A pair of explosive plays in the first half made it look like the Bears were going to give the No. 13 Jackrabbits a run for their money, but South Dakota State contained the damage to hand the Bears their fifth loss of the season.
Missouri State lost to South Dakota State, 49-24, to fall to 4-5 (2-4) on the season.
With no team making the playoffs last season with five losses, the loss would almost guarantee that the Bears will not be making their first postseason appearance since 1990.
The Bears went into halftime trailing only 21-17, but were held to only seven points in the second-half while the Jackrabbits ran away by scoring 21-unanswered points in the third-quarter.