Sam Houston versus Texas State game notes
11/18/2010 6:23:00 AM | Football
SEASON FINALE
Sam Houston completes its 95th season of football by hosting its oldest rival Saturday Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. at Bowers Stadium.
The Bearkats and the Bobcats of Texas State have battled in four conferences (Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Lone Star, Gulf Star and Southland) a total of 89 times.
The series started in 1919 and stands as the state's oldest NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision rivalry.
Among all current Division I football series in Texas, only UT-Texas A&M (115 games), Baylor-Texas A&M (106), Baylor_Texas (98) and SMU-TCU (98) have played more times.
The Bobcats lead the series with 48 victories to Sam Houston's 34. There have been four ties.
Since both teams joined the Southland in 1987, the Bearkats hold a 13-9-1 record against the Bobcats. Sam Houston stands 6-4-1 against the Bobcats at Bowers Stadium.
ORANGE OUT
Saturday is Orange Out day at Bowers Stadium. Everyone is encouraged to wear orange.
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Kerrington Bush leads the Texas St. ground attack, ranking No. 4 in the Southland Conference with 65.7 yards per game. Bush has totaled 135 carries for 657 yards and five touchdowns.
Bobcat quarterback Tyler Arndt has completed 106 of 192 passes for 1,364 yards and nine TDs. Tim Hawkins has added for 463 yards and five scores in the air.
The top receiver for Texas St. is DaMarcus Griggs who has 55 receptions for 782 yards and five touchdowns.
YOUNG BEARKATS GROWING UP
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. 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.
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) returned from the 2009 team. Sam Houston did not return a running back who touched a ball in the 2009 season and the Bearkats' top six receivers from last year were 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 BEARKAT OFFENSE
The biggest change for the 2010 Bearkats has come on offense where Sam Houston have become more balanced.
Brian Bell, a true freshman from China Spring, took over as SHSU's starting quarterback in the third game. Bell came off the bench in the second quarter at Western Illinois and directed the team to two touchdown drives. Since then, Bell has completed 101 of 188 passes for 1,287 yards and seven touchdowns.
With no running backs who carried during either the 2009 season or in spring practice, Sam Houston collected a strong stable of runners in preseason camp. Tim Flanders, a redshirt freshman transfer from Kansas State, leads the Kats with 91.6 yards rushing per game. That includes six consecutive games of 100 or more yards rushing.
However, the redshirt freshman from Midwest City, Okla., who came to SHSU as a transfer from Kansas State, has been slowed the last three weeks by an ankle injury. He did not play at UCA. Flanders netted 156 yards at Western Illinois, 104 vs. Gardner-Webb, 153 at Lamar, 105 yards at Nicholls, 134 versue Southeastern Louisiana and 100 against SFA. He has carried only 10 times for 25 yards in the last three games.
With 824 yards rushing in nine games, Flanders stands No. 2 on the list of top single season rushing performances by Sam Houston freshmen. Joe Rauls gained 867 yards in 1998.
Flanders already has broken the school record for most rushing TDs (9) set by a freshman set by Joe Vickers in 1971. He also has tied the school mark for 100-yard rushing performances in one season with six. While their six 100-yard games were not in succession, Roger Wiley (1982), D. D. Terry (2006) and Chris Poullard (2007) all produced six triple figure running games in a year.
BEARKAT DEFENSE
Sam Houston's blitzing defense totaled 29 sacks in this season. The Bearkats rank second in the Southland. A year ago, Sam Houston totaled 15 sacks in 11 contests. The 27 sacks this year are most for a Kat defense since the 2001 Southland championship season when Sam Houston totaled 44.
In a 26-7 victory at Nicholls, the defense tied a Southland Conference record and set a school record by rolling up 12 sacks. 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.
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.
Henry was named as Southland Conference "Defensive Player of the Week" after his performance at Nicholls.
Fifteen 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.
Sam Houston ranks No. 1 in the Southland in rushing defense, allowing 97.4 yards per game. The Kats limited Nicholls to just 97 yards total offense. That was the lowest total offense figure allowed by a Sam Houston defense since 1990.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Sam Houston players have won Southland Conference special teams "Player of the Week" honors this season. Miguel Antonio, who led Sam Houston in scoring with 73 points on 12 field goals and 37 PATs as a true freshman in 2009, was player of the week following the 30-14 victory over Gardner-Webb. Antonio kicked three field goals and was perfect on three extra points.
Brandon Closner received the award after returning a punt 37 yards for a touchdown in the Lamar victory. Sam Houston had not had a punt return brought back for a score since 2006. Closner ranks No. 2 in the Southland Conference in punt returns (11.4 yards per game) and No. 3 in kickoff returns (24.9).
Matt Foster, a veteran of Australian rules football in Melbourne, handles punting chores. A red-hirt at Purdue last year, Foster will be played in his first American football game in the opener at Baylor.
SENIOR DAY
Saturday's game marks the final appearance in a Bearkat uniform for seven Sam Houston State seniors.
Brandon Bruce, a 5-11, 205-pound defensive back, is a three-year letter winner for the Bearkats. He has totaled more than 70 tackles for the Kat defense during his career. The criminal justice major was an All-District quarterback and defensive back at Hughes Springs.
Julius Emmanuel, a 5-11, 250-pound defensive lineman, earned his place on the 2010 Bearkat squad as a walk-on. He came to Sam Houston from Pearland High School.
Victor Carmichael, a 6-1, 190-pound safety from University High School in Waco, has been a starter for the Bearkats the past two years. The kinesiology major has totaled more than 80 tackles for Sam Houston. Carmichael came to SHSU from Kilgore Junior College where he was an all-conference performer.
Coty Gatewood, a 6-2, 260-pound defensive lineman from Kilgore, is a four-year letterman for the Bearkats. A kinesiology major, Gatewood has been a starter this season at defensive end where he has totaled 20 tackles including four for losses. He was an All-District lineman in high school at Kilgore.
Jarvis Pippins is a four-year letterman as a cornerback for Sam Houston. The mass communications major has totaled more than 75 tackles in his career and has intercepted three passes. He came to Sam Houston after earning All-District and All-East Texas honors at Longview High School.
Michael Pittman, a 6-0, 185-pound defensive back from College Station, has played this season as a backup cornerback and special teams player. He isa kinesiology major from A&M Consolidated.
Bryan Randolph, a 6-3, 200-pound quarterback from Simi Valley, Calif., has lettered the last three seasons for Sam Houston. A mass communications major, he came to Huntsville from Moorpark College in California where he was an All-Western State Conference selection.
Senior Day is one of many special activities highlighting Saturday's football contest.
The annual "Bearkat-Bobcat Battle" with Texas State also will be "Kids' Day" at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. Youngsters 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.
The Villas of Sycamore is sponsoring "Show Your Spirit Day" for the final game as well. Prizes include a 42-inch Sony LED big screen television, a Garmin NUVI 1300 GPS system and an 8GB IPOD Nano. Any currently enrolled Sam Houston student may participate.
To enter, stop by the Villas of Sycamore tent at the Bearkat Alley Tailgate at 1 p.m. for the Villas of Sycamore "Show Your Spirit" prelims. Each entrant will have the opportunity to show his or her Bearkat spirit for the judges. Three finalists will be chosen for the finals to be held during halftime of the football game. Contestants will be judged on dress, school spirit and dance moves.
Tickets for the Sam Houston vs. Texas State football game 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.
