A second Petrino takes over at Missouri State as Bears prep for first FBS bowl
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Nick Petrino named interim coach as Bears prepare for inaugural Xbox Bowl Thursday.
- Petrino keeps Missouri State routines and offense led by QB Jacob Clark intact.
- Beard departed for Coastal Carolina, prompting national search and potential audition.
There are plenty of firsts surrounding the Xbox Bowl.
It’s the inaugural Xbox Bowl, a matchup between Missouri State and Arkansas State. It’s Missouri State’s first season competing at the FBS level. The Bears’ bowl status came down to the wire, as there weren’t enough eligible teams in the 2025 season.
And, in a hectic turn of events, Missouri State is playing in the bowl under a just-named interim head coach, someone with extensive ties to Missouri State football.
That would be Nick Petrino, son of former Bears coach Bobby Petrino.
“It’s been really impressive how our players have handled all this,” Nick Petrino said at a news conference.
Petrino made his first media appearance as interim coach Wednesday morning in Frisco, Texas, where the bowl game will be played. But he’s not a stranger to this program by any means.
Petrino has been the offensive coordinator for the Bears since 2020. As the Bears made the transition to FBS in Conference USA, Petrino’s offense, led by quarterback Jacob Clark, helped them go 7-5 in 2025.
The Bears were led by head coach Ryan Beard this season, but the coaching carousel that never stops spinning made a stop in Springfield, as Beard accepted the head coaching role at Coastal Carolina last week. (He replaces Tim Beck, who was fired after going 6-6 in his third season.)
Chance Miller, Coastal Carolina’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics and university recreation, called Beard “one of the nation’s best young coaches” and left the Bears searching for a permanent replacement in the midst of bowl festivities.
“Nothing’s really changed,” Petrino said. “It’s been business as usual for us. ... We expect to go out there, have a great game. We’re going to light it up.”
Of course, Petrino’s time in Springfield has been a family affair. Even if he does just hold the head-coaching role temporarily, he’s taking over the job his father Bobby once held from 2020-22.
When Petrino joined his father in Springfield five years ago, he also brought with him two brothers-in-law: L.D. Scott, the Bears’ current defensive coordinator, and Beard, who held the D.C. role under the elder Petrino before becoming head coach.
Even with Beard’s departure, the job stays in the family. And that’s brought some stability in the days leading up to Thursday’s 8:03 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2.
“It’s kind of been just the same as it’s always been,” Petrino said. “Obviously, I’ve had to do a couple of extra things, some press stuff, little stuff like that, but really nothing’s changed for us. It’s the same practice schedule.”
One thing he has enjoyed? Getting to stand up in front of the team and address the players.
“I love being around our players,” Petrino said. “They’ve really taken well to me. I’ve been grateful about how our players have handled the situation, too. They really handled it with class. They’ve done an incredible job, and I’m just excited for the opportunity. And I’m really looking forward to it.”
Petrino said the Bears have kept to their same schedule, which he said was the same even when his father was the coach from 2020-22.
“We’ve always kind of done the same thing,” he said. “It’s been an easy transition.”
Petrino also said he’s been in contact with his dad, who was in a similar situation as the Arkansas Razorbacks’ interim coach this season. The elder Petrino had an extensive head-coaching resume before his stint in Springfield, including his original time at Arkansas and Louisville.
“There’s times where certain little things come up where I text him, ‘What do you think I should do here?’ and it’s just been great being able to have that type of access,” Nick Petrino said. “He’s helped me out a lot. He’s helped me out my whole career. He’s always been somebody that I can call and get advice from, not just with game planning and football life, but just how to run everything.”
Across his career, Bobby Petrino’s teams have achieved four 10-win seasons and six AP Top 25 finishes. He’s coached in nine FBS bowl games.
“He’s been a lot of help,” Nick Petrino said. “It’s nice being able to have him, someone I can call and talk to and ask for advice. He’s done it for so long and has been so good at it, so it’s great to have somebody like that who can really help you out.”
While the younger Petrino’s first head-coaching gig will begin with a bowl game, he said he’s taking into consideration what he’s witnessed his whole life.
Bobby Petrino’s first coaching stop was as an assistant back at Carroll College in 1983, before Nick Petrino was even born. Nick Petrino’s own coaching career goes back to 2011 as a student assistant at his alma mater, Arkansas, and he recalled what he considers one of the biggest pieces of advice his father has given him.
“You can’t be scared,” Petrino said. “You can’t call the game scared. You can’t worry about what other people say. ... You have to have a positive thought in yourself and belief.”
If he needs more motivation, he doesn’t have to go far.
Bobby and Becky (Nick’s mother) Petrino arrived in Frisco earlier this week for the bowl game. He said it’s been “great to have them around.”
That could also alleviate some of the pressure as the Bears undergo a national coaching search for Beard’s permanent replacement, athletic director Patrick Ransdell said in a statement.
Could Thursday be a potential job interview for the younger Petrino?
“It’s a huge opportunity, and I’m looking forward to taking advantage of it,” he said. “I’ll tell you that much.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2025 at 1:32 PM.
