83rd Battle of the Piney Woods Saturday
10/31/2008 1:00:00 AM | Football
THIS WEEK -- 83rd BATTLE OF THE PINEY WOODS
Sam Houston State Bearkats (2-4, SLC 0-3) vs. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (4-4, SLC 2-1)
Saturday, November 1 -- 2 p.m. -- Bowers Stadium -- Huntsville, TX
GAME INFORMATION
Ticket Prices West Side Reserved Seats $25
General Admission $15
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 last 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 "The Tube" Channel 55 in Houston. This week's game will not be shown live however on Channel 55. Because of the Houston Dynamo playoff game at 3 p.m., the Battle of the Piney Woods will be aired as a tape delay following soccer. The game will still be aired live on Fox College Sports Central.
BATTLE OF THE PINEY WOODS
Two universities named for Texas history heroes, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin State, renew their "Battle of the Piney Woods" rivalry for the 83rd time Saturday in Huntsville. The series is the second oldest NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision rivalry in Texas. Only SHSU's series with Texas State-San Marcos (87 games) is older. Sam Houston holds a 47-33 edge over the Jacks. There have been two ties. The Bearkats are 25-18 against SFA in Huntsville.
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).
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 Hurricane Ike, 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 non-conference 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.
In the Southland Conference opener, the Bearkats lost to Central Arkansas in an offensive thriller at Conway, AR. The two teams combined for 988 yards total offense.
McNeese State held Sam Houston to a season low 269 yards total offense in a 28-17 loss at SHSU Homecoming. Last week, Northwestern State jumped out to a 14-0 second quarter lead and held on for a 24-16 victory in Natchitoches, LA
THE BEARKAT OFFENSE
Sam Houston State ranks No. 5 in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in passing offense with 302.5 yards per game
Quarterback Rhett Bomar stands No. 3 nationally in NCAA FCS football individual total offense (318.7).
The senior has passed for 1,790 yards and 17 TDs and rushed for 122 yards and three scores. His longest pass this year was an 80-yard touchdown to Chris Lucas against McNeese. The QB has thrown TD passes to seven different receivers.
Bomar is one yard away from becoming only the fourth Sam Houston State quarterback to pass for more than 4,000 yards. He has thrown for 3,999 yards in 15 games as a Bearkat. Arthur Louis passed for 4,902 yards in 1977-80, Dustin Long 4,588 yards in 2004 and Reggie Lewis 4,269 yards in 1984-87.
Transfer running back James Aston leads the Kats in rushing. With two 100-yard games this season, Aston has carried 66 times for 424 yards and 4 TDs. He has 27 receptions for 206 yards and three scores. His long run has been 49 yards.
Senior Catron Houston leads the team in receiving yards with 27 catches for 416 yards including 4 touchdowns.
Justin Wells has gained 384 yards on 25 catches.
Both receivers ranked among the top 20 in career receiving at Sam Houston. Wells has 81 career catches for 1,217 yards and Houston 85 receptions for 1,120 career yards.
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 in the front line.
