Players excited to be back on winning track
9/28/2012 9:11:00 AM | Football
Sam Houston produced 558 yards of offense, including 346 on the ground, and limited Texas Southern to a paltry 165 yards while romping to a 50-6 triumph on Thursday night at BBVA Compass Stadium to get back on the winning track."We needed a chance to redeem ourselves," Bearkats defensive tackle Gary Lorance said of last week's 24-20 loss to Central Arkansas.
"UCA is a good ballclub, but we know we could've beaten them. That kind of knocked down our confidence a little bit. Getting out there quick with a quick turnaround and practicing early in the week got our minds right and we got this win. So I think this win will help us throughout the season."
From the get-go Thursday, the Bearkats defense set the tone, holding the Tigers to a three-and-outs to kick off the game.
The offense used the momentum and quarterback Brian Bell hit a big strike to receiver Chance Nelson down the middle on a play-action for a 61-yard touchdown.
The result of the two opening possessions was just the beginning of a good night for Sam Houston, which improved to 2-2 overall.
A little later in the quarter, Kats receiver Trey Diller took in the ball on a pitch from Bell on an option and scooted along the sideline for an 18-yard touchdown.
Early in the second quarter, Texas Southern (1-4 overall) took advantage of a Sam Houston miscue. Bell attempted to hit tight end J.D. Standley in the flat but the ball bobbled into Tigers defensive back Steven White's hands and was returned 37 yards to the Bearkats' 14-yard line.
A few plays later, Texas Southern was in the end zone off a 16-yard pass from quarterback Justice Jones to James Davis.
"There were times where we were real sloppy. We had that turnover early in the ballgame. That got momentum on Texas Southern's sideline," Sam Houston coach Willie Fritz said.
The Tigers looked to cut the deficit in half with the extra point, but Sam Houston broke through the line and blocked the extra point before the ball reached the line of scrimmage, making it live and up for grabs. Kats senior safety Robert Shaw scooped up the ball and sprinted 73 yards to put two more points on the board that extended Sam Houston's lead to 16-6.
Any momentum Texas Southern had was wiped away with that 2-point play and the Bearkats took command the rest of the way.
Before intermission, Sam Houston punched its way into the end zone two more times. Bell hit redshirt freshman Steven Williams along the left side of the field for a 22-yard score.
Following a 19-yard field goal by Miguel Antonio and another three-and-out by the Tigers, the Bearkats looked to stretch their lead again as they took over in Texas Southern territory.
On the third play of the drive, Bell hit Nelson, who pulled away from the secondary, down the seam for a 32-yard touchdown to put an exclamation mark on the first half.
"We feel like we're capable of that every week and we're just going to get better and better," said Nelson, who finished with three receptions for 127 yards and two scores.
As well as Sam Houston played offensively in the first half, the Kats were just as stout on the defensive end as well. Texas Southern was held to just 92 yards (8 on 23 carries and 84 yards on 6-of-12 passing) in the first half and seven first downs.
"Coaches tell us all the time that it's 99 percent effort, 1 percent technique," Lorance said. "That really showed tonight because we really practiced that hard. I think we came out to play tonight."
Things didn't go much different in the second half.
In the third and fourth quarters, the Tigers managed just 73 yards and a mere four first downs.
Sam Houston finished with four sacks for a cumulative loss of 37 yards and 14 tackles for loss. The Bearkats also made a point to stop the run and were effective in that area all game long, limiting the Tigers to 50 rushing yards on 36 carries (1.4-yard average).
"Coach (Scott) Stoker likes to bring the heat and force them to pass the ball," Lorance said. "We feel that if we can make a team one-dimensional, we can start having some fun and get into the pass rush and making big plays and getting some turnovers."
The offense continued to drive down the field and put up points, even as starters were pulled and reserves saw some playing time.
Backup running backs Keshawn Hill and Ridgeway Frank found breaks in the Tigers defense to burst for 36- and 39-yard touchdowns, respectively.
"We knew they were going to be physical. We knew they were going to be well-coached and a sound football team," Texas Southern coach Darrell Asberry said. "Everything that we saw on film, we did see tonight. We didn't see anything different. I thought we were in position a couple of times. We gave up a few big plays on both sides of the football.
"I thought mentally, our kids were there, but they just wore us down for 60 minutes."
Now the Bearkats move forward with the remainder of their Southland Conference slate, beginning with the Battle of the Piney Woods against archrival Stephen F. Austin at Reliant Stadium in Houston next Saturday.
"We needed to get back on the winning track. A bunch of these guys hadn't lost many games, certainly not two in a row," Fritz said. "We dealt with it and there were a bunch of guys who made marked improvement in this ballgame."
Bearkat football notes
Two for the money - Robert Shaw's 2-point return on the blocked extra point in the second quarter was the third such play in Sam Houston history.
Closing in on history - With his interception of Texas Southern quarterback Rudolph Johnson midway through the first quarter moved corner Daxton Swanson into a three-way tie for second place all-time in Sam Houston history for most career interceptions. Swanson now has 12 career interceptions and is tied with defensive backs Gary Kimble (1981-84) and Mark Hughes (2001-04). Swanson is shy of record holder Ronnie Choate (1955-59), by two interceptions
SFA Next for the Kats - Sam Houston takes on SFA in the 87th "Battle of the Piney Woods" Saturday Oct. 6 at Reliant Stadium at 3 p.m. Tickets still are available on line at www.gobearkats.com/tickets but they are going fast. For more information contact the SHSU ticket office at (936) 294-1729
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