Missouri State made plenty of mistakes in Saturday’s 38-35 loss to 13th-ranked Western Illinois at Plaster Stadium.
There were dropped passes — at least three that seemed certain to end in touchdowns.
There were three turnovers.
There was a first half that saw the Bears come out flat and limp into halftime with a 17-7 deficit.
For Bears coach Dave Steckel, there was one key play that stood out above all the others — and he didn’t have to look far to lay blame for it.
It was a third-and-17 play from the Bears’ 46-yard line, with less than three minutes to play and Missouri State leading 35-31.