Perhaps the most idealistic image of American culture is the classic Road Trip. Whether it’s packing up a family in the station wagon or a solo soul-search, a days-long trek through the southwest centers around Historic Route 66. From The Grapes of Wrath to Cars, Route 66 represents freedom and summertime, with the cross-country roadway often serving as a symbol for growth and adventure. The world’s most famous road was born in Springfield, Missouri.
Road to CFB centers around the road trip (hence the name). Rather than shuttling in and out of college towns, I like to view them from the road. For Week 3, I packed up in my own vehicle and drove over 11 hours southwest for a Missouri State football game day. Of course, I wanted to get a glimpse of all the Route 66 offerings SFG had to offer.
Missouri State is one of the FBS’ newest members, having just joined in 2025. It hasn’t received a ton of press just yet and I wasn’t sure what to expect here. But I was pleasantly surprised! Head on out to Main Street USA and catch a game at Robert W. Plaster Stadium — you won’t be disappointed.
What can you expect on your next trip to Springfield? Read on for my full guide on an Missouri State football game day below.
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Main Street, USA
Springfield sits right off Interstate-44, a bit over two hours west of St. Louis and short of three hours east of Tulsa. It sits in a unique spot in the country, as it has roots in the American frontier, the current southwest, and the Ozark region. Though over 150,000 people call Springfield home, it has a small-town feel to it. To the uninitiated, Springfield doesn’t seem like a place worth visiting and Missouri residents are usually pretty apathetic toward the place.
But the Queen City of the Ozark is a delightful weekend town packed with tourist attractions, historic landmarks, and American culture. In 1926, it was here that the idea of a cross-country road was formed and later became Historic Route 66. For the 100th anniversary, Springfield erected a sculpture commemorating the birthplace (above) on E St. Louis Street. To visit this spot, navigate to the Best Western Route 66 and park nearby. On the way out, drive west down E St. Louis Street and over the rumble strips on the right side of the road — the strips play America the Beautiful that’s audible both inside and outside the vehicle. All over town are Route 66 landmarks, sculptures, and signs that tell the story of Main Street, USA.
Springfield is also home to the original Bass Pro Shop. This 500,000-square-foot facility is one of the most impressive retail spaces in the world and is the equivalent to a shopping mall of Outdoorsmen shops. Only the pyramid in Memphis can rival the scale of this Bass Pro. And, yes, it’s worth the visit.
Inside, you’ll find alligators, gar, and other regional fishes. There’s dozens of tanks and exhibits, three different museums (Bass Pro, Motorsports, Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium), two halls of fame (NRA, archery), and the history of hunting firearms. I spent over an hour here and didn’t buy a thing. By all accounts the Wonders of Wildlife is incredible, but I arrived 15 minutes before it closed (and $46 for an adult ticket is steep).
Downtown Springfield is also home to the History Museum on the Square, which further tells the story of the city and its part of Route 66. Tickets are $13 and the museum is open 10-5 daily. Unfortunately, my schedule didn’t allow for a visit.
Beer City of the Ozark
As a first-time visitor, I had no idea what a rich brewery scene Springfield has. Inside Robert W. Plaster Stadium, there’s two separate brewery partnerships. Outside the stadium, you have your choice of over a half-dozen high-quality breweries. For this trip, I visited two outstanding places:
- Tie & Timber Beer Co.
- Hold Fast Brewing
Tie & Timber Beer Co. sits in the northeast quadrant of the city and boasts some gorgeous grounds. It regularly hosts music festivals and shows—this night, they had several 2000s rock and punk tribute bands—and is a late-night favorite for students. Despite feels like temperatures soaring to 107º on Friday, I decided to go with a seasonal, Jack Blast, an autumn spiced ale that was excellent. It also serves pizza one of three ways and I opted for a square Detroit style pie (the superior cut, argue with a wall). Tie & Timber has a rare combination of top-notch beer and great pizza. Strongly recommend.
