New faces in offensive line find motivation
9/10/2009 4:00:00 AM | Football
Order SHSU vs. North Dakota St. Tickets On Line
By Cody Stark, Huntsville Item Assistant Sports Editor
To help the Sam Houston State offense be successful Saturday when the Bearkats play host to North Dakota State in a 6 p.m. Parents Weekend football game at Bowers Stadium, several new faces in the offensive line will be required to step up.
One is a Kaleb Hopson, a 6-6 290-pound redshirt freshman from Early who had to replace sophomore starter Travis Watson due to an injury in the second half in last week's opener against Western Illinois.
"I didn't feel comfortable with all the plays, but you have to learn quick when you get thrown in there like that," Hopson said. "They pull the training wheels off of you quick. I'm getting more confident. I wasn't sure what to do when I first got in there, but know I know what to expect."
Hopson admits he has a lot of work to do, especially since he missed last fall with a shoulder injury and had to catch up in spring and fall camps. But he does feel like he is getting more comfortable by getting extra snaps with the first team this week in practice.
The Bearkats now have only two guys who have started more than one game in their collegiate careers playing in the offensive line. All-Southland Conference guard Hunter Schmidt has started every game on the offensive line since 2006, and center Jordan Bowersox has a full season of starting experience under his belt.
But seniors Travis Best and R.C. Fairchild started their first game against Western Ilinois. The two-deep roster features a redshirt freshman tackle (Riley Smith), a sophomore guard (Hadji Woods) and a senior transfer guard (Austin Wilson).
There are some guys that are going to have to grow up in a hurry, especially since the Bearkats face another quality Football Championship Subdivision team when North Dakota State comes to Bowers Stadium on Saturday.
"It's a lot of motivation. Everybody thinks that the line is inexperienced and not going to get it done," said Fairchild, who is now the most experienced tackle on the roster. "(The doubt) is what drives us and keeps us going. It makes us want to get better."
The offense had a lot of positives in the first game.
Running back James Aston carried 18 times for 126 yards including touchdown runs of 6 and 10 yards. Quarterback Blake Joseph completed 16 of 27 passes for 173 yards.
Jason Madkins led the Bearkats in receiving with 5 catches for 60 yards including a long of 22 to give the Bearkats an opportunity to tie the game and force overtime with seconds remaining. Jake Lebens also had five catches for 46 yards and Aston pulled in four passes for 46 yards.
Running backs Aston and Poullard definitely give the Kats a weapon. Aston ranked No. 4 in Southland rushing last year with 886 yards and 11 TDs and Poullard was No. 4 in SLC rushing in 2007 with 1,038 yards and 13 TDs.
GAME INFORMATION
Ticket Prices West Side Reserved Seats $20
General Admission $10
SHSU Student (with student ID) Free
Children age 5 and under Free
