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 #14
October 31, 1992 - Sam Houston 34, Stephen F. Austin 23
Emotions run high in each "Battle of the Piney Woods" and the 67th meeting of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin in 1992 was no exception.
In 1992, the Bearkats were defending Southland Conference co-champions. But the "co" in front of champions was there because of a 13-3 upset at the hands of the Lumberjacks in Nacogdoches when No. 5 Sam Houston had its starting quarterback Ashley Van Meter was on the sidelines with an injury.
The Kats were looking for payback and it was Homecoming for Sam Houston at Bowers Stadium
"I don't think we'll have any trouble getting excited this week. SFA is always a big game for us and Homecoming is always a big day," Sam Houston State coach Ron Randleman said prior to the contest. "It will be close, it will be emotional."
The head coach was right on target. The 1992 SHSU-SFA matchup was one of the most see-saw, back-and-forth battles in the "Piney Wood" series with five lead changes and the outcome not certain until the last minute.
The Jacks struck first as Christian Fontana kicked a 38-yard field goal after a 10-play 44-yard drive with 5:11 left in the first quarter.
Van Meter, who had come back from his injury that had caused him to miss the 1991 SFA game to direct the Bearkats to their second NCAA Division I playoff appearance at season's end, got a hot hand in the second quarter.
After an SFA field goal miss, Van Meter hit wide receiver Claude Stewart for a 64-yard touchdown pass to put Sam Houston up 7-3. Trey Woods, the one-armed special teams player who still holds the school record for most blocked kicks, batted down an SFA punt attempt to set up a 30-yard field goal by Marcus Hajdik with 6:41 remaining before intermission. Sam Houston went into the locker room up 10-3.
Donny Anderson recovered a Sam Houston fumble on the third quarter opening kickoff. Quarterback Mark Goddard found Shawn York open for a three-yard touchdown pass to tie the contest 10-10 less than two minutes into the second half.
After an exchange of punts, SFA drove 63 yards in 11 plays for a 36-yard Fontana field goal that gave SFA the lead for a second time 13-10 with 4:28 remaining in the third.
Greenwood Horn recovered a Lumberjack fumble at the SFA 15-yard line to set up a 27-yard field goal by Hajdik that tied the contest again at 13-13 with 54 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
The kicking duel continued into the fourth quarter. A 35-yard run by Leonard Harris put SFA on the Kats' six-yard line to set up a Fontana 24-yard field goal to give the Jacks the lead again 16-13.
Sam Houston came right back, marching 82 yards in seven plays (the longest touchdown drive of the 1992 season) to regain the lead on a 21-yard Charles Oliver run.
SFA answered. After the kickoff, the Jacks took just four plays to go 61 yards for a 3-yard Harris touchdown that put Stephen F. Austin up 23-20 with 8:58 to play. The big play in the drive was a 47-yard pass from Goddard to Shawn York down to the SHSU 14.
Both teams exchanged punts with Sam Houston taking over at its own 20 with 6:24 left. Four plays later the Kats were in the end zone as Van Meter hooked up with Stewart again for a 59-yard scoring strike.
Anthony Miller clinched the victory for Sam Houston with a 39-yard interception return for a touchdown with 58 seconds remaining. Sam Houston had earned a 34-23 victory.
For the day, Van Meter completed 10 of 24 passes for 219 yards and Stewart had gained 176 yards on five receptions. Miller earned honors as Southland Conference "Defensive Player of the Week" and also was named as USA Today/Football News national "Player-of-the-Week."
Sam Houston ended the 1992 season with a 6-3-2 record. Van Meter's season total of 1,923 yards passing stood at that time as the fifth highest season aerial total in Sam Houston history.
Woods ended the year with a school record of three punt blocks. The Sam Houston special teams "block party" blocked seven punts during the year.
Wide receiver Claude Stewart was a first team All-Southland Conference selection and running back Charles Harris, offensive linemen Paul Cline and Kevin Johnson, defensive lineman Greenwood Horn and linebacker Anthony Miller were second team all-league selections.
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.
Battle of the Piney Woods
Previous 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.) Kats clinch first Lone Star title -- Bearkats 27, Jacks 6 -- 1954
7.) Shutout completes perfect season -- Bearkats 31, Jacks 0 -- 1956
8.) Sam Houston spoils SFA Homecoming, title hopes -- Bearkats 6, Jacks 0 -- 1959
9.) Halloween victory 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
Next week - Sam Houston sinks No. 4 ranked Jacks with late punt return -- 1996
