His answer? It's not as bad as you might think.

"The captains called the meeting and the seniors really led everything," said Geisz, a sophomore wide receiver. "We know it's going to be a tough road and everybody will work their hardest to turn this thing around.

"We really feel like we were one or two plays away from winning the last two games. That's how we're looking at it."

Geisz had the best game of his career in a 20-17 loss to Sam Houston State on Saturday, hauling in five receptions for 90 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

"He's not the fastest guy, but he's tough," said coach Terry Allen. "The thing I like about Chris is that (football) is really, really important to him. When the ball is in the air, he's going to go get it. He'll win some jump balls."

A former walk-on from Lindbergh High School in St. Louis, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Geisz has become one of the Bears' top targets. Working with quarterbacks Matt Krapfl and Garrett Congdon, Geisz has made nine receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns.

Allen says Geisz's desire makes up for his lack of blazing speed.

"He still carries a little bit of a chip on his shoulder at practice and I think that's fine," Allen said. "I can get on him at practice because I know he will respond to it. Learning the mental temperament of players can be a fine line, but Chris will come back and get better the next time."

Geisz set school records as a junior at Lindbergh with 55 catches for 935 yards. He followed that up with 35 receptions for 858 yards as a senior, and pursued the idea of walking on at Division I-A schools such as Missouri, Iowa, Illinois and Tennessee.

After weighing his options, he decided Missouri State would give him the best opportunity to play right away. Turns out, he was right.

A redshirt in 2004, Geisz played on special teams as a freshman before becoming a starter this fall.

"I wouldn't say I'm surprised to be playing so much as a sophomore --I'm not sure surprised is the right word," Geisz said. "But I think it's a privilege to be starting and playing as much as I am. It's flattering and I'm going to work as hard as I can to keep getting better."

Geisz deflects much of the credit for his emergence to wide receivers coach Dedric Ward.

"He has taught me so much about route-running and reading defenses," Geisz said. "He's been the best influence a receiver could have. There's so much more to it then catching the ball and running."

Allen doesn't necessarily believe that Geisz can be labeled only as a "possession" receiver. In addition to his 27-yard touchdown catch on Saturday, he also had a 35-yard grab.

"I don't know about all that 'big-play guy' or 'possession guy' stuff," Allen said. "I think that's something TV guys made up. Chris has proven he can make a 25-yard catch. He's not a burner, but he can make big plays."