McNeese visits Kats for Homecoming Saturday
10/16/2008 1:00:00 AM | Football
THIS WEEK -- HOMECOMING AT SHSU
Sam Houston State Bearkats (2-2, SLC 0-1)) vs. No. 12 McNeese State Cowboys (3-2, SLC 0-1)
Saturday, October 18, 2008 -- 2 p.m. -- Bowers Stadium -- Huntsville, TX
GAME INFORMATION
Ticket Prices West Side Reserved Seats $20
General Admission $10
SHSU Student (with student ID) Free
Children age 5 and under Free
THE GAME ON RADIO
Sam Houston State's contest Saturday will be broadcast live on KSAM 101.7 FM in Huntsville. The broadcast, with Kooter Roberson and Leroy Wilkinson, can also be heard on the internet at www.gobearkats.com.
THE GAME ON TELEVISION
Saturday's game marks the second of three appearances for the Bearkats on the new Southland Conference TV network. The game will be telecast live on nine stations in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas including KTBU TV in Houston. This marks the 25th time since Sam Houston moved up to the NCAA Division I level that a Kats' game has been televised regionally or nationally. Sam Houston stands 12-12 in its previous 24 games on the tube.
HOMECOMING
McNeese State is Sam Houston's foe for the 75th annual homecoming game in Huntsville this weekend. The Bearkats are 1-4 against the Cowboys at SHSU homecoming games. Sam Houston is 14-8 on homecoming day in Bowers Stadium and 34-40-1 at homecoming overall.
BEARKATS VS. THE COWBOYS
McNeese State leads the all-time football series with SHSU owning a 21-7-1 record against the Bearkats. In Southland Conference action (since 1988) the Cowboys hold a 17-3 margin over the Kats. Sam Houston State's only victories over McNeese at the NCAA Division I FCS level came in 1996, 1999 and 2004. The 1996 and 2004 wins came in Huntsville. The 1999 victory was at Lake Charles.
BEARKATS VS. LOUISIANA
Sam Houston State is 22-50-3 against football teams from the state of Louisiana. The Bearkats were 3-1 against Louisiana schools last year, defeating Northwestern State, Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana and falling to McNeese State.
FIRST GAME AT BOWERS SINCE AUGUST 28
The Bearkats are playing their first home game since the season opening win over East Central Oklahoma August 28. Hurricane Ike forced cancelation of a non-conference contest with Prairie View A&M Sept. 13.
Sam Houston State stands 80-37-1 in their 118 games in the facility since Bowers Stadium was opened with a 23-6 over Montana State on Sept. 13, 1986.
SAM HOUSTON STATE BEARKATS
Sam Houston has won the Southland Conference championship and earned an NCAA Division I playoff berth three times (in 1991, 2001 and 2004). The Bearkats reached the national quarterfinals in 2001 and the semifinals in 2004.
Bearkats playing in the National Football League include quarterback Josh McCown (Panthers) and Keith Davis (Cowboys).
Thanks to a pair of open dates and Hurricane Ike, the Bearkats have played only four games this season and have not played at home in 52 days.
SHSU defeated East Central Oklahoma (NCAA Division II) 58-14 in its opener Aug. 28. Scoring on each of its eight possessions in the first half, Sam Houston built a 52-0 halftime lead and did not play its starters in the second half.
After the Sept. 13 match-up with Prairie View was canceled due to the hurricane, the Bearkats held their own with #19 Kansas in front of a crowd of 51,767. The Kats fell 38-14 to the defending Orange Bowl champions. SHSU trailed 14-7 with a minute left before intermission and cut the Jayhawk margin to 28-14 in the third quarter. The contest marked only the second time in Southland Conference football history an SLC team lost to an NCAA Division I Bowl Championship Series Top 25 team by less than a four-touchdown margin. Northwestern State fell to #21 Missouri 35-14 in 1998
In its only meeting this year with an NCAA Division I FCS foe, Sam Houston defeated Gardner-Webb 49-33 in a road game in Boiling Springs, NC (the farthest East SHSU has played football).
Rhett Bomar earned Southland and National FCS "Offensive Player of the Week" honors. He passed for a season high 340 yards including five TDs (tying a school record). He also ran for a score to become only the second player in Sam Houston history to be responsible for six TDs in one game. Dustin Long threw for five TDs and ran for another against McNeese in the 2004 championship season.
Last week, the Bearkats lost to Central Arkansas in an offensive thriller at Conway, AR. The two teams combined for 988 yards total offense
FOURTH YEAR UNDER COACH WHITTEN
Todd Whitten and his staff begin their fourth season at Sam Houston State, seeking to build on back-to-back winning seasons and Southland Conference runner-up finishes. Thirty-eight lettermen return from last year's 7-4 squad including six starters on offense and and six on defense.