A dynamite game day option is Hold Fast Brewing, which lives in the building of the old Springfield Fire House. Hold Fast is a decent yet reasonable walk from campus and the stadium, making his the ideal game day choice. It’s entirely women-owned and managed and specializes in unique brews like Poblano Pilsner, a smoked amber ale, and a handful of rotating sours. Hold Fast gives customers an indoor-outdoor setting with patio and indoor options.
Other top-rated options include 4 By 4 Brewing, Springfield Brewing Company, Mother’s Brewing Company, and Great Escape Brew Works. If you’re a craft beer lover, this is the city for you.
Springfield’s signature dish is cashew chicken, which I was recommended many times. Though I passed (due to a darn nut allergy), it’s a unique dish not served many other places.
No State Like MO State! Missouri State Football Traditions
Location is everything. Robert W. Plaster Stadium sits in the heart of Missouri State’s campus and the entire game day experience plays out in its shadow. Park anywhere in campus, walk to the main strip of campus (with the John Q Hammonds fountain, student library, stadium, and more) and take in the bustle of game day. Vendor tents and school-sponsored tailgates litter the grounds, though individual tailgate opportunities are scant. Campus is flat and its buildings an ornate mix of brutalist 60s and grand concrete structures. Glass Hall, which houses the school of business, is particularly impressive, as is the fountain.
Make sure to end your trek north of Plaster Stadium at BearFest Village, which is where most of the game day events play out.
Two hours before kickoff, MO State unloads its football team, which walks right down the main drag and into the away side of Plaster Stadium. It’s light on fanfare (the band doesn’t lead them in), but since it happens right in the heart of game day, it’s worth jogging over for. Forty-five minutes before kickoff is the best event of the afternoon. The Pride Band—a smaller marching band that also has 130 drill team members—marches in for a pregame pep rally on top of the Missouri State Bear head found designed into the brick on the ground. The unit is buttoned up and brings plenty of energy to Saturday.
Once inside, guys need to head to the south end zone home stands and visit the restroom. At a urinal, you have a complete view of the field so you never miss a second of the action. This made its round on Twitter last season, so I had to visit the spot for myself.
The Pride Band spends much of the game seated but is standing and involved when MO State has the football. (This is an irk of mine, why not play when the opposition has the football to disrupt team communications? Instead, MO State let a DJ handle the defensive music duties. Mistake, in my opinion.) The band and fans are particularly proud of The Scotsman, MO State’s recognizable fight song that, fortunately for the Bears, got some play Saturday evening. It’s followed up by B-E-A-R-S, Bears!
Stick around postgame for a band concert led by the large and impressive drill team made up of 130 members. The Pride Band also plays a couple songs ahead of the National Anthem and team entrance, a welcome growing trend.
Worth noting: Plaster Stadium is difficult to navigate as a fan. The home and away stands are not traverse-able, so you’re stuck on whatever side you enter from. Fans cannot switch between the two without field access. To avoid sitting in direct sun, I encourage fans to sit on the shaded home side for September games.
The home concourse is small and cramped and home to fences, storage, and leaking water spigots. Plaster Stadium is best viewed from the outside while the belly of the facility certainly shows its 85-year-old age.
Marshall 30, Missouri State 24
Leading into the game, MO State was preparing for a record crowd. That record was set in 2014, where 18,386 watched MO State beat North Dakota 38-0. However, temperatures soaring near 100º tempered the student turnout, leading to an empty “away” side and a final count of 16,010 — still good for fourth-most ever here.
New head coach Casey Woods brought a ton of energy and is very involved on social media promoting his Bears. He’s the young-and-upcoming offensive coordinator from SMU and had been circulating in head coaching talks for some years. He brought along UTEP OC Mark Cala, who also brought his QB, Skyler Locklear. This isn’t a MO State football analysis section, but there wasn’t a ton of optimism surrounding the 5-foot-11 Locklear and the Bears started their season getting blanked by Texas A&M, 50-0.
