Sam Houston vs. WIU Football Notes
8/31/2011 3:28:00 PM | Football
SEASON OPENER
Sam Houston begins its 96th season of football by hosting NCAA Division I 2010 playoff participant Western Illinois Thursday Sept. 1 in a 6 p.m. contest that will be televised regionally by the Southland Conference TV Network.
The Bearkats stand 51-40-4 all-time in their season openers and 16-9 in openers since Sam Houston moved up to the NCAA Division I level. The Kats have won 10 of their last 13 openers but have dropped their last two, falling to Baylor 34-3 last year in Waco and Western Illinois 35-28 in Huntsville two years ago.
Since Elliott T. Bowers became the home of Sam Houston State University football in 1986, the Bearkats are 9-4 in season opening games in the facility.
SOUTHLAND TELEVISION NETWORK
Sam Houston's opener with Western Illinois will be viewed in 21 markets Thursday including affiliates in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. KUBE 57 is the Bearkats' outlet in the Houston market.Eleven Southland Conference football games will be televised on the network this year including "The Battle of the Piney Woods" rivalry game matching Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin at Reliant Stadium in Houston Saturday Oct. 8.
BEARKAT RADIO
KSAM 101.7 FM will broadcast all Sam Houston games home and away again in 2011. The broadcast also may be heard anywhere in the world online at www.gobearkats.com
ALL-TIME SHSU-WIU SERIES
Thursday marks the 10th meeting of Sam Houston and Western Illinois on the football gridiron. The series is tied with four Bearkat wins, four Leatherneck victories and one tie. The series history:
1986 at McComb, Il - Sam Hosuton 16, Western Illinois13
1987 at Huntsville, Tex - Sam Houston 42, Western Illinois 18
1991 at McComb, Il - Sam Houston 21, Western Illinois 21 (tie)
1992 at Huntsville, Tex - Sam Houston 19, Western Illinois 14
2000 at McComb, Il - Western Illinois 31, Sam Houston 0
2001 at Huntsville, Tex - Sam Houston 49, Western Illinois 24
2002 at McComb, Il - Western Illinois 41, Sam Houston 13
2009 at Huntsville, Tex - Western Illinois 35, Sam Houston 28
2010 at McComb, Il - Western Illinois 56, Sam Houston 14
LAST YEAR
The WIU Leathernecks used three third-quarter scores to turn what was a close game into a runaway. Senior Matt Barr tied a career-high with three touchdown passes and set a school record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 125. Sam Houston got an offensive spark from true freshman quarterback Brian Bell and running back Tim Flanders. Bell directed the Kats on two second quarter touchdown drives. Flanders carried for 156 yards including TD runs of 33 and 31 yards.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
In his first season as head coach at Sam Houston, Willie Fritz fielded one of the youngest Southland Conference football squads ever. Only 29 returning lettermen and six seniors dotted the 90-man roster. There were more newcomers in fall camp than veterans.
But that group of youngsters responded to the challenge by meshing together into a squad that won six of its final nine games. Picked to finish next to last in the preseason poll, Sam Houston tied for third in the league race. The three conference losses were decided by a total of only 14 points (losses by a field goal to SFA and Northwestern State and five points to McNeese).
Now, for their second season, Fritz and his staff welcome back 11 starters on offense, nine on defense and three specialist starters plus 23 other returning lettermen.
That includes Southland Conference "Freshman of the Year" Tim Flanders (5-9, 208) who rushed for 948 yards (94.8 per game) and scored 13 rushing touchdowns; quarterback Brian Bell (6-2, 162) who led the team with 1,371 yards passing; leading receiver Seth Patterson (6-3, 200) who caught 35 passes for 370 yards and All-Southland Conference kick return specialist Brandon Closner (5-10, 170) who averaged 11.5 yards returning punts and 25.8 yards on kickoff returns.
In 2011, the head coach's top goal is to become more explosive on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
"Last year, with our youth, we were a ball control team, trying to use up as much clock as we could offensively," Fritz said. "But I've told the players this season that one-play touchdown drives are fine. We need to make more plays down the field, catching the ball and getting more yards after the catch."
Sam Houston led the Southland in rushing defense in 2010, allowing only 100.1 yards per game. But opponents averaged 261.3 yards per game in the air.
"We are a blitzing, risk-taking defensive team and we need to come up with more sacks and take-aways," Fritz said. "If we can make some more big plays, the sky is the limit for this defense."
