Any improvement the Bears made defensively didn't make an appearance on Saturday afternoon.
Missouri State (1-8) fell 37-14 at Southern Illinois (6-4) in Carbondale, Illinois.
The Salukis were a 2-9 team a season ago and are now setting themselves up for a postseason appearance.
Meanwhile, the Bears have now lost 13 of their last 14 games under fifth-year head coach Dave Steckel. The Bears are guaranteed to finish 3-8 or worse — a step back from the program's 4-7 season a year ago.
Missouri State finishes its road schedule next week at nationally-ranked Illinois State before completing its regular season at Plaster Stadium against Indiana State on Nov.