyae Robinson ran twice for 13 yards and caught three passes for 39 yards while adding one tackle.

Missouri State’s defense was led by Jared Lloyd, who made 13 tackles and one quarterback hurry. J.J. O’Neal added 10 tackles. Jashawn Cooper had seven tackles. Christian Ford finished with six tackles. Antonio Smith and Gilles Tchio each had five tackles. Joel Boamah, Joel Kpassou, Stratton Shufelt and Markell Chapman each made three tackles. Josh Lukusa recorded two tackles and two quarterback hurries. Michael Osei-Bonsu had one tackle and one quarterback hurry. Austin Yelder, Anthony Mattison, Caden Wiest and Tim Brantley Jr. each had two tackles. Dylan Brooks, Devin Rutherford, Caleb Olabode, Kaden Jones, Khalil Anderson, Jalile Elliott and Yousef Obeid also were credited with defensive statistics.

Marshall’s defense received seven tackles from Caleb Clark-Glover. Daytione Smith, Brayden Hall and Cannon Lewis each made six tackles. Cole Funderburk had four tackles. Cam Chmura and Javae Gilmore each made three tackles. Marshall entered the game after a 28-26 home win over Middle Tennessee on Sept. 12 and a 45-0 loss at Penn State on Sept. 5. Missouri State had beaten Lindenwood 48-14 on Sept. 12 after a 50-0 loss at Texas A&M on Sept. 5. Marshall is scheduled to host Gardner-Webb on Sept. 26. Missouri State is set to visit SMU on Sept. 26.

After Gardner-Webb, Marshall is scheduled to visit James Madison on Oct. 3, host Coastal Carolina on Oct. 10, host South Alabama on Oct. 20, visit Old Dominion on Oct. 31, visit Georgia Southern on Nov. 7, host Appalachian State on Nov. 14, host Georgia State on Nov. 21 and visit Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 28. Missouri State will visit Western Kentucky on Oct. 8, host Kennesaw State on Oct. 14, visit Delaware on Oct. 20, host Sam Houston on Oct. 27, visit Florida International on Nov. 7, host New Mexico State on Nov. 14, visit Jacksonville State on Nov. 21 and host Liberty on Nov. 28.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Marshall 34, Missouri State 19. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Marshall with a 53.3 percent probability to win. Missouri State had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 4. The total score of 54 went under the over-under line of 53.5.