Sam Houston State Football Bearkat Game Notes
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SAM HOUSTON STATE FOOTBALL BEARKAT GAME NOTES Sam Houston vs. LSU SAM HOUSTON BEARKATS Saturday - September 6, 2014 Location ...................................................Huntsville, Texas Enrollment ................................................................. 19,200 6:39 p.m. - SEC Network Stadium ..................................................... Elliott T. Bowers Tiger Stadium - Baton Rouge, La. Capacity .........................................12,593 / RealGrassPro Colors .........................................................Orange & White Head Coach ...................................................... K. C. Keeler Alma Mater ...............................................Delaware, 1981 BEARKATS FACE LSU IN OPENING GAME FOR EXPANDED TIGER STADIUM Record ....................................................First year at SHSU Nationally-ranked LSU plays host to Sam Houston State Saturday in Baton Rouge, La., in the 175-74-1 overall record first game in newly expanded Tiger Stadium. The facility now features more than 100,000 seats. in 21 seasons as head coach The game marks the 30th time the Bearkats have faced an FBS opponent since the SHSU pro- 2014 SAM HOUSTON SCHEDULE gram moved up to the FCS level in 1986. The largest crowds ever to see a Sam Houston football Aug. 23 at Eastern Washington L 35-56 ESPN team play were 88,913 at Texas in 2006 and 87,147 and 86,864 at Texas A&M in 2012 and 2013, Aug. 30 ALABAMA STATE W 51-20 Sept. 6 at LSU 6:39 p.m. SEC TV respectively. This is the fifth time SHSU has faced a nationally ranked FBS foe. Sept. 13 COLORADO ST.-PUEBLO 6:30 p.m. Sam Houston has three FBS victories to its credit. The Bearkats defeated Louisiana-Lafayette Sept. 27 at Lamar* 7 p.m. Oct. 11 McNEESE* 3 p.m. SLC TV 21-14 in 2000, Louisiana-Monroe 20-9 in 2001 and New Mexico 48-45 in overtime in 2011. Oct. 18 at Northwestern St.* 3 p.m. SLC TV Each of Sam Houston’s 29 previous games against FBS opponents have been on the road. Oct. 25 ABILENE CHRISTIAN* 3 p.m. Nov. 1 vs. Stephen F. Austin*^ 3 p.m. SLC TV Nov. 8 at Incarnate Word* 6 p.m. SAM HOUSTON BRINGS NO. 3 FCS OFFENSE TO TIGER STADIUM Nov. 15 at Houston Baptist* 3 p.m. Nov. 22 CENTRAL ARKANSAS* 3 p.m. The Bearkats rank No. 3 in FCS total offense with 613.5 yards per game. The Bearkats stand *Southland Conference ^NRG Stadium in Houston No. 2 nationally in first downs (57), No. 7 in passing offense (356.5), No. 16 in rushing offense All Time Central (257.0) and No. 17 in scoring offense (43.0). TWO-TIME NATIONAL FINALISTS OWN THREE-YEAR PLAYOFF RUN LSU TIGERS Sam Houston is one of only three teams to earn FCS post-season playoff berths each of the Location ..................................................Baton Rouge, La. past three seasons (joining North Dakota State and New Hampshire). The Bearkats reached the Enrollment ................................................................. 29,865 Championship Game in Frisco with playoff runs in both 2011 and 2012. Last year, the Kats lost Stadium .........................................................Tiger Stadium by one point to Southeastern Louisiana in the second round of the playoffs. Capacity ....................................................................102,321 Colors .............................................................Purple & Gold Head Coach ...........................................................Les Miles BEARKATS IN THE NATIONAL FCS RANKINGS Alma Mater ...............................................Michigan, 1976 The Kats’ rankings of No. 13 in the NCAA Coaches Poll and No. 15 in The Sports Network Record .................................................96-24, 10th Season standings mark the 40th consecutive poll for the Bearkats to be in the FCS Top 25. After a three-year drought, SHSU cracked the Top 25 again on Sept. 9, 2011 and have held a spot in the 2014 LSU SCHEDULE Aug. 30 vs. Wisconsin W 28-24 ESPN poll ever since, rising as high as No. 1 at the end of an 11-0 2011 regular season. Sept. 6 SAM HOUSTON STATE 6:30 p.m. SEC Sept. 13 LOUISIANA-MONROE 6 p.m. ESPNU Sept. 20 MISSISSIPPI STATE TBA UNIVERSITY’S 15TH HEAD FOOTBALL COACH VICTOR IN HOME DEBUT Sept. 27 NEW MEXICO STATE TBA K. C. Keeler directed the Bearkats to a 51-20 victory over Alabama State Saturday in his Oct. 4 at Auburn TBA Oct. 11 at Florida TBA home debut as Sam Houston’s 15th head football coach. The win extended the Kats’ winning Oct. 18 KENTUCKY TBA streak at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium to 23, the longest current home streak in FCS. Oct. 25 MISSISSIPPI TBA Nov. 8 ALABAMA TBA In his 21st season as a head coach, Keeler’s record stands at 175 victories, 74 losses and one Nov. 15 at Arkansas TBA tie. Keeler’s teams have made 13 NCAA tournament appearances and eight trips to national Nov. 27 at Texas A&M 6:30 p.m. ESPN championship games. His 2003 Delaware squad won the FCS national championship. During his 11 seasons as head coach at Delaware, the Blue Hens reached the FCS National Championship Game