Sam Houston vs. Southeastern La. Game Notes
11/1/2012 10:39:00 AM | Football
FIVE GAME WINNING STREAK
Sam Houston State brings a five-game winning streak and a No. 4 national ranking into the Bearkats' final regular season home game against Southeastern Louisiana Saturday.
Central Arkansas leads the Southland with a 5-1 mark while Sam Houston stands second at 4-1 and the Lions third at 3-1.
SAM HOUSTON AT BOWERS STADIUM
The Bearkats own a 100-42-1 record on their home artificial turf at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. The facility opened in 1986.
With victories over Incarnate Word and McNeese State at Bowers this year, Sam Houston's home winning streak now stands at 12.
The Kats won their first 13 games at Bowers from 1986 to 1988. Coupled with victories in SHSU's final two games at Joseph Pritchett Field in 1985, those 15 consecutive wins stand as the longest home winning streak in Bearkat history.
Sam Houston went 9-0 at Bowers Stadium during the 14-0 run in 2012 to the NCAA Division I National Championship Game. The feat marked the sixth time SHSU has gone unbeaten in a season at Bowers.
The other five seasons were 1986 (6-0), 1987 (4-0), 1990 (4-0), 2001 (6-0 and 2004 (8-0).
SERIES WITH SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA
Sam Houston leads the all-time football series between the Kats and the Lions nine victories to four.
The Bearkats own a two-game winning streak over Southeastern Louisiana, winning 57-7 in Huntsville in 2010 and 38-9 in Hammond last season.
BEARKAT RADIO
KSAM 101.7 FM will broadcast all Sam Houston games home and away again. The broadcast also may be heard anywhere in the world online at www.gobearkats.com. Streaming video of home games at Bowers Stadium is also available at a modest rate.
KATS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Sam Houston stands No. 4 in both the Sports Network Poll and the NCAA FCS Coaches national rankings this week.
SHSU has been in the top 25 in the FCS polls a total of 21 consecutive weeks since debuting in the national poll on Sept. 9, 2011.
During an 11-0 regular season, the Kats rose all the way to No. 1 just before the national playoffs. Sam Houston has ranked among the FCS top 10 for 18 consecutive weeks.
Central Arkansas, now No. 13 in both the Sports Network and NCAA Coaches polls, is the only other Southland team ranked.
SHSU AMONG NATION'S STATISTICS LEADERS
The Sam Houston offense ranks No. 2 nationally in scoring (42.5), No. 6 in rushing (285.6) and No. 8 in total offense (477.4).
The defense's national rankings include No. 4 in rushing defense (67.0) and No. 8 in total defense (303.1).
Sam Houston leads the Southland in rushing offense and defense, scoring and rushing defense.
BEARKATS RECORD WATCH
Sam Houston State's 56-7 victory over Lamar Saturday marked the 26th victory for the Bearkats since Willie Fritz became SHSU head football coach. Those 26 victories (six in 2010, 14 in 2011 and six so far in 2012) stand as the most by the Bearkats in any three consecutive years in the 97 seasons of Sam Houston State football.
Ron Randleman put together 25 victories in three seasons in the late 1980s.
Just as in last year's incredible run to a Southland Conference championship and the NCAA Division I football title game in Frisco, Bearkat records continue to fall or are in jeopardy.
All-America running back and Walter Payton Award candidate Timothy Flanders heads the pack. Saturday in Beaumont the junior produced his 20th career 100-yard rushing performance, scoring four touchdowns. The Bearkats' all-time leading rusher moved up to No. 3 in Southland career rush TDs (47) and total TDs (50) and now stands No. 6 in Southland all-time rushing yards (3,395).
Flanders and kicker Miguel Antonio now rank as Sam Houston's all-time top scorers. With eight successful PAT attempts, Antonio became Sam Houston's all-time leader in kick scoring with 264 points (42 FG, 138 PAT). Antonio broke Billy Hayes' career record (258 points in 1985-88). Only Flanders (300 points on 50 TDs) has scored more points for the Bearkats.
Junior quarterback Brian Bell threw his 40th career TD pass Saturday vs. Lamar to become Sam Houston's all-time leader in career TD passes. Dustin Long held the mark with 39 TD passes in 2004.
Bell, now with 4,924 yards, ranks behind only Rhett Bomar (5,964 yards in 2007-08) in career passing at Sam Houston. Bell passed Arthur Louis (4,902 yards in 1977-80) with 84 yards in the air Saturday. Bell stands No. 2 in all-time SHSU career total offense with 5,694 yards now. Bomar rolled up the school record of 6,160.
Senior safety and last year's Southland "Defensive Player of the Year" Darnell Taylor totaled four solo and one assisted tackles in the Lamar victory. He is the fourth Bearkat defender to chalk up more than 200 career solo stops. Taylor has 209 solo tackles. The school career record is 215 by Stan Blinka (1975-78).
Junior cornerback Bookie Sneed snapped a Sam Houston record that had stood since 1968 with his 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter of the SFA game Saturday. Paul Wenzel returned an interception 90 yards against Sul Ross for the Kat mark that stood for 44 years.
