Sam Houston vs. Northwestern St. Game Notes
10/22/2013 8:31:00 AM | Football
BEARKATS & DEMONS SERIES RECORD
Sam Houston and Northwestern State meet for the 37th time this Saturday at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. The Demons own a 19-16-1 advantage in the series. However, the Bearkats have won three of the last four meetings including victories of 43-17 in Huntsville in 2011 and 52-17 last year in Natchitoches.
FCS'S LONGEST CURRENT HOME WINNING STREAK
The Kats own a 19-game home winning streak at Bowers Stadium, the longest in school history and, currently, in the FCS. The streak started with a win over Texas State after losing to McNeese in 2010. Sam Houston's 19-game streak now stands as the 18th longest in FCS history. Georgia Southern holds the record with 39 consecutive home wins from 1997 to 2001. Bowers Stadium opened in 1986. The Bearkats won their first 13 games in the facility and now hold a 102-42-1 record at Bowers. Sam Houston has posted unbeaten seasons at home in 1986, 1987, 1990, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2011 and 2012.
SOUTHLAND PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Walter Payton Award candidate Timothy Flanders has earned league offensive honors twice this season. His first award came after scoring three touchdowns and rushing for 170 yards against Texas A&M. Flanders' total was the most by any player against A&M in 42 games (since Colt McCoy of Texas in 2009). Flanders was both Southland and FCS national player of the week after gaining 280 yards on 32 carries in the victory over then No. 2 Eastern Washington.
Linebacker Tanner Brock received the league's weekly defensive honor after leading the team in tackles and posting two sacks in the victory over Texas Southern.
Cornerback De'Antrey Loche was Southland defensive player of the week after returning an interception 42 yards for a touchdown to put Sam Houston ahead to stay in the EWU victory.
Wide receiver / punt return specialist Torrance Williams was Southland special team player of the week after the Lamar win. Williams returned five punts for 138 yards including a long of 53.
BEARKATS TOP 10 IN FIVE FCS STAT CATERGORIES
Sam Houston State ranks in the top 10 in FCS national statistics in five categories. The Bearkats stand No. 2 in rushing (285.4), No. 3 in punt returns (19.81), No. 4 in scoring offense (42.1), No. 5 in net punting (39.72) and No. 8 in pass efficiency (160.23).
BEARKATS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Bearkats stand No. 7 in the current Sports Network FCS poll and No. 8 in this week's NCAA Coaches poll. Sam Houston has been ranked among the FCS top 25 for 32 consecutive weeks. The team debuted in the national poll Sept. 9, 2011. During an 11-0 regular season in 2011, the Kats rose to No. 1 at the end of the regular season. SHSU has ranked among the FCS top 10 for 28 consecutive polls. Sam Houston has finished each of the past two seasons No. 2 in the final rankings in both polls.
RUNNING BACK TIMOTHY FLANDERS
All-America running back, Walter Payton Award candidate and two-time Southland “Player of the Year” Timothy Flanders ranks No. 8 in FCS football in rushing yards per game (124.4), No. 10 in total rushing yards (871) and No. 24 in all-purpose yards (131.4). He leads the Southland Conference in all three categories.
The Midwest City, Okla., product is the first Southland Conference running back to gain more than 5,000 rushing yards. He holds 31 Sam Houston school records and nine Southland Conference marks. He has rushed 891 times for 5,105 yards and 61 touchdowns in his career. He ranks No. 18 all-time in rushing yards in FCS history.
Flanders owns the league's career marks for rushing TDs (61), total touchdowns (65) and points (390). He stands as the FCS active career rushing leader and has posted 29 100-yard rushing performances during his Sam Houston career.
QUARTERBACK BRIAN BELL
Brian Bell is Sam Houston's all-time winningest quarterback, leading SHSU to 34 victories in 45 starts since 2010. He stands No. 4