Missouri Southern set to host new-formatted Spring Game
Joplin, Mo. — The Missouri Southern football team will be hosting their annual Spring Game next week, featuring a new format. For the first time, the NCAA is allowing football teams to compete with an outside opponent in the spring. Also new this year, the team will be hosting their Spring Game on a Friday evening. On the following Saturday, Coach Atiba Bradley and the Missouri Southern Football Alumni Association will be hosting the organization’s annual golf tournament.
Spring Game Details
This year’s Spring Game will begin at 5:30pm on Friday, April 12, taking place at Fred G. Hughes Stadium. Cost of entry to the game will be one non-perishable food item, as the team is partnering with the Lion Co-Op for their annual food drive. All the food collected will be donated to the Lion Co-Op, on campus food pantry available to students in need.
Spring Game Format
Visiting Joplin for this year’s Spring Game will be McKendree University, an NCAA Division II program out of Lebanon, IL that is part of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
The teams will first practice together, featuring numerous individual and group work drills such as seven-on-seven, o-line versus d-line, inside drill, and one-on-one wide receiver versus defensive back. This portion should last approximately 45 minutes to an hour. After a short break, the teams will begin a modified game with limited special teams, lasting around an hour and half.
“We will treat this opportunity more like a practice and aim to improve our football top to bottom, rather than selling out to win the ‘game’,” said Missouri Southern Football Head Coach Atiba Bradley. “Everyone will have a chance to play and show what they can do in a controlled game situation. The goal is to come out of this evening healthy, more experienced, and closer ready for 2024.”
Golf Tournament Details
On Saturday, April 13 at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Joplin, Coach Bradley and the MSSU Football Alumni Association will be hosting the organization’s annual golf tournament. The event will be a shotgun start beginning at 8:00am, featuring four-man scrambles at a cost of $600 per team ($150 per player). Sponsorship opportunities are available! All are welcome to join this event, and all proceeds will go to support the MSSU football program. Click here to register for the event.