Long awaited "Battle" at Reliant Stadium near
10/4/2010 6:00:00 AM | Football
But this year, in the locker rooms at Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin, one date has a bigger circle around it than any other.
That day is Saturday, October 23 when the "Battle of the Piney Woods" between the Bearkats and the Lumberjacks goes "big time," moving to Reliant Stadium in Houston, home of the Houston Texans.
"Since before we reported to preseason camp in August, there's been a lot of buzz on campus about the game at Reliant with Stephen F. Austin," Sam Houston senior quarterback Bryan Randolph said. "I know a lot of students who bought their tickets months ago. Everyone is really looking forward to this game."
Since its birth in 1923, the annual gridiron grudge match between the Bearkats and the Lumberjacks has been something special.
With 84 meetings, the series ranks as the second oldest NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) rivalry in Texas and the sixth oldest Division I continuing series in the state.
"Everyone at SFA is excited about playing at Reliant Stadium," All-Southland linebacker Jabara Williams from the No. 6 ranked Lumberjacks said. "It's always a battle every year with Sam Houston, but playing the Bearkats in a different setting, especially in an NFL stadium, is just going to add to the intensity."
Jarvis Pippins, a senior defensive back for Sam Houston has been part of the "Piney Woods" rivalry since his freshman year.
"When they told us last fall they were moving the Stephen F. Austin game to Reliant Stadium for my senior year, that was fantastic," Pippins said. "SFA is the team to beat in the conference this year. They're picked to win the league in the preseason polls and they deserve it because of their great season last year. But they know they're going to be in a battle come October."
Sam Houston holds a 48-34-2 edge in the series but SFA won the duel between the two teams last year.
No head coach from either school has participated in more "Piney Woods" battles than Ron Randleman. As Sam Houston head coach from 1982 to 2004, Randleman was part of 23 SHSU-SFA matchups.
"What a great rivalry. There was lots of intensity every time we played over the years," Randleman said. "It was especially fun when Jim Hess was coach at SFA from 1982 to 1988. We were good friends and had a great time coaching against each other."
Randleman said it is hard to pick out just one or two great moments from his "Battle of the Piney Woods" experiences.
"There have been so many big plays and great games over the year between the two teams," Randleman said. "That's what you expect from this kind of rivalry."
When pressed, Randleman rolls off a list of big plays that earned Sam Houston victories over Stephen F. Austin.
"Ricky Eggleston's catch in the end zone with 30 seconds left to win in 1986; Matt Dominguez catching all those long passes including a 73-yard bomb in 2000; Yohance Bree running back a punt for a fourth quarter touchdown in 1996 when all we wanted him to do was fair catch it; Bennie Wylie going 48 yards on a power left play on fourth-and-one in 1997; Steven Hagler blocking a field goal to save the victory in 2004 ... the list goes on and on. I know we won our share from SFA, but it was never easy to beat the Lumberjacks."
One of the biggest characteristics of great rivalry games is how unpredictable the outcome can be when the two teams face off. Thirteen times since 1988, one or both teams have come into the "Piney Woods" shoot-out ranked among the top 25 NCAA Division FCS teams. Six of those games, the unranked team won.
The 2010 matchup could mark the 14th occasion for one of the teams to be ranked as SFA has climbed to No. 5 in national polls.
"Rivalry games always are an exciting part of NCAA college football and few rivalries are as intense as Sam Houston vs. Stephen F. Austin," new Sam Houston head coach Willie Fritz said. "With more than 65,000 Bearkat alumni calling the Greater Houston area home and less than 10,000 tickets remaining for the game, we urge all our Sam Houston fans to get their tickets now. When our team comes out of the tunnel at the Reliant, it would be great to see a sea of orange on our side of the stadium."
Only the lower bowl at Reliant Stadium, which seats 26,000, will be open 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.
Prior to the game, both Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin will be holding huge tailgate parties in the Reliant Stadium parking lot. Sam Houston State's tailgate site will be Reliant lot 22 (South Kirby Lot).
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.
"Battle of the Piney Woods" tickets also will be on sale at the Bowers Stadium West Side box office during Sam Houston's homecoming game Saturday October 16 with Southeastern Louisiana. The box office will stay open 30 minutes for SHSU-SFA ticket sales following the homecoming contest.
Since mid-summer a special gobearkats.com feature has been counting down the 20 greatest Sam Houston "Battle of the Piney Woods" victories over Stephen F. Austin. To learn more about the excitement of the series, see the list below:
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). Unranked Kats spoil SFA homecoming again -- Bearkats 10, Jacks 7 -- 2002
20.) Blocked field ices win in 79th -battle - Bearkats 31, Jacks 28 -- 2004
