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No. 17 Missouri State football explodes in second half to knock off No. 7 Southern Illinois

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CARBONDALE, Ill. — Missouri State is one step closer to returning to the FCS Playoffs for the second-straight season after a quality win at Southern Illinois.

The 17th-ranked Bears (6-3, 4-2) made a statement in the second half en route to a 38-28 win over No. 7 Southern Illinois (6-3, 4-2) on Saturday afternoon.

Missouri State went into halftime down three but scored 21-unanswered to start the second half to create enough separation for the biggest win on its resume.

The Bears will return home next week as they host Top 25-ranked Northern Iowa — which lost at Illinois State on Saturday afternoon.