Flanders added to Payton Award list
11/8/2011 11:17:00 AM | Football
Sam Houston State running back got the attention of the nation last month for one play during the Battle of the Piney Woods. The Flanders Flip, a somersaulting leap into the end zone against arch rival Stephen F. Austin, was the signature moment of the Bearkat blow-out victory over the Lumberjacks.
He is now getting national recognition for everything else he has done so far this year. On Tuesday, The Sports Network added Flanders to the watch list for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top offensive player in FCS football.
“I think Tim is very deserving of this recognition,” head coach Willie Fritz said. “I have said all along I think he is the best running back in the FCS, and it is good everyone else is getting a chance to see what he can do.”
Flanders leads the Bearkats in rushing (856 yards) and receiving (343 yards) and has been a big part of the success of the Kats getting off to a 9-0 start and No. 3 national ranking.
Flanders is second in the NCAA in scoring with 18 total touchdowns, including 17 on the ground. He currently ranks No. 30 in rushing with just under 100-yards per game and is No. 35 in all-purpose yardage, averaging 133 per game.
He leads the Southland Conference in rushing, scoring and touchdowns and is fourth in all-purpose yards and ninth in total offense.
His 17 rushing touchdowns on the season have him second in school history, trailing Charles Harris' total of 20. That mark also represents the best single season in Southland Conference history as well. His 18 total touchdowns are also just three shy of the Southland Conference mark.
On Sept. 24 in Albuquerque, in a 48-45 overtime victory against New Mexico, the sophomore from Midwest City, Okla., set a school record for most rushing touchdowns with five. The old mark was four by Harris, Sam Houston's all-time rushing leader, against North Texas in 1992 and James Aston versus Nicholls in 2009.
His 194 yards (including TD runs of 61, 53, three, two and four yards at New Mexico) ranks as the 11th highest single game rushing total by a Bearkat back. Flanders has produced runs of more than 50 yards four times this year and added a 45-yard gain on a pass in the UTSA victory and a 50-yarder on a catch in the McNeese win.
Flanders set a school mark as a freshman in 2010 with six consecutive 100-yard rushing games. He earned Southland Conference's “Freshman of the Year” honors and was a first-team all-league selection in 2010. His 13 rushing touchdowns were the most ever by an SHSU freshman running back.
Five Bearkats have finished the season as finalist for the Walter Payton Award with the most recent being Rhett Bomar in 2008 (14th). Dustin Long had the highest finish for a Bearkat, taking second in the voting in 2004. Other Bearkats to finish as finalists for the Payton Award were Chris Chaloupka (1999, 13th), Josh McCown (2001, 7th) and D.D. Terry (2006, 16th).
A national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will vote on award after the regular season, beginning Nov. 21. The trophy will be presented at the FCS national awards banquet Friday night, Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas. The Sports Network also presents and Fathead.com sponsors those two awards.
Next action for the Bearkats will be a 3:05 p.m. contest with Northwestern State Saturday at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium in Huntsville.
Tickets for the Northwestern State game on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or at the Sam Houston State athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium.
The ticket office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telephone number for the ticket office is (936) 294-1729.
POST-GAME AUTOGRAPHS
A special feature of Saturday's game will be a postgame autograph session with the players for Bearkat season ticket holders, members of the Junior Bearkat Club and other fans.
PIZZA HUT TICKET OFFER
Pizza Hut in Huntsville offers Bearkat fans a great way to earn tickets to Sam Houston State's Southland Conference showdown with the Northwestern State Demons on Saturday, Nov. 12. Starting this week, any customer can call into the two Pizza Hut locations in Huntsville and received two tickets to the Nov. 12 game by ordering a large pizza for takeout or delivery. Customers must mention the Bearkat ticket offer during their order to receive the tickets. Huntsville area Pizza Hut locations are 3010 Highway 30 and 4030 Sam Houston Avenue. Telephone numbers for the locations are (936) 294-9191 and (936) 295-5586. The ticket offer is good through Nov. 11 or whenever the ticket supply runs out.
TEXAS FARM BUREAU BENEFIT
Texas Farm Bureau members will receive a complimentary general admission ticket just by showing a membership card or a recent billing statement at Saturday's game. The offer is a special benefit arranged by Texas Farm Bureau for its membership. The offer is only good for one ticket per member. Proof of membership will be requested at the time of ticket pick up.
HILLCREST HEROES DISCOUNT
Military, community service (fire department, emergency service and police) and Texas Department of Criminal Justice personnel will be able to purchase $15 tickets to any of the six Bearkat home football games this season for just $10 under the new "Hillcrest Heroes" discount. To receive the discount, personnel can present their military, TDCJ or community service identification at the box office. The discount applies to both current and retired personnel. The discount also will be available for home volleyball, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball events at Sam Houston State University.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE & INCOMING TRANSFERS DISCOUNT
Students enrolled at Blinn Junior College and Lone Star College can received admission to Saturday's game by presenting their student ID at the main ticket office on the west side of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium Saturday. Also, incoming transfer students may receive admission to the game through the SHSU Admissions office.
CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY TAILGATE
With kickoff pushed back an hour to 3:05 p.m. Saturday, tailgate fun at Bearkat Alley will begin at 1 p.m. in the Bowers Stadium parking lot north of the scoreboard. The fun begins with the traditional "March to Bowers" by the Bearkat Marching Band.
