Football hosts Saint Joseph's Saturday at 2 p.m.
10/1/2009 2:00:00 PM | Football
Purchase tickets now on the web
Sam Houston will take on NCAA Division II opponent Saint Joseph's College of Indiana in the Bearkats' final non-conference game of 2009. Kickoff Saturday is at 2 p.m. at Bowers Stadium.
The Bearkats will be looking to get back on the winning track after a 56-3 loss at Tulsa last Saturday.
Advance tickets may be purchased on line at www.gobearkats.com (see link above) or at the athletic ticket office at the Ron Mafrige Field House south of Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729. Tickets are $25 for reserved seats and $15 for general admission. Sam Houston State students are admitted free with their ID.
SHSU Army ROTC is the game sponsor for Saturday's contest with Saint Joseph's. Special attractions Saturday include the Medical Operation Adventure Semi at tailgate at 12 noon. Each quarter during the game, free t-shirts will be thrown out and, during halftime, there will be a special presentation of the current ROTC members who received scholarships this year.
The Pumas bring a 3-2 record to Bowers Stadium. SJC tied for the runner-up spot in last year's Great Lakes Football Conference race. GLFC "Defensive Player of the Year" Ronnell Tibbs and All-GLFC running back Jashon Banks highlight the line-up for the Pumas.
Saint Joseph's football history goes back to 1896 when the Pumas took the field for the first time. Last year Saint Joseph's rolled up a 5-5 record. This season SJC opened the year with a 37-7 loss to Hillsdale College but have won three of their last four games by scores of 31-6 over Valparaiso, 44-41 in overtime against Missouri S&T and 41-7 last week versus Lincoln University of Missouri.
The Bearkats stand 24-6 against NCAA Division II football opponents since Sam Houston moved up to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in 1986.
Sam Houston State will open the 2009 Southland Conference race Saturday, Oct. 10, when the Bearkats play host to Nicholls State.
The Kats are picked to finish sixth in the 2009 race according to the vote of the league's head coaches in the annual Southland preseason poll. Defending league champion Texas State is the league favorite with McNeese picked second, followed by Northwestern State, Central Arkansas, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana.
Both Sam Houston's 2009 football games have been nail-bitters, literally going down to the final gun.
Sam Houston lost its opener 35-28 to Western Illinois after failing to force overtime with an incomplete pass into the end zone from the WIU three-yard-line and no time remaining after a penalty.
Quarterback Blake Joseph had converted two third downs and a fourth down play to move the Bearkats 65 yards in 12 plays to set up the final script. The quarterback hit Madkins for a 20-yard gain that was stopped just inches short of the end zone. That gave the Kats first and goal with 21 seconds to play. The Bearkats threw an incomplete pass and had a one-yard loss on a rushing play before the two teams traded penalties to set up the final play.
The game was filled with several positives for Sam Houston.
Running back James Aston carried 18 times for 126 yards including touchdown runs of 6 and 10 yards. Joseph completed 16 of 27 passes for 173 yards.
The defense contributed a pair of scores as Victor Carmichael returned a fumble 21 yards to give SHSU a 14-7 lead and Chris Brown put the Kats up 28-21 with a 64 yard interception return at the 10:17 mark of the third quarter.
In the Bearkats' second game, Joseph and Madkins hooked up for a 51-yard pass to set up freshman Miquel Antonio's game-winning field goal as Sam Houston earned a 48-45 victory over North Dakota State.
The Bearkats rolled to 620 yards of total offense.
Joseph, who transferred from Houston back in August, threw for 482 yards, which is the fourth-best single game total in school history, to go along with two touchdowns. He was also efficient, completing 24-of-36, or 67 percent, of his passing attempts.
Madkins finished with six catches for 239 yards and a score. Three times, the duo connected on third-and-long situations that eventually led to scores. The final one was the biggest. On third-and-10 with the game knotted at 45, Joseph found Madkins near the visitors' sideline, and the 6-5 receiver slipped past a defender and raced 51 yards down to the North Dakota State 10-yard line.
The Bearkats took a 24-7 lead into halftime, but North Dakota State rallied to tie the game in the fourth.
The victory marked only the second time in 10 games that North Dakota State has lost to a Southland Conference opponent.
Last Saturday, the Tulsa offense lived up to its reputation, rolling up 516 yards total offense in a 56-3 non-conference football victory over Sam Houston State before 26,048 fans at Chapman Stadium.
The loss dropped Sam Houston to 1-2 for the season while Tulsa, playing in its season opener, upped its season mark to 3-1. The contest against the Conference USA power marked Sam Houston's 25th game against an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team since the Kats moved up to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision level in 1986.
Quarterback Blake Joseph completed 7 of 18 passes for 87 yards and James Aston rushed 14 times for 59 yards for Sam Houston. Miguel Antonio provided SHSU its only points with a 25 yard field goal.
