Showdown In San Marcos
11/19/2011 7:16:00 AM | Football
Outright Southland Conference championship, automatic berth into the playoffs and most likely a first-round bye in the postseason.
The Bearkats should be just about set heading into the regular-season finale. But not so fast.
Currently sporting an unblemished record to date, the last thing the second-ranked Kats want is to trip up just before getting the playoffs under way, especially against their longtime rivals.
"It's a big game," senior offensive lineman Chris Crockett said Wednesday. "This is definitely not one to be taken lightly. They're a good team."
While Sam Houston has another season on its hands following today's game, the Kats (10-0 overall) know that they'll be facing a dangerous Texas State squad that will be playing with nothing to lose on the Bobcats' home turf.
"We've got to realize that they'll be coming out to play," Crockett said. "They can kind of throw it all out there and kind of go all in whatever they try to do. On offense, I imagine they might have some trick plays. On defense, they can send the house. What do they have to lose? It'll definitely be another challenge."
Throughout the season, Texas State (6-5) has played a full Southland schedule, although each of those games didn't factor in the conference race since the Bobcats are in the transitional period of moving up to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Essentially nonconference games for each team remaining in the Southland, Texas State has had its ups and downs.
After opening the season with a pair of lopsided losses to Wyoming and Texas Tech, the Bobcats got on a roll once they began playing Southland teams, beating Stephen F. Austin, Nicholls, McNeese State and Lamar. But lately Texas State has been on a downswing with three losses in its last four games, dropping contests to Southeastern Louisiana, Northwestern State and Central Arkansas.
"I'm sure they've been banged up a little bit as well," Bearkats head coach Willie Fritz said. "We're preparing like we're playing the team that beat Stephen F. Austin and McNeese - that's the team we're preparing for because that's the team we've seen on tape."
In the Bobcats, Sam Houston sees a team similar to itself stylistically.
Like the Bearkats with running back Tim Flanders (1,001 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns) and do-it-all sophomore Richard Sincere (677 yards and nine scores), Texas State has a run-heavy offense and are led by Terrence Franks (792 yards and nine touchdowns) and Marcus Curry (629 yards and three TDs).
The Bobcats also bring plenty of defensive pressure and are led by defensive end Michael Ebbitt, who has 11.5 sacks.
"They do a lot of the same things that we do on offense," Crockett said. "Every week, we watch tape on our opponent against Texas State because they are similar to us.
"On defense, they like to blitz - not necessarily in the same style - but they blitz a lot on third down, in the red zone, they bring in (line)backers. We've got to be ready for that."
While the records for Sam Houston and Texas State may be far apart, rivalry games tend to lend very little to what teams have done earlier in the season. Especially between the Bearkats and the Bobcats, which is the longest-running FCS rivalry (89th meeting today) in the state, the fact that it is possibly the last meeting between the two teams puts added importance to today's contest.
"This is a huge ballgame for us, huge game. This is the last one - the last time Sam Houston is going to play Texas State," Fritz said. "Our goal is just to have the very best week of preparation we can and be 1-0 at the end of the week. Everybody's looking forward to the challenge of going over there to their place and playing them."
Conference-wise, the Bearkats can't hurt themselves as far as the Southland's automatic playoff bid is concerned, having clinched it two weeks ago. But that doesn't mean that today represents a throw-away game. The Bearkats can do themselves some favors with a win over the Bobcats.
Not only would it guarantee a perfect season, Sam Houston first unbeaten campaign since 1956, but the Bearkats would remain as the only undefeated team in the Football Championship Subdivision.
As a result, the Bearkats could possibly end up with one of the top seeds Sunday morning, when the 20-team playoff field is unveiled. The reward for one of those five seeds is the right to host playoff games instead of hitting the road and having to travel to places like Montana or New Hampshire where weather and temperatures won't be as kind.
"There's so much to play for, it's unbelievable. An opportunity to have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, having a bye," Fritz said. "I know as coaches, we have not done anything different as far as our preparation.
"I don't think our seniors will allow our guys to lag off a bit. I don't think that's going to be a factor. Our guys are going to be ready to go."
Even more important, Sam Houston would also be able to carry plenty of momentum into the playoffs against whomever they draw.
"A lot of what we do this weekend affects what we've got going on in the postseason. We just can't change anything that we're doing," Crockett said. "Just because we won conference, we can't get away from what got us here. We just need to keep our foot on the pedal and just keep grinding."