THE BEARKAT OFFENSE
Sam Houston State ranks No. 3 in scoring offense (41.8), No. 4 in passing offense (316.0) and No. 6 in total offense (452.0) in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
Quarterback Rhett Bomar leads NCAA FCS football nationally in individual total offense (342.0).
The senior has passed for 1,239 yards and 13 TDs and rushed for 129 yards and three scores.
Bomar led the Southland and ranked No. 8 nationally in total offense (290.6 yards per game) last year.
The QB has thrown TD passes to five different receivers.
Justin Wells leads Bearkat receiving with 20 catches for 333 yards and two scores. He caught a 46-yard scoring pass at Kansas and a 40-yard tally in Gardner-Webb. The Huntsville High School product has become only the 19th player in Sam Houston's 93 football seasons to total more than 1,000 yards receiving. Wells has 76 career catches for 1,166 yards and seven scores.
Catron Houston, who led the Bearkats in receiving last year (46 catches for 597 yards), is 22 yards from breaking the 1,000-yard mark himself. Houston has grabbed 77 passes for 978 yards and five touchdowns since transferring to SHSU from Texas Tech. This season Houston has 19 catches for 274 yards and four TDs.
Jason Madkins, a 6-5 transfer from Navarro Junior College, has 11 catches for 149 yards and 3 TDs. Chris Lucas has caught 16 balls for 196 yards and a score.
Transfer running back James Aston leads the Kats on the ground with 330 yards on 44 carries including 4 TDs. He has run for more than 100 yards in two contests this season. His long run is 49 yards. Aston also has 19 receptions for 196 yards and three scores. Aston ranks No. 6 in FCS football nationally in scoring (10.5 pts.)
A concern coming into the season was the youth of the offensive line after losing three All-Southland Conference linemen and an All-American tight end to graduation. But, with a two-deep consisting of four seniors, two juniors and four freshmen, the line has performed well.
Seniors Aaron Saunders (6-7, 314), Nick Grimes (5-11, 278) and Jordan Bowersox (6-2, 277); junior Hunter Schmidt (6-3, 304) and redshirt freshman Travis Watson (6-2, 295) lead the way for the Bearkat offense.
RHETT BOMAR IN THE SHSU RECORD BOOKS
Rhett Bomar is 17 yards away from becoming the eighth Sam Houston State quarterback to gain 4,000 or more yards total offense. Bomar has totaled 3,983 in his two seasons as a Bearkat.
Bomar ranks among the top 10 in several SHSU quarterback statistics categories.
|
Passing yards Career |
||
| 1. Arthur Louis | 1977-80 | 4,902 |
| 2. Dustin Long | 2004 | 4,588 |
| 3. Reggie Lewis | 1984-87 | 4,269 |
| 4. Ashley Van Meter | 1989-92 | 3,869 |
| 5. Lanny Dycus | 1984-85 | 3,843 |
| 6. Don Gottlob | 1950-52 | 3,832 |
| 7. Albert Bradley | 1996-2000 | 3,713 |
| 8. Chad Schramek | 1994-97 | 3,585 |
| 9. Josh McCown | 2001 | 3,481 |
| 10. RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | 3,448 |
|
Passing Touchdowns Season |
||
|
1. Dustin Long |
2004 | 39 |
| 2. Josh McCown | 2001 | 32 |
| 3. Chris Chaloupka | 1999 | 21 |
| 4. Don Gottlob | 1952 | 18 |
| 5. Reggie Lewis | 1987 | 16 |
| 6. Arthur Louis | 1978 | 14 |
| 7. Arthur Louis | 1979 | 13 |
| RHETT BOMAR | 2008 | 13 |
| 8. Reggie Leiws | 1986 | 12 |
| 9. Ashley Van Meter | 1992 | 11 |
| Rhett Bomar | 2007 | 10 |
| Chad Schramek | 1997 | 10 |
| Passing Touchdowns Career
|
||
| 1. Dustin Long | 2004 | 39 |
| 2. Arthur Louis | 1977-80 | 34 |
| 3. Don Gottlob | 1950-52 | 33 |
| 4. Josh McCown | 2001 | 32 |
| 5. Reggie Lewis | 1984-87 | 30 |
| 6. Albert Bradley | 1996-2000 | 23 |
| David Kubiak | 1967-1970 | 23 |
| RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | 23 |
| 10. Chad Schramek | 1994-1997 | 20 |
|
Quarterbacks total touchdowns |
||
| 1. Arthur Louis | 1977-80 | 42 (8 rushing) |