Senior cornerback Dax Swanson intercepted passes against Baylor and Texas Southern to up his career total to 12 interceptions. Ronnie Choate (1955-59) holds the SHSU career interception record with 13. Gary Kimble (1981-84) and Mark Hughes (2001-04) also picked off 12 career interceptions.
Junior Preston Sanders blocked a field goal and an extra point to move into fourth place in career blocks with five. Four of the five blocks have been field goals, a school mark.
Senior Kenneth Jenkins picked up Sanders' PAT block after Texas Southern's only TD and returned it for a defensive PAT return, only the second in SHSU school history. The first was by Courtney Boston against Mississippi Valley State in 2001.
Sam Houston's 45-10 victory over McNeese marked the first time in the Kats have defeated the Cowboys in back-to-back calendar years. The win was SHSU's ninth over McNeese in 34 meetings. The 35-point margin also was a record in series history.
BEARKAT NOTES
Last year's "Offensive Player of the Year" Richard Sincere threw his second touchdown pass in a three-year career in the Wild Bearkat formation Saturday at Lamar. Sincere hit Brian Wilkerson for a 42-yard score in the fourth quarter. Sincere also threw a two-yard TD pass last year in a win over UTSA.
Sam Houston's offensive line has not given up a sack for the last three games. Quarterback Brian Bell has not been caught behind the line of scrimmage since the "Battle of the Piney Woods" against SFA Oct. 6
Wide receiver Trey Diller also has carried much of the offensive load this season. The senior leads the Bearkats in both all-purpose yards (1,055 - 131.9 per game), receiving (36 catches for 533 yards), punt returns (10.5 per return) and kickoff returns (31.9 average)
SOUTHLAND PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sam Houston players have received weekly Southland Conference "Player of the Week" honors seven times this year.
Running back Timothy Flanders won the offensive award after running for 131 yards and four TDs in a 56-7 victory over Lamar.
WildKat back Richard Sincere and defensive tackle J. T. Cleveland were the league's offensive and defensive selections, respectively, after the 45-10 win over No. 21 McNeese.
Sincere produced 155 all-purpose yards and scored two rushing TDs while Cleveland posted seven tackles including three for losses.
Linebacker Jesse Beauchamp won the defensive honor after a 41-0 shutout at Nicholls State. Beauchamp recovered two fumbles, both of which set up SHSU touchdowns, and totaled seven tackles including two for losses.
Sam Houston State swept the weekly Southland Conference football player of the week honors after its 51-43 win over SFA.
Junior quarterback Brian Bell was the offensive player of the week, junior cornerback Bookie Sneed won defensive honors and senior punter Matt Foster was the special teams player of the week after the Kats' 51-43 win over rival Stephen F. Austin Oct. 6.
Bell picked up 22nd career victory as starting quarterback for Sam Houston against SFA, directing the offense to 51 points.
Sneed returned an interception 92 yards for touchdown that put SHSU in the lead, 20-14, with 5:55 remaining in 2nd quarter. .
Foster helped Sam Houston win the field position battle with a 45.1 average, including long of 61 yards. The senior from Melbourne, Australia, landed three punts inside the 20.
EXPERIENCED BEARKATS
Sam Houston has 33 players with at least one start in the lineup. Bearkat offensive players have combined for 277 total starts while the defense has totaled 286.
Ten Bearkats have totaled more than 20 starts in their careers.
FIVE ALL-AMERICANS
Five current Bearkats were named to at least one NCAA Division I FCS All-America squad this season -- Tim Flanders (6 selections); Darnell Taylor (5); Dax Swanson (2 ) and Richard Sincere and J. T. Cleveland (1 each).
BLOCK PARTY RETURNS
A Bearkat tradition established by head coach Willie Fritz when he was an assistant at Sam Houston in the early 1990s has returned.
The SHSU "Block Party" produced six blocks last season and three this year. Preston Sanders has a PAT and FG block while Vincent Dotson blocked a punt against Texas Southern.
The school record for blocks in one season is five by Trey Woods (1993) and DeJuan Davis (2002).
After Fritz started the "Block Party" in 1991, Sam Houston blocked 80 punts, field goals and extra points in the 14 seasons up to 2004.
LAST YEAR'S SHSU 38, SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 9
Quarterback Brian Bell passed for 164 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more scores to lead Sam Houston State to a 38-9 Southland Conference victory over Southeastern Louisiana at Strawberry Stadium.
Richard Sincere posted his fourth 100-yard performance of the season, with nine carries for 137 yards and a score from the wildcat formation. Southland Conference leading rusher Tim Flanders ran for a nine-yard touchdown and caught a 20-yard pass from Bell for another.
The Bearkat defense produced four turnovers as Kenneth Jenkins recovered a fumble, Dax Swanson intercepted two passes and Bookie Sneed also picked off a pass attempt. Darnell Taylor led the Bearkat defense with nine tackles and Jenkins had seven. The Bearkat block party picked up a field goal block by Preston Sanders and a point after block by Will Henry.
Sam Houston rolled up 395 yards total offense with 231 yards rushing and 164 yards passing. The defense limited the Lions to 57 yards rushing and 210 yards passing for 267 in total offense.
