Big Challenge In The Hole
10/22/2011 9:09:00 AM | Football
There's a good reason that McNeese State's football stadium is nicknamed "The Hole." Not only is the field at Cowboy Stadium nestled between a pair of hills below ground level, but oftentimes opposing teams seem to have trouble finding their way out with a win in hand.
In one of the Southland Conference's most difficult environments, the seventh-ranked Bearkats square off against McNeese State tonight as they try to stay perched atop the conference standings.
"It's a rowdy crowd. They've got the cowbells and the night, I guess, makes their team come alive," Kats senior linebacker Will Henry said of the Cowboys following Thursday's practice.
In the past six seasons, the Cowboys (2-1 in Southland Conference, 3-3 overall) are 24-9 at home, and 15-4 in conference games played in "The Hole."
Sam Houston has certainly felt the effects of playing in Lake Charles, La. Dating back to 1988 when McNeese joined the Southland, the Bearkats have won just once (a 20-3 win in 1999) in 12 games at Cowboy Stadium.
"Looking at film, they seem to have a lot of motivation when they play at home," SHSU senior offensive lineman Chris Crockett said. "They play fast and they play with their hair on fire. We're going to have to match that intensity, so we're going to have to start fast, hit them in the mouth and shut their crowd up early."
It's not just the history in Lake Charles that has been unkind to Sam Houston. The Bearkats, who stand 3-0 in SLC play and 6-0 overall, have only been able to beat the Cowboys three times (1996, 1999 and 2004) in the past 23 years.
"We haven't beat them since I've been here," Henry said. "We've been talking to all the young guys, telling them to get this win for the seniors and to just come out here and play their hardest.
"We know that it's their homecoming and it's going to be jam-packed and they're going to be fired up. We just know that if we play with the same intensity that we've been playing with these last few weeks, we're unstoppable."
In the last two meetings, McNeese rolled past Sam Houston 63-42 in 2009 in Lake Charles, then also edged the Kats 33-28 last fall in Huntsville.
"Our defense is looking forward to coming in there and avenging that loss, that terrible loss we had (in 2009). They put up 63 points against us last time. We're wanting to avenge that loss and the one we had last year," Henry said. "We're looking forward to it. It's not going to do anything but help us and motivate us to play better."
While Sam Houston looks to remain unbeaten and alone in first place in the Southland, the Kats know they'll be facing a Cowboys team desperate for an upset to get back into the race for a conference title. McNeese State dropped a tough 21-18 decision to Central Arkansas last week in Conway, Ark.
"They're going to be dangerous anyway, but they're doubly dangerous now because their backs are against the wall," Sam Houston head coach Willie Fritz said. "They need this game big time to continue to be in the conference race. We're going to get their best effort and we would've gotten that whether they won two in a row or lost two in a row. They're a very good team with very good tradition. It's going to be a heck of a challenge for us."
Sam Houston and McNeese boast two of the Southland's top defenses with the Bearkats giving up 286.0 yards and 14.2 points per game (ranked No. 1 in the SLC in both categories), while the Cowboys are second and third, respectively, with 317.0 yards and 24.3 points.
"They've got an excellent defense," Fritz said. "They swarm to the ball well. They're very physical. This is going to be our biggest test to date."
