Sam Houston-Southeastern La. Homecoming Game Notes
10/15/2010 12:36:00 PM | Football
HOMECOMING
Sam Houston State University plays its 77th annual homecoming football game Saturday at 2 p.m. at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.
The Bearkats have won 35, lost 40 and tied one in their previous homecoming contests. This year's game marks the first time the Southeastern Louisiana Lions have been the opponent for the event.
Since Bowers Stadium became the home of Bearkat football in 1986, Sam Houston stands 15-9 in homecoming games. Last year the Kats defeated Nicholls 44-21 in the annual game.
EXCITING ACTIVITIES SET FOR HOMECOMING
Game-day activities will kick off at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday when Bearkats can have coffee with Gibson during "Pregame with the President" in Austin Hall. At 12 noon, the Sam Houston band, cheerleaders and Orange Pride will lead the "March to Bowers" beginning at the LSC mall. The arrival of participants in the march marks the official beginning of the tailgate party at Bearkat Alley in the north end of Bowers Stadium. Free food and giveaways will be available on behalf of numerous organizations and student groups.
Homecoming Saturday is time for the "Orange Out" sponsored by Whataburger. When the Bowers Stadium gates open at 12:30 p.m., the first 1,000 fans wearing orange will receiver a Whataburger coupon. Those fans also will receive a free game program.
The recipients of the Distinguished Alumni awards and the former Sam Houston student-athletes who will be inducted into the men's and women's athletic Halls of Honor will be introduced at halftime. The finale of halftime ceremonies will be the announcement of the 2010 homecoming king and queen. Following the game, Double Dave's Pizza of Huntsville will be distributing special value offers sure to entice fans to continue the homecoming celebration following the contest.
THREE-GAME WINNING STREAK
Sam Houston comes into its homecoming clash with a three-game winning streak, defeating Gardner-Webb in its home opener 30-14, then knocking off Lamar 38-10 and Nicholls 26-7 on the road.
The three consecutive wins are the Bearkats' longest victory streak since Sam Houston ended the 2007 season with five in a row to earn a runner-up finish in the Southland Conference. That five game streak included three road games. The final two wins of the year came at Southeastern Louisiana and Texas State, the last time before last Saturday that SHSU produced back-to-back victories on the road.
BEARKATS WIN SOUTHLAND OPENER
The 26-7 victory at Thibodaux, La., marked only the ninth time in 24 years in the league Sam Houston has opened Southland Conference action with a win. The Bearkats have opened Southland action with a victory three of the last five seasons.
SACK ATTACK
Sam Houston's blitzing defense set a Sam Houston school record and tied a Southland Conference mark by rolling up 12 quarterback sacks in the 26-7 victory at Nicholls Saturday.
The previous team record was 10 sacks against Mississippi Valley State in 2002. Northwestern State originally set the Southland record with 12 sacks against SFA in 1997. The NCAA Division I FCS national record is 14 sacks by Alcorn State against Mississippi Valley in 2007.
Added to the five sacks the defense totaled in the Gardner-Webb victory and three in the Lamar road win, Sam Houston has produced 20 sacks in its last three games.
Will Henry tied a school record with four sacks at Nicholls. All-America defensive tackle Michael Bankston, who went on to play eight years in the NFL for the Cardinals, was the first to set the SHSU single game record with four sacks against Angelo State in 1991. The Southland single game record for sacks is five.
Fourteen Bearkats have had a hand in at least one quarterback sack this year. Henry and J. T. Cleveland (who had three sacks at Nicholls) both have season totals of five. Eric Fieilo has four for the year.
STOPPING THE RUSH
The Sam Houston defense has given up only 63 yards rushing in its last three games, limiting Gardner-Webb to 57 yards and Nicholls to 29 and holding Lamar to -23 net yards. That's an average of 31 yards per game in the three wins.
The Bearkats limited Nicholls to just 97 yards total offense Saturday. That was the lowest total offense figure allowed by a Sam Houston defense since a 23-3 victory over Stephen F. Austin at Bowers Stadium in 1990 when the Kats held the Jacks to 83 yards (-49 on the ground and 132 in the aire)
TIM FLANDERS CONTINUES TO ROLL
Tim Flanders, redshirt freshman from Midwest City, Okla., is the leading rusher in the Southland Conference (111.6 yards per game) and ranks No. 12 in the NCAA Division I FCS national statistics.