The Bearkats should be just about set heading into the regular-season finale. But not so fast.
Currently sporting an unblemished record to date, the last thing the second-ranked Kats want is to trip up just before getting the playoffs under way, especially against their longtime rivals.
"It's a big game," senior offensive lineman Chris Crockett said Wednesday. "This is definitely not one to be taken lightly. They're a good team."
While Sam Houston has another season on its hands following today's game, the Kats (10-0 overall) know that they'll be facing a dangerous Texas State squad that will be playing with nothing to lose on the Bobcats' home turf.
"We've got to realize that they'll be coming out to play," Crockett said. "They can kind of throw it all out there and kind of go all in whatever they try to do. On offense, I imagine they might have some trick plays. On defense, they can send the house. What do they have to lose? It'll definitely be another challenge."
Throughout the season, Texas State (6-5) has played a full Southland schedule, although each of those games didn't factor in the conference race since the Bobcats are in the transitional period of moving up to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Essentially nonconference games for each team remaining in the Southland, Texas State has had its ups and downs.
After opening the season with a pair of lopsided losses to Wyoming and Texas Tech, the Bobcats got on a roll once they began playing Southland teams, beating Stephen F. Austin, Nicholls, McNeese State and Lamar. But lately Texas State has been on a downswing with three losses in its last four games, dropping contests to Southeastern Louisiana, Northwestern State and Central Arkansas.
"I'm sure they've been banged up a little bit as well," Bearkats head coach Willie Fritz said. "We're preparing like we're playing the team that beat Stephen F. Austin and McNeese - that's the team we're preparing for because that's the team we've seen on tape."
In the Bobcats, Sam Houston sees a team similar to itself stylistically.
Like the Bearkats with running back Tim Flanders (1,001 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns) and do-it-all sophomore Richard Sincere (677 yards and nine scores), Texas State has a run-heavy offense and are led by Terrence Franks (792 yards and nine touchdowns) and Marcus Curry (629 yards and three TDs).
The Bobcats also bring plenty of defensive pressure and are led by defensive end Michael Ebbitt, who has 11.5 sacks.
"They do a lot of the same things that we do on offense," Crockett said. "Every week, we watch tape on our opponent against Texas State because they are similar to us.
"On defense, they like to blitz - not necessarily in the same style - but they blitz a lot on third down, in the red zone, they bring in (line)backers. We've got to be ready for that."
While the records for Sam Houston and Texas State may be far apart, rivalry games tend to lend very little to what teams have done earlier in the season. Especially between the Bearkats and the Bobcats, which is the longest-running FCS rivalry (89th meeting today) in the state, the fact that it is possibly the last meeting between the two teams puts added importance to today's contest.
"This is a huge ballgame for us, huge game. This is the last one - the last time Sam Houston is going to play Texas State," Fritz said. "Our goal is just to have the very best week of preparation we can and be 1-0 at the end of the week. Everybody's looking forward to the challenge of going over there to their place and playing them."
Conference-wise, the Bearkats can't hurt themselves as far as the Southland's automatic playoff bid is concerned, having clinched it two weeks ago. But that doesn't mean that today represents a throw-away game. The Bearkats can do themselves some favors with a win over the Bobcats.
Not only would it guarantee a perfect season, Sam Houston first unbeaten campaign since 1956, but the Bearkats would remain as the only undefeated team in the Football Championship Subdivision.
As a result, the Bearkats could possibly end up with one of the top seeds Sunday morning, when the 20-team playoff field is unveiled. The reward for one of those five seeds is the right to host playoff games instead of hitting the road and having to travel to places like Montana or New Hampshire where weather and temperatures won't be as kind.
"There's so much to play for, it's unbelievable. An opportunity to have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, having a bye," Fritz said. "I know as coaches, we have not done anything different as far as our preparation.
"I don't think our seniors will allow our guys to lag off a bit. I don't think that's going to be a factor. Our guys are going to be ready to go."
Even more important, Sam Houston would also be able to carry plenty of momentum into the playoffs against whomever they draw.
"A lot of what we do this weekend affects what we've got going on in the postseason. We just can't change anything that we're doing," Crockett said. "Just because we won conference, we can't get away from what got us here. We just need to keep our foot on the pedal and just keep grinding."
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