Bearkats vs. Demons Game Notes
11/8/2012 10:39:00 AM | Football
SOUTHLAND TITLE ON THE LINE
A victory over Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La., Saturday will earn Sam Houston a share of the 2012 Southland Conference football championship along with Central Arkansas. The Bearkats won Southland titles in 1991, 2001, 2004 and 2011. The first three championships were co-championships (with McNeese in 1991 & 2001 and with Northwestern State in 2004). Sam Houston won its first undisputed title last year with a perfect 7-0 record.
SIX GAME WINNING STREAK
Sam Houston State brings a six-game winning streak and a No. 4 national ranking into Natchitoches, La. Saturday.
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE TV NETWORK GAME
Saturday's game will be telecast to a four-state audience by the Southland Television Network. The KUBE in Houston (Channel 15 on SuddenLink in Huntsville) is the local area outlet. Sam Houston will be making its 15th TV appearance in the past two years. Overall, the Kats have been telecast 43 times since SHSU moved up to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and the Southland Conference. The Kats have won 25 of those games.
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.
SERIES WITH NORTHWESTERN STATE
Northwestern State leads the all-time series with the Bearkats 19 victories to 15. There has been one tie. The Demons own a 14-4-1 edge over Sam Houston on their home field in Natchitoches, La.
BEARKATS IN THE PELICAN STATE
Sam Houston State has won four of its last five games in Louisiana. However, crossing the Sabine River has not always seen good outcomes for the Bearkats. Sam Houston stands 27-53-3 in football games in the Pelican State.
KATS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Sam Houston stands No. 3 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. They have ranked among the FCS top 10 for 18 consecutive weeks.
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's 70-0 victory over Southeastern Louisiana Saturday marked the 27th victory for the Bearkats since Willie Fritz became SHSU head football coach. Those 27 victories (six in 2010, 14 in 2011 and seven so far in 2012) stand as the most by the Kats 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 produced his 21st career 100-yard rushing performance Saturday, scoring four touchdowns. His 71-yard touchdown run Saturday is the longest of his career and marked his eighth TD run of more than 50 yards. The Bearkats' all-time leading rusher now is tied for No. 2 in all-time Southland TDs (52) with Charles McDaniel of Lamar (1971-74), No. 3 in all-time Southland rush TDs (49) and No. 6 in Southland all-time rushing yards (3,541)
Flanders and kicker Miguel Antonio rank as Sam Houston's all-time top scorers. Antonio notched 10 successful point-after attempts Saturday, one short of the school record 11 set by Lance Garner against Bacone in 2005. Antonio stands as SHSU's all-time kick scoring leader with 274 points (42 field goals, 148 PATs). Only Flanders (312 points on 52 touchdowns) has scored more points for the Bearkats.
Junior Brian Bell became Sam Houston State's all-time "winningest" quarterback Saturday with the win over the Lions. A starter since SHSU's third game of the 2010 season, Bell has directed the Kats to 26 wins. Ronnie Choate played in 25 victories for Sam Houston from 1956 to 1959. Bell stands as Sam Houston's all-time leader in career TD passes (42). He ranks No. 2 at SHSU in career passing yards (5,094) and total offense (5,887). Rhett Bomar (2007-08) holds both records with 5,964 passing and 6,160 total offense.
Senior safety and last year's Southland "Defensive Player of the Year" Darnell Taylor is the fourth Bearkat defender to chalk up more than 200 career solo stops. Taylor has 212 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.
The 70-0 victory over Southeastern Louisiana marked Sam Houston's second shutout this season and the defense's third in two years. The 70 points are the most for the Bearkats in a Southland Conference game. SHSU defeated Nicholls 69-17 in 1999. The scoring output marked Sam Houston's fifth highest point total ever. The school record is 83 points in a shutout of Brooke Medical in 1949.
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
Reserve running back Keyshawn Hill ranks sixth in the Southland in rushing with 53.6 yards per game and six touchdowns.
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.
Sam Houston's offensive line has not given up a sack for the last four games. Quarterback Brian Bell has not been caught behind the line of scrimmage since the SFA game Oct. 6
Wide receiver Trey Diller has carried much of the offensive load this season. The senior leads the Bearkats in all-purpose yards (1,169 - 129.9 per game), receiving (38 catches for 552 yards), punt returns (11.5 per return) and kickoff returns (29.2 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.