Bell returns to run the offense. As a true freshman in 2010, he took over as SHSU's starting quarterback in the third game. Senior reserve signal-caller Greg Sprowls (6-4, 210) also returns.
The Bearkats look to have a strong running game again. Flanders set a school record with seven 100-yard rushing performances and the highest season rushing total ever by a Bearkat freshman. Sophomore Ryan Wilson (5-10, 185) gives SHSU another experienced runner.
Sam Houston's top receivers return including starters Kevin Matthews (5-9, 190) and Richard Sincere (5-10, 175). Transfer Trey Diller (6-2, 200), who red-shirted last year, gives the Kats another quick, athletic target. J. D. Standley (6-3, 235) and T. J. Jones (6-3, 235) are back at tight end.
Senior center Travis Watson (6-4, 295), a second-team All-Southland selection, is back to lead the offensive line. Junior tackles Dan Jenkins (6-4, 290) and Kaleb Hopson (6-6, 290) and senior guard Chris Crockett (6-3, 285) joined Travis as starters last year.
Defensively, 11 of the top 12 team leaders in tackles are back. Junior free safety Kenneth Jenkins (5-10, 195) was named a All-Southland first team and senior linebacker Will Henry (5-10, 210) and junior defensive lineman J. T. Cleveland (6-0, 290) were voted to the second team.
Junior cornerbacks Darnell Taylor (6-0, 195) and Dax Swanson (5-10, 161) and sophomore strong safety Bookie Sneed (6-0, 175) all were honorable mention All-Southland selections.
Taylor led the defene in total tackles with 64 and Jenkins and Henry added 58 and 48, respectively. Other returning starters on defense include linemen sophomore Gary Lorance (6-0, 270) and senior Eddie Decambre (6-2, 245) and senior linebacker Kash David (6-3, 230).
HOME SCHEDULE HELPS 2011 KATS
After playing only four games in Huntsville at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium in 2010, the Bearkats will play six home games at Bowers this season and travels just 70 miles south to Houston to meet Stephen F. Austin at Reliant Stadium.
BLOCK PARTY RETURNS TO HUNTSVILLE
Bearkat special teams blocked punts and returned the blocks for touchdowns twice during the 2010 season. The two blocks marked the return of the "block party," a Bearkat special teams tradition established when Willie Fritz was special teams coordinator for Sam Houston in 1991 and 1992. The "block party" saw Sam Houston block 80 punts, field goals and extra points in the 14 seasons from 1991 to 2004.
SACK ATTACK
Sam Houston's blitzing defense total 31 sacks in 2010, the most by a Bearkat defense since the 2001 Southland championship season when SHSU totaled 44. In the Kats' 26-7 victory at Nicholls, the defense tied a Southland record and set a school mark by rolling up 12 sacks. The previous SHSU record was 10 sacks against Mississippi Valley State in 2002. Northwestern State originally set the Southland record with 12 sacks against SFA in 1997.
SAM HOUSTON OWNS 88-42-1 RECORD AT BOWERS
Elliott T. Bowers Stadium became the home of Sam Houston State University football in 1986. In 24 seasons, the Bearkats have rolled up a record of 88-42-1 on their home artificial turf.
BEARKATS TABBED FOR FOURTH PLACE SOUTHLAND FINISH
Stephen F. Austin and McNeese State, the top two teams in the Southland Conference last season, were again picked as the favorites heading into the 2011 season as voted on by the league's head football coaches. McNeese State received three out of a possible eight first-place votes and 44 points to edge defending champion SFA by just one point. Sam Houston State was tabbed to finished fourth in the coaches' preseason ratings. The Bearkats received 36 total points and had one first place vote.
ELEVEN KATS NAMED TO PRE-SEASON ALL-SOUTHLAND SQUAD
Five Sam Houston State University football players have been named as first team selections and six more have been listed on the second team of the 2011 preseason All-Southland Conference football squad. The squad was selected by vote of the league's head coaches.
Bearkats recognized as first team honorees are running back Tim Flanders, defensive linemen J. T. Cleveland and Preston Sanders, linebacker Will Henry and defensive back Kenneth Jenkins.
Second team selections from Sam Houston are offensive linemen Travis Watson and Caleb Hopson, defensive back Darnell Taylor, place kicker Miguel Antonio, punter Matt Foster and return specialist Brandon Closner.