Here is where Bomar currently stands on several of the Sam Houston State passing lists:
|
Passing yards Career |
||
| 1. Arthur Louis | 1977-80 | 4,902 |
| 2. Dustin Long | 2004 | 4,588 |
| 3. Reggie Lewis | 1984-87 | 4,269 |
| 4. RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | 3,999 |
| 5. Ashley Van Meter | 1989-92 | 3,869 |
| 6. Lanny Dycus | 1984-85 | 3,843 |
| 7. Don Gottlob | 1950-52 | 3,832 |
| 8. Albert Bradley | 1996-2000 | 3,713 |
| 9. Chad Schramek | 1994-97 | 3,585 |
| 10. Josh McCown | 2001 | 3,481 |
|
Passing Touchdowns Season |
||
|
1. Dustin Long |
2004 | 39 |
| 2. Josh McCown | 2001 | 32 |
| 3. Chris Chaloupka | 1999 | 21 |
| 4. Don Gottlob | 1952 | 18 |
| 5. RHETT BOMAR | 2008 | 17 |
| 6. Reggie Lewis | 1987 | 16 |
| 7. Arthur Louis | 1978 | 14 |
| 8. Arthur Louis | 1979 | 13 |
| 9. Reggie Lewis | 1986 | 12 |
| 10. 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. RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | 27 |
| 7. Albert Bradley | 1996-2000 | 23 |
| David Kubiak | 1967-1970 | 23 |
| 9. 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. RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | 37 (10 rushing) |
| 8. Albert Bradley | 1996-2000 | 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. RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | 304 |
| 4. Lanny Dycus | 1984-85 | 299 |
| 5. Reggie Lewis | 1984-87 | 298 |
| 6. Ashley Van Meter | 1989-92 | 297 |
| 7. Albert Bradley | 1996-2000 | 296 |
| 8. Arthur Louis | 1977-1980 | 272 |
| 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) |
| 3. Josh McCown | 2001 | .604 (259-of-429) |
| 4. RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | .583 (304-of-521) |
| 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. RHETT BOMAR | 2007-08 | 4,527 (3,999 pass, 528 rush) |
| 5. Don Gottlob | 1950-52 | 4,200 (3,832 pass, 368 rush) |
| 6. Ashley Van Meter | 1989-92 | 4,193 (3,869 pass, 324 rush) |
| 7. David Kubiak | 1967-70 | 4,183 (2,655 pass, 1,528 rush) |
| 8. Albert Bradley | 1996-2000 | 4,034 (3,713 pass, 321 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 35 tackles with five quarterback sacks. Brown totaled three sacks in the Gardner-Webb victory, one short of the SHSU 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-SLC 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 90 tackles including 12 for losses in his three years as a starter.
At linebacker, Nolan Bucek led the Southland in tackles (88) in 2007. Bucek has 47 stops this season.
Safety Billy Skinner leads the team with 52 total tackles this season.
PAST SCORES FROM THE BATTLE OF THE PINEY WOODS
|
1923 H L 19 6 1924 H L 3 2 1925 A W 6 0 1926 H W 38 0 1927 A W 6 0 1928 H W 8 2 1929 A L 14 12 1930 H W 20 0 1931 A W 3 0 1932 H W 14 0 1933 A T 6 6 1934 H L 7 6 1935 H L 33 0 1936 H L 7 6 1937 A W 8 0 1938 H W 13 6 1939 A W 14 0 1940 H W 27 7 1941 A W 20 13 1946 H W 20 7 1947 A L 13 0 1948 H L 12 0 1949 A L 51 14 1950 H W 20 6 1951 A L 14 0 1952 H W 32 20 1953 H W 25 14 1954 H W 42 25 |
1955 A W 27 6
1956 H W 31 0 1957 A L 28 27 1958 H W 21 12 1959 A W 6 0 1960 H W 16 7 1961 A W 41 16 1962 H W 29 26 1963 A L 14 13 1964 A W 21 8 1965 H L 14 13 1966 A L 21 14 1967 H L 29 3 1968 A W 30 28 1969 H L 38 28 1970 A W 25 18 1971 H L 10 6 1972 A W 31 19 1973 H L 14 7 1974 A L 26 18 1975 H W 8 7 1976 N* T 14 14 H W 8 7 1977 A L 17 13 1978 H W 37 13 1979 A L 42 20 1980 H L 23 6 1981 A W 18 17 |
1982 H L 40 6
1983 A L 27 10 1984 H W 20 7 1985 A W 28 21 1986 H W 30 26 1987 A W 31 17 1988 H L 17 10 1989 A L 45 7 1990 H W 23 3 1991 A L 13 3 1992 H W 34 23 1993 H L 24 20 1994 A L 42 6 1995 H L 38 22 1996 A W 14 10 1997 H W 33 28 1998 A L 38 7 1999 H L 45 31 2000 A W 52 41 2001 H W 24 21 2002 A W 10 7 2003 H L 31 34 2004 A W 31 28 2005 H W 52 24 2006 A W 21 17 2007 A W 45 17 *Houston Astrodome |