in 2003, 2007 and 2010. His squads compiled an 86-52 record, winning TV / RADIO/ INTERNET league titles in 2003, 2004 and 2010 and compiling an 11-3 record in playoff competition. Saturday’s game will be televised on the new As head coach at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, Keeler produced an 88-21-1 SEC Network. Brent Musburger, Jesse Parker and record from 1993 to 2001 that included seven NCAA Division III playoff appearances and five Maria Taylor will be the broadcast crew. trips to the National Championship game. Kooter Roberson, Leroy Wilkinson and Jason Barfield will call the game locally on KSAM 101.7 FM. The broadcast also will be streamed live on the BEARKATS IN THE PELICAN STATE internet at www.gobearkats.com . During its 98 previous football season, Sam Houston stands 28-57-3 in games in Louisiana. The Kats’ most recent victory in the Pelican State was a 52-17 win over Northwestern St. in 2012. For more information please contact Paul Ridings, Jason Barfield, Kevin Rodriguez -- Sam Houston State University Sports Information Office (936) 294-1764, 294-3533 Fax (936) 294-3538 Press Box (936) 294-1838 Web site: www.gobearkats.com Emails: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] SAM HOUSTON FOOTBALL GAME NOTES 2 KEY FIGURES IN BEARKAT OFFENSE Southland Conference Sophomore Jared Johnson earned the starting role as SHSU’s quarterback during pre- Team Conference Season season camp. Johnson was the back-up to All-Southland Conference Brian Bell last year. Bell Southeastern Louisiana.........................0-0 1-0 finished his career as Sam Houston’s all-time passing and total offense leader in 2013. Johnson Lamar ...........................................................0-0 1-0 is averaging 351.5 yards per game passing with five TD passes. Sam Houston.............................................0-0 1-1 Houston Baptist .......................................0-0 0-0 Senior Keshawn Hill is a preseason All-Southland selection at running back. The back-up to McNeese State ..........................................0-0 0-0 All-America Timothy Flanders the past two seasons, Hill ranks second in the Southland Confer- Abilene Christian .....................................0-0 0-1 ence with 32 carries for 190 yards and two scores. His 79-yard TD run at Eastern Washington is Central Arkansas ......................................0-0 0-1 his longest career rush. Hill has totaled 2,528 all-purpose yards during his career. Northwestern State ................................0-0 0-1 Stephen F. Austin .....................................0-0 0-1 Transfers Jalen Overstreet from Texas and Donavan Williams from ASA College have bol- Nicholls........................................................0-0 0-1 stered the running game. Both rushed for 83 yards to lead the team in the Alabama State win. Incarnate Word .........................................0-0 0-1 Overstreet carried 11 times including a 19-yard gain. Williams rushed 12 times, scoring one TD. The Kats also feature a talented receiving corps. Redshirt freshman Yedidiah Louis has 13 Southland Schedule catches for 104 yards. LaDarius Brown, a transfer from TCU, has nine catches for 110 yards. Saturday,, August 6 Sam Houston at LSU (SEC Network), 6:30 p.m. Sam Houston’s tight ends can be factors in both the running and passing games with their Nicholls at Arkansas (SEC Network), 3 p.m. size and mobility. Shane Young caught three passes at EWU including one for a touchdown. Northern Arizona at Abilene Christian, 6 p.m. Donald Jackson III, Zachary Stevens and Brandon DeWitt all were starters in the offensive Tennessee-Martin at Central Arkansas, 6 p.m line last year. Young and Jackson both are preseason All-Southland selections. DeWitt was a Incarnate Word at Stephen F. Austin, 6 p.m. freshman All-America selection in 2013. Northwestern State at Baylor, 6:30 p.m. (FSN) McMurry at Houston Baptist, 7 p.m. Southern Utah at Southeastern Louisiana, 7 p.m. THE BEARKAT DEFENSE McNeese State at Nebraska, 7 p.m. Only three starters return on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage. However 19 players who played in reserve roles plus several top newcomers have stepped in for the Bearkats. Safety Michael Wade is a preseason All-Southland selection after an outstanding junior season. Wade is the team’s top returning tackler with 105 stops and two interceptions last year. The other two returning starters are senior safety Desmond Fite and defensive tackle Sione Latu. Fite totaled 63 tackles in 2013. Latu posted 30 stops including five tackles for losses. FCS National Polls Gary Lorance, a 6-0, 285-pound defensive tackle who anchored the line for the 2011 and 2012 championship teams, returns after missing last season with an injury. He earned All- SPORTS NETWORK NCAA COACHES Southland honors as a sophomore and junior and is a 2014 preseason second team selection. 1 North Dakota St. 1 North Dakota St. Mouf Adebo, a sophomore defensive end, earned freshman All-America mention last year. 2 Eastern Washington 2 Eastern Washington He led the Kats in tackles for losses with 11.