The transfer from Kansas State rushed for 105 yards on 22 carries Saturday at Nicholls. Eighty-seven of those yards came in the fourth quarter as Flanders had been held to only 18 yards on 14 carries at the end of the third period.
The performance allowed Flanders to become only the third running back in Sam Houston's 95 seasons of football to rush for more than 100 yards in four consecutive games.
Flanders netted 156 yards at Western Illinois, 104 vs. Gardner-Webb and 153 at Lamar. He equaled the feat of Roger Wiley in 1982 and D. D. Terry in 2006.
Wiley totaled exactly 500 yards against Southwestern Oklahoma, Texas Lutheran, East Texas and Southwest Texas in 1982. Terry produced 670 yards versus Northwestern State, Nicholls, Central Arkansas and McNeese in 2006.
With 558 yards rushing in five games, Flanders already stands No. 3 on the list of top single season rushing performances by Sam Houston freshmen. Joe Rauls gained 867 yards in 1998 and James Oliphant 655 in 1973. Flanders has tied the school record for most rushing TDs by a freshman set by Joe Vickers in 1971.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
With only 29 lettermen back from last year's Bearkat squad and only five seniors on this year's roster, the 2010 Sam Houston football team definitely is young.
Eleven freshmen dot the Bearkats' two-deep lineup and two had a big hand in Sam Houston's back-to-back victories over Gardner-Webb and Lamar.
True freshman Brian Bell of China Springs passed for 163 yards and two touchdowns in his first college start against the GWU Bulldogs and 171 yards and a score in the win at Lamar. Having played in four games, Bell is 34 of 67 for 525 yards in the air.
Tim Flanders, redshirt freshman transfer, leads the Bearkat ground attack with 558 yards rushing (111.6 per game) and seven touchdowns in five contests. Flanders leads the Southland Conference in rushing and ranks No. 12 nationally in the NCAA Division I FCS rankings
New Sam Houston head coach Willie Fritz inherited a young team with just as many newcomers as returning players and told potential high school recruits they definitely had an opportunity to play as freshmen.
BLOCK PARTY BACK
With the Nicholls punting from their own 27-yard line with 2:17 to play in the first half, Robert Shaw broke through to block the kick and fell on the ball in the end zone to put Sam Houston up 10-7.
The block was the first of the 2010 season, but marked the return of the "block party".
The "block party" special teams tradition established when Willie Fritz was special teams coordinator for Sam Houston in 1991 and 1992. The "Block Party" saw Sam Houston block 80 punts, field goals and extra points in the 14 seasons from 1991 to 2004.
BEARKATS VERSUS THE LIONS
Sam Houston and Southeastern Louisiana meet for the 12th time in their football histories Saturday. The Bearkats hold a 7-4 record against the Lions. However, Southeastern Louisiana has won the last two meetings. The Lions won 30-27 in overtime in Huntsville in 2008 and 37-21 last year in Hammond.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
Southeastern Louisiana also opened Southland Conference play with a victory, roaring past Texas State 49-24 in Hammond last Saturday. The Lions stand 2-3 for the season
Quarterback Tyler Beatty threw for 368 yards and five touchdowns and his top receiver Simmie Yarborough finished the game with 114 receiving yards and three scores.
Beatty is 64 of 115 for 782 yards and 10 touchdowns for the season. Yarborough has caught 32 passes for 338 yards and six touchdowns.
When the Lions use their ground attack, Sam Fairley carries the load, rolling up 275 yards and 62 carries so far this year.
SAM HOUSTON CONNECTIONS
Southeastern Louisiana head coach Mike Lucas served as Sam Houston's defensive coordinator for 15 years. Bearkat head football coach served as secondary and special teams coach on the SHSU staff with Lucas in 1991 and 1992. The Kats won the 1991 Southland Conference championship.
SAM HOUSTON BEARKAT FOOTBALL IN 2010
Sam Houston head coach Willie Fritz knew coming into the season that he was going to have his hands full turning around the Bearkats' football program. Sam Houston returns only 29 of the 63 players who lettered on last year's 5-6 squad.
The 34 lost letter-winners is the highest total of departed players since the Bearkats moved up to the NCAA Division I FCS level in 1986. The previous high was 28 lost lettermen in 1993 when Sam Houston went 4-7 for the year and 2-5 in Southland action. Just eight starters (two on offense and six on defense) are among the returnees. Sam Houston does not return a running back who touched a ball in the 2009 season and the Bearkats' top six receivers from last year are gone.
