Football hits the grass to prepare for Leathernecks
9/16/2010 7:02:00 AM | Football
By Cody Stark
Huntsville Item
The Bearkats detoured from their normal routine Wednesday in order to get a better idea of what to expect this weekend in Macomb, Ill.
With two days left to prepare for Western Illinois, Sam Houston State shifted practice from Bowers Stadium to Huntsville High School so the Bearkats could work out on grass since that will be the playing surface at Hanson Field on Saturday.
While Sam Houston worked out for an hour and a half Wednesday, Huntsville head coach Shane Martin and his bunch practiced at Bowers Stadium where the Hornets host Livingston on Friday night.
"We really appreciate Huntsville High School working with us. Coach Martin and myself changed places today and they went to the university," Bearkats head coach Willie Fritz said. "You just need to get out here and get a feel for playing on grass. You have to make sure your shoes are correct and other things. This is the only game we play on grass this year, and it was nice for them to let us come out here and practice."
It has been almost two weeks since Sam Houston State has played. The Bearkats opened the season with a 34-3 loss at Baylor on Sept. 4 and had a bye this past weekend.
The team practiced almost everyday last week, but Fritz gave the guys a break with a couple of days off over the weekend, hoping the Kats would benefit from the extra rest.
"We went really hard on Monday and Friday last week with our conditioning and we practiced on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday," the coach said. "We took the whole weekend off, and I thought it was good for us. We really didn't do anything until Monday afternoon, and we have gone a little shorter in practices. I told our guys that we are in great condition, now can we get it done between the ears and play hard?
"We have taken care of a lot of things we couldn't do in camp like working on gadget plays and game situations that we brushed on during camp, but couldn't be real thorough."
While the bye week was much needed to help heal any nagging injuries and give the Bearkats more time to work on problem areas, there are some concerns about the layoff.
The players worked hard for a month in preseason camp before finally getting to strap on the pads and mix it up with a different colored uniform. Then just as things were starting to pick up, Sam Houston was hit with two more weeks in-between games.
The coaches have been working hard to keep the team focused heading into Saturday's rematch with the Leathernecks, who handed the Kats a heartbreaking 35-28 setback at Bowers Stadium last season.
"I told them that it was great to have that weekend off, and hopefully it healed some guys up," Fritz added. "The biggest improvement teams have is between week one and week two. We will get back into rhythm and be ready to go on Saturday."
Saturday's game in Macomb, Ill., kicks off at 1 p.m. The contest will be broadcast live on KSAM FM 101.7 in Huntsville and on www.gobearkats.com .
More than half of this year's Bearkat football squad weren't part of the Sam Houston program last September when WIU visited Bowers Stadium to open the 2009 season for both teams. The win over Sam Houston was Western Illinois' only victory in a 1-10 campaign last year. But the Leathernecks look much improved this season after an opening victory at home a week ago over Valpariso and a close 31-21 loss at Purdue Saturday.
Sam Houston opens its home schedule on Saturday Sept. 25 with Bearkat Family Weekend against Gardner-Webb. Special events during the evening include an appearance by the Houston Texans cheerleaders, a salute to Hillcrest Heroes honoring local veterans and police and fire department emergency service personnel, a huge pregame tailgate and a postgame fireworks display.
Other home games will be Oct. 16 (Homecoming) vs. Southeastern Louisiana, Nov. 6 vs. McNeese State and Nov. 20 vs. Texas State. The final three home games will kickoff at 2 p.m.
Tickets for all Sam Houston home games at Bowers Stadium and the "Battle of the Piney Woods" contest with Stephen F. Austin October 23 at Reliant Stadium are onsale now at www.gobearkats.com/tickets .
Fans also may visit the Sam Houston athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House located in the south end zone of Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
