Kats look for quick start against Demons
10/30/2010 8:40:00 AM | Football
It would have been hard-pressed back before the season began to find anyone who would have thought the Bearkats and Northwestern State would be playing for more than just bragging rights today.
The Demons were coming off an 0-11 campaign in 2009 under a new head coach, and Sam Houston State replaced its coaching staff and lost close to 30 players.
But credit both programs with speeding up the rebuilding process. When the Bearkats face Northwestern State at 6 p.m. in a battle of second-place teams today at Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, La., the winner will still be in the Southland Conference championship race.
"Coach (Bradley Dale) Peveto has done a very nice job over there. He is a good friend of mine and an excellent football coach," SHSU head coach Willie Fritz said. "It doesn't surprise me at all that they are playing well. We are also getting better each week, so it doesn't shock me that we are both playing in a meaningful game at this stage in the season."
The Demons (2-1 in SLC, 3-4 overall) have really turned it on in the past couple of weeks. After falling 24-7 at home to McNeese State in the conference opener, Northwestern State went on the road and pulled off a pair of impressive victories at Central Arkansas and Texas State.
The Demons are similar to Sam Houston (2-1, 4-3) in that they rely on a strong running game. In the wins over the Bears and Bobcats, Northwestern State averaged close to 200 yards rushing.
One of the things that makes the Demons tricky to contain on offense is that quarterback Paul Harris has shown the ability to make plays with his feet. During the two-game win streak, the sophomore has rushed for 122 yards and a score and thrown for 227 and a touchdown.
"We have to get after them," Bearkats linebacker Darius Taylor said. "They are going to try and run it. We need to start fast and stop the run."
The good news for Sam Houston is that it boasts the conference's top-rushing defense. The Bearkats are only allowing 92.9 yards a game on the ground.
On the flip side, SHSU ranks last in passing yards allowed (256.7) per game. Northwestern will try and mix things up on the Bearkats to catch them off guard.
"They have a good quarterback that runs the ball very well," Fritz added. "The thing they do well offensively is that they run some different things at the beginning of the game that you are not used to seeing to try and take advantage of your scheme. We have tried to get our guys lining up to a lot of different stuff this week."
One of the important keys for Sam Houston this week will be getting off to a quick start offensively.
The Bearkats opened the season with a pair of losses, but rattled off four straight wins. In all four of those victories, Sam Houston scored first.
In last weekend's 31-28 loss to fourth-ranked Stephen F. Austin, the Kats fell behind 14-0 and had to dig out of a deep hole the entire game.
"We don't want to dig ourselves another hole," SHSU wide receiver Richard Sincere said. "We want to try and score every time we get the ball. It takes a lot of pressure off us when we get off to a quick start.
"This is a big game for us. We have to continue doing what we have been doing and forget about what happened last week."
The Sam Houston vs. Northwestern State football game will be broadcast live in the Huntsville area on KSAM 101.7 FM and on the internet on www.gobearkats.com .
The Bearkats have two home football games remaining as Sam Houston returns to Bowers Stadium on Saturday November 6 to play host to McNeese State and wraps up the 2010 regular season on Saturday November 20 against Texas State. Kickoff for both games is 2 p.m.
The McNeese State contest November 6 is the four annual "Pinkout" game at Bowers promoting breast cancer awareness and research. Special "Pink Out Kats for the Cause" t-shirts will be on sale with 25 per cent of the proceeds supporting breast cancer awareness. The shirts will be sold during pregame tailgate from 12 noon to 2 p.m.
The Texas State game November 20 is "Senior Day" at Bowers with special pregame ceremonies honoring the five seniors on the 2010 team. The Bearkats vs. Bobcats matchup also is "Kids Day." Kids 17 years of age and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult with a paid ticket. Up to four youngsters may accompany each adult.
Tickets for both home games and other Bearkat home events are on sale online now at www.gobearkats.com/tickets . Fans also may purchase tickets at the Sam Houston office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