Of the 90 players who reported for the opening of preseason camp on August 6, only 48 took part in Fritz's spring practice in April. The other 42 players were either freshmen or transfers.
The Bearkats' 44-man two-deep breaks down as follows - 11 freshmen (6 offense, 5 defense); 17 sophomores (8 offense, 9 defense), 10 juniors (6 offense, 4 defense) and 6 seniors (2 offense, 4 defense).
"We lost a bunch of guys - 27 seniors - from last year's group," Fritz said. "We told every kid we recruited that, if you want to play this year, you have the opportunity. Coming into preseason camp in August, every position was wide open. I like the direction we are going. I feel like we signed a good class. I like the staff we have put together. I think this is going to be a good mix."
SHSU's coordinators both are former Southland Conference head coaches - Bob DeBesse (Southwest Texas) and Scott Stoker (Northwestern State).
THE BEARKAT OFFENSE
The biggest change for the 2010 Bearkats has come on offense where Sam Houston have become more balanced.
"I think you have to run the ball successfully to win," Fritz said. "We are going to control the game and we are going to look and see where the weaknesses are and see what we can take advantage of. We will have a lot of different formations, but most everything we are going to do is with the same philosophy."
Brian Bell, a true freshman from China Spring, has started the last three games. Bell came off the bench in the second quarter at Western Illinois and directed the team to two touchdown drives. Bell has passed for three touchdowns.
With no running backs who carried during either the 2009 season or in spring practice, Sam Houston has collected a strong stable of runners in preseason camp. Tim Flanders, a redshirt freshman transfer from Kansas State, leads the Southland with 111.6 yards rushing per game. True freshmen Ridgeway Frank (Spring HS) and Cameron Brown (Austin LBJ HS) and transfers D. J. Morrow (Louisiana Tech) help carry the load.
Junior center Travis Watson and left tackle Chris Crockett were starters in 2008 who missed playing in 2009 because of injury. Sophomore tackle Kaleb Hopson was a starter as a freshman last year and sophomore tackle Rily Smith and guard Cameron Pound were backups last year, giving the Kats an experienced front line.
Wide receivers Brandon Closner and Melvis Pride and tight end T. J. Jones were the only returning Bearkats to catch passes last year (combining for 13 catches for 170 yards). Western Michigan transfer Seth Patterson leads the Bearkat receivers with 16 catches for 139 yards and one TD.
THE BEARKAT DEFENSE
It is no secret that one of Sam Houston's biggest weaknesses last season came in the secondary. The Bearkats started three freshmen, two safeties and a cornerback, who got on-the-job training while taking their fair share of lumps. Sam Houston ranked sixth out of eight teams in the Southland Conference in pass defense at 253.5 yards a game. Things got better towards the end of the season including a victory over Central Arkansas in which the Kats gave up only 106 yards passing and picked off two passes.
What was once a major weakness now is a strength. Those three freshmen - Darnell Taylor, Kenneth Jenkins and Robert Shaw - are a year older, and more importantly, have now been in defensive coordinator Scott Stoker's scheme for an entire season. Throw in senior cornerback Jarvis Pippins and senior safety Victor Carmichael, true freshman Bookie Sneed and sophomore transfer Daxton Swanson and the Kats have put together a talented secondary.
Linebacker is another solid position with four veterans - Will Henry, Kash David, Darius Taylor and Eric Fieilo - all returning. Henry is the only player among nine Bearkats who were recognized as All-Southland Conference last year back for 2010.
Up front, the defensive line is untested but has performed well in preseason camp with E. J. Nduka, Dwight Kennedy, J. T. Cleveland and Eddie Decambre listed as starters.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Miguel Antonio, who led Sam Houston in scoring with 73 points on 12 field goals and 37 PATs as a true freshman in 2009, returns. Antonio was named Southland Conference "Special Teams Player of the Week" following the 30-14 victory over Gardner-Webb. Antonio kicked three field goals and was perfect on three extra points.
Matt Foster, a veteran of Australian rules football in Melbourne, will handle punting chores. A red-hirt at Purdue last year, Foster will be played in his first American football game in the opener at Baylor.
Brandon Closner returned a punt 37 yards for a touchdown for the first touchdown in the Lamar victory. Sam Houston had not had a punt return brought back for a score since 2006. Closner earned Southland "Special Teams Player of the Week" for his performance in the Lamar victory