On this afternoon, visiting QB Carlos Del Rio-Wilson out-dueled Locklear, though MO State didn’t go down without a fight. MO State twice moved the football inside the Marshall 10-yard line and came up empty, the final on its last-gasp at the end of the game. That, 87 yards of penalties, and poor third down play on both sides of the ball cost the Bears a big victory in front of one of its largest crowds of the decade.
Marshall made a terrific fourth-down stop after Locklear and the offense pushed the ball down to the seven-yard line. If Locklear connected on the pass, it would have topped off a 91-yard game-winning drive. Alas, Boomer and the MO State fans left disappointed.
Seating options are solid. Home stands go right down to the field in what must be the lowest seats in college football while no stands give fans a poor vantage point. The visiting side also has a social area with tables and stools that gives (in my opinion) the best view in the stadium. It’s not heavily populated, either.
Missouri State Game Day Picks
- For local beers: Tie & Timber Beer Co. I got the seasonal spiced autumn ale, which was fantastic. It’s tough to choose just one, because this city is jampacked with quality breweries, but the setup here is outstanding. Catch Tie & Timber on the weekend for any number of music festivals and performances.
- Best seat in the house: South Men’s restroom. You get a clear shot of the playing field at the urinal. Forget best seat in the house, this might be the best seat in college football.
- Top gameday tip: Parking is free anywhere on campus unless marked otherwise. There’s ample spots to choose from, almost all of which are a stone’s throw from Plaster Stadium. This is one of the easier stadiums to park and walk to, as well as for egress.
- Under-the-radar: Musical Road. E St. Louis Street heading west features rumble strips that play America The Beautiful when driven over. This strip is just east of campus — navigate to the Best Western Route 66 and visit the Birthplace of Route 66 statue while you’re at it. Very cool piece of Americana.
Missouri State Game Day Grades
Stadium: C-. From the outside, Plaster Stadium is pleasing to look at. It uses unique geometry in its stands and the style matches that of the surrounding campus. Grand stands are right on top of the action (with the home stands sitting at field level) and there’s not a band vantage point in the stadium. However, the concourse is very small, crowded, and littered with storage and fencing. A pretty stadium from 500 feet away.
Tradition: D. Missouri State’s football program just made the jump from FCS to FBS, which does not impact its tradition score, if it had a lengthy resume of tradition beforehand. In-stadium traditions are scant, the most recognizable one being MO State’s fight song, The Scotsman.
Atmosphere: C+. The athletic department anticipated a sellout, but 100º weather and sun beating right down on the student section—plus it was Family Weekend, many of whom probably opted to skip the game—turned it into a pretty full stadium rather than a capacity one. The official count was 16,010 at the turnstiles. During big plays, the crowd popped. But the band remains seated for most of the game, playing only when the Bears have the ball. Average is what I would appraise.
Tailgating: D. A vast majority of tailgating came in athletic department and on-campus organization sponsored tents. We didn’t see many individual set-ups. Fortunately, we enjoyed one of those school-sponsored tailgates, but that’s not accessible to all fans.
Fans: B. Residents of Springfield combine Midwest nice with southern hospitality. I felt welcomed by the entire community, from the MO State athletic department to the fans on campus. Though many students opted not to sit in the direct sun (where it was 105º feels-like temperature), this is a fanbase not easily deterred. MO State enrolls over 27,000 students and the campus and fanbase felt big. It’s a high-class group that resembles an SEC crowd, especially the students.
Extracurriculars: B. Springfield is one of the more underrated cities I’ve been to. It’s classic Americana. The city fully embraces the Route 66 Birthplace and frontier culture — there’s quite a bit to do here for a good weekend in town. St. Louis is over two hours away, as it Tulsa, making Springfield a bit far removed from other places. It’s packed with breweries and nightlife. Opposing schools take shots at Springfield, but that just shows who’s been here and who hasn’t. It’s a wonderful weekend town.
Missouri State Game Day Gallery
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