Players enjoy flipping Colonels
10/14/2012 6:57:00 AM | Football
Ninth-ranked Sam Houston ran and threw the ball effectively and the defense made plays all game long Saturday in Thibodaux, La. With those elements working together Saturday night, the Kats cruised past Nicholls 41-0 at John L. Guidry Stadium.
"We came out and we played hard the whole game. That was one of our main things. Coach (Willie) Fritz was telling us that he wanted us to play a full game," Bearkats running back Timothy Flanders said.
"Today, we pretty much did what we're capable of. We've got a few mistakes that we've got to fix, but that's part of the learning process."
It took just a little bit of time for the Bearkats (2-1 in Southland Conference play, 4-2 overall) to get some into a groove, but once they settled in late in the first quarter, they were able to move the ball up and down the field. It was elementary from that point forward as Sam Houston put together one of its more complete performances of the season.
"Before we left the hotel, I showed the guys a little highlight tape of plays throughout the season," Fritz said. "My comment to them was that a lot of those plays were in the first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter, but we have not come close to putting together a complete game.
"We wanted to play four-quarter football and I thought we did a nice job."
The Kats' first drive stalled after amassing just 14 yards due to a few penalties that set them back.
Sam Houston held the Colonels (0-2 in SLC play, 1-4) to a missed field goal deep in its own territory on their second offensive possession, but then the Kats started to make their way down the field. The Bearkats picked up three first downs on plays that totaled 50 yards to get within striking distance.
Though the first 15 minutes ended without any points, the Bearkats felt like they were just getting started and were on the verge of putting up a lot of points.
Following a pair of plays that left Sam Houston short of the end zone, Flanders punched the ball in from 2 yards out to put the Kats ahead 7-0.
The Bearkats defense followed that up with a stop on fourth down in their own territory. Sam Houston was unable to capitalize as Flanders had a rare miscue and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Colonels defensive lineman Darrel Brown.
Sam Houston's defense was able to get it right back. Nicholls receiver Andrew Wynn caught a pass from quarterback Landry Klann on second down and attempted to fight for a first down. Wynn, however, put the ball on the turf and Kats linebacker Jesse Beauchamp was there to fall on it.
"If you do your job, you're going to be in the right place," said Beauchamp, who finished the game with two fumble recoveries. "Some of it's luck and some of it's just being in the right place and doing the right things and it's going to work out for you."
Sam Houston took over on Nicholls' 46 and made the most of the turnover. Quickly, the Kats drove down the field and were again with range of the end zone.
Flanders and Sincere tried to run their way through the defensive front to no avail. On third down, Kats quarterback Brian Bell hit senior Melvis Pride in the flat for a 5-yard touchdown that stretched Sam Houston's lead to 14-0.
Less than three minutes into the second half, Flanders scored again after scampering for 25 yards on a counter, then using some great blocks to get into the end zone.
That touchdown not only extended Sam Houston's lead to 21-0, but also gave Flanders the all-time scoring record at SHSU. The junior tailback after scoring another 1-yard score later in the third, now has 45 career touchdowns and 270 points, which allowed him to pass the mark of 258 points set by kicker Billy Hayes (1985-88).
"It feels good, especially when they told me," Flanders said of breaking another school record. "I credit my offensive linemen, my receivers, my quarterback, my coaches like always. They did a very good job and helped me be successful."
The Bearkats kept finding ways to add points as Bell found wide receiver Chance Nelson for an 18-yard touchdown late in the third to go up 34-0.
With the game well in hand, Fritz sent in his reserves midway through the fourth to get some playing time and to also preserve the shutout.
With a little more than five minutes to go, running back Ridgeway Frank broke through for a 5-yard score to put an exclamation point on the big win.
"It gives those guys an opportunity to keep playing. I tell them all the time I don't care who's in, I want them to play well," Fritz said. "I thought our guys definitely did that."
Defensively, the Bearkats locked down Nicholls' offense for the most part.
In the first half, Sam Houston held the Colonels to only 123 yards and five first downs. The two times Nicholls drove into SHSU territory, the Colonels missed a 32-yard field goal and were short on fourth down.
"They came out doing a bunch of different things. We knew that as long as we lined out and did the things we needed to do, we were going to bow up and stop them," Beauchamp said. "We just played assignment-sound when it counted and it worked out good."
The Colonels finished with 258 yards of offense and got inside the Bearkats' 30 four times, but came up empty every time.
"The main point of this game was just to play four quarters. Last game and all of the other games, we played good at times in quarters, but never for a whole game," Beauchamp added about the defensive performance.
"This was the first game in which we came out and played hard every quarter. We did what we needed to do."
After spending the last five weeks on the road, the Kats come home to take on McNeese State, which gave up a 26-17 fourth-quarter lead and lost 27-26 to Central Arkansas on Saturday.
"Finally. Finally being back at home," Flanders added. "We have a pretty big game, too. I'm expecting a big crowd, too. It feels great just to be back home."
Tickets for the SHSU-McNeese Homecoming game are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or at the SHSU athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafridge Field House at Bowers Stadium.
Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
