Each week leading up to the 85th "Battle of the Piney Woods" at Reliant Stadium in Houston October 23, GoBearkats.com presents the 20 greatest games in Piney Woods history. 

Game #20
October 30, 2004 - Sam Houston 31, Stephen F. Austin 28

Expect just about anything to happen when Southland Conference rivals Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin meet on the football field.

None of the "Battle of the Piney Woods" meetings had more at stake than on Oct. 30, 2004, when the No. 7 ranked Bearkats traveled to Nacogdoches to meet the No. 12 rated Lumberjacks.

That Saturday afternoon was filled with plenty of big plays. But the 79th meeting between the two teams came down to a blocked Lumberjacks field goal with 17 seconds remaining that allowed the Bearkats to win 31-28 before a homecoming crowd of 13,753.

It was perhaps fitting the decisive play unfolded as it did since SFA kicked a field goal to win 34-31 the previous year in Huntsville, ending a three-year victory streak in the series by SHSU.

What was not so fitting Saturday was a brawl between the two teams that occurred just after Bearkats quarterback Dustin Long touched a knee to the turf as the final seconds ticked away. Tempers flared, and helmets and fists flew for several minutes, reminiscent of two years ago when Sam Houston State won here 10-7.

"We were wrong," said Bearkats receiver Jason Mathenia, who caught six passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. "We were in the wrong. We were celebrating too much."

Sam Houston State (7-1) stayed atop the Southland with a 2-0 mark; Stephen F. Austin (5-3) fell to 0-2.

Long had a big day, completing 20 of 36 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted twice.

Lumberjacks quarterback Michael Williams was no less productive. Playing with a sore groin, Williams was 27-of-52 for 309 yards and three touchdowns but was intercepted three times. He also ran 19 times for 43 yards.

The final 30 minutes were in contrast to the first 30, during which Long and Williams each threw a pair of touchdown passes as the Bearkats took a 17-14 halftime lead. In the second half alone, the two teams exchanged leads four times.

Joe Kutac's recovery of teammate Ron Middleton's fumble in the Sam Houston end zone gave the Lumberjacks their first lead of the afternoon, 21-17, at 5:20 of the third quarter.

A little more than three minutes later, Long connected with Mathenia on a 35-yard touchdown pass that put the Bearkats back on top 24-21.

The Lumberjacks then proved again that no lead was safe when Williams threw a 14-yard scoring toss to tight end Matt Bodley as SFA bolted back in front 28-24.

The Bearkats' Robert Garmon then brought the ensuing kickoff back 42 yards to midfield. A halfback pass from Brad Baca to Long helped set up a 19-yard TD pass from Long to Bernard Campbell that put Sam Houston State back in command 31-28.

But nothing was settled until the Bearkats' Steven Hagler broke through to block a potential game-tying 40-yard field-goal attempt by Ryan Rossner with 17 seconds to play.

"Both teams are good teams," Sam Houston State coach Ron Randleman said. "It's maybe too intense a rivalry sometimes. It's just so much feeling, and it was such an important ballgame."

Sam Houston swept the Southland Conference Player-of-the-Week awards after the SFA victory. Mathenia won the offensive honor, Paul Donelson was named defensive "Player of the Week" and Hagler was the winner of the special teams honor.

The victory was part of a seven-game winning streak as Sam Houston powered its way to the 2004 Southland Conference championship and an NCAA Division I playoff berth. The Bearkats ended 2004 with an 11-3 record, their best ever at the Division I FCS level. Sam Houston earned their highest NCAA final national ranking ever (No. 4) and reached the semi-finals of the playoffs.

A new chapter in the "Battle of the Piney Woods" football rivalry begins Saturday, Oct. 23 when Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin meet at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

The move of the series to Reliant Stadium for the next four seasons comes from a partnership between Lone Star Sports & Entertainment (LSSE) and the two universities. LSSE is an independent event management company which is closely affiliated with the NFL's Houston Texans.

Battle of the Piney Woods tickets are now on sale through the university's athletic websites at www.gobearkats.com. Fans also can purchase tickets at the Sam Houston athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House in the south end zone at Bowers Stadium or by calling ticket office at (936) 294-1729.

Ticket prices range from $15 to $35. Sam Houston State season ticket holders will have premium ticket locations included in their packages. Only lower bowl seating will be open at Reliant Stadium for the "Battle of the Piney Woods." Sam Houston fans will be seated on the west side of the stadium while the SFA section will be on the east side.

Previous articles in this series

Battle of the Piney Woods -- Greatest Games:
1.  Sam Houston's first victory over SFA -- Bearkats 6, Jacks 0 -- 1925.
2.  Kats earn first conference title -- Bearkats 20, Jacks 0 -- 1930
3.  Thanksgiving Day thriller -- Bearkats 13, Jacks 6 -- 1938
4.  Win earns Kats' first post-season game -- Bearkats 32, Jacks 20 -- 1952
5.  Mac Moore runs over Lumberjacks -- Bearkats 25, Jacks 14 -- 1953
6.  Victory gives Sam first Lone Star title -- Bearkats 26, Jacks 6 -- 1955
7.  Shutout of SFA completes first unbeaten season -- Bearkats 31, Jacks 6 -- 1956
8.  Rain soaked upset spoils SFA Homecoming -- Bearkats 6, Jacks 0 -- 1959
9.  Halloween win paves way to national title  -- Bearkats 21, Jacks 8 -- 1964
10. Kats grind out win on way to 8-win season -- Bearkats 25, Jacks 18 -- 1970
11.) SFA forced to share league title with Kats -- Bearkats 28, Jacks 21 -- 1985
12.) Last minute heroics earn SHSU league title -- Bearkats 30, Jacks 26 -- 1986
13.) Victory in first Southland Piney Woods battle -- Bearkats 31, Jacks 17 -- 1987
14.) Sam Houston wins see-saw Homecoming victory -- Bearkats 34, Jacks 23 -- 1992
15.) Late punt return sinks No. 4 SFA -- Bearkats 14, Jacks 10 -- 1996
16.) Fourth down TD run powers upset -- Bearkats 33, Jacks 28 -- 1997
17.) Teams combine for 93 points in 2000 -- Bearkats 52, Jacks 41 -- 2000
18.) Quarterback duel highlights regional TV win -- Bearkats 24, Jacks 21 -- 2001
19.) Kats spoil another Jack homecoming -- Bearkats 10, Jacks 7 -- 2002