| Don Gottlob | 1950-52 | 42 (8 rushing, 1 fumble recovery) |
| 3. Dustin Long | 2004 | 41 (2 rushing) |
| David Kubiak | 1967-70 | 41 (17 rushing, 1 receiving) |
| 5. Reggie Lewis | 1984-87 | 40 (10 rushing) |
| 6. Josh McCown | 2001 | 38 (6 rushing) |
| 7. Albert Bradley | 1996-2000 | 33 (10 rushing) |
| RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | 33 (10 rushing) |
| 9. Guido Merkins | 1973-76 | 29 (13 rushing, 1 receiving) |
| 10. Dennis Gann | 1965-66 | 24 (10 rushing, 1 receiving) |
| Completions in a career |
||
| 1. Dustin Long | 2004 | 333 |
| 2. Chad Schramek | 1994-97 | 309 |
| 3. Lanny Dycus | 1984-85 | 299 |
| 4. Reggie Lewis | 1984-87 | 298 |
| 5. Ashley Van Meter | 1989-92 | 297 |
| 6. Albert Bradley | 1996-2000 | 296 |
| 7. Arthur Louis | 1977-1980 | 272 |
| 8. RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | 263 |
| 9. Josh McCown | 2001 | 259 |
| 10. Don Gottlob | 1950-52 | 234 |
|
Completion percentage in a career |
||
| 1. Dustin Long | 2004 | .627 (333-of-531) |
| 2. Chris Chaloupka | 1999 | .620 (168-of-271) |
| 4. RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | .605 (263-of-435) |
| 4. Josh McCown | 2001 | .604 (259-of-429) |
| 5. Reggie Lewis | 1984-87 | .568 (298-of-524) |
| Total offense career
|
||
| 1. Reggie Lewis | 1984-87 | 5,150 (4,269 pass, 471 rush) |
| 2. Arthur Louis | 1977-80 | 4,933 (4,902 pass, 31 rush) |
| 3. Dustin Long | 2004 | 4,576 (4,588 pass, -12 rush) |
| 4. Don Gottlob | 1950-52 | 4,200 (3,832 pass, 368 rush) |
| 5. Ashley Van Meter | 1989-92 | 4,193 (3,869 pass, 324 rush) |
| 6. David Kubiak | 1967-70 | 4,183 (2,655 pass, 1,528 rush) |
| 7. Albert Bradley | 1996-2000 | 4,034 (3,713 pass, 321 rush) |
| 8. RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | 3,983 (3,448 pass, 535 rush) |
| 9. Lanny Dycus | 1984-85 | 3,839 (3,843 pass, -4 rush) |
| 10. Josh McCown | 2001 | 3,832 (3,481 pass, 351 rush) |
THE BEARKAT DEFENSE
Defensive end Chris Brown, an honorable mention All-America selection last year as a sophomore, is again a candidate for national honors. Brown has 26 tackles with four quarterback sacks and a pass breakup. Brown totaled three sacks in the Gardner-Webb victory, one short of the Sam Houston school record set by NFL star (Cardinals) Michael Bankston in 1991.
Brown accounted for five of the Bearkats' 13 sacks in 2007 as he earned first team All-Southland conference honors.
Defensive tackle Eric Mikolajchak also earned All-Southland Conference honors last year. Recruited as an offensive lineman, the senior moved to defense as a sophomore and has totaled 86 tackles including 11 for losses in his three years as a starter.
At linebacker, Nolan Bucek led the Southland in tackles (88) in 2007 and Luke McCall added 72 stops as linebackers last year. The pair have totaled 25 and 15 tackles, respectively, in 2008.
Cornerbacks Wonseleh Brewer and Stanley Garrett return as starters in the secondary.
Safety Billy Skinner has 27 tackles and defensive lineman Frank Simon has added 20 stops this year.
ALL-SOUTHLAND RETURNEES
Six All-Southland Conference Bearkats return. Defensive end Chris Brown was a first team selection. Kicker Taylor Wilkins and linebacker Nolan Bucek were named to the second team. Quarterback Rhett Bomar, offensive lineman Hunter Schmidt and defensive lineman Eric Mikolajchak were honorable mention All-Southland.
BEARKAT OFFENSIVE SUCCESS
In the past nine seasons, Sam Houston has led the Southland Conference in passing four times and total offense three seasons. Three Bearkat quarterbacks have earned Southland "Player of the Year" honors and been finalists for the Walter Payton Award as NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision offensive player of the year -- Chris Chaloupka (1999), Josh McCown (2001) and Dustin Long (2004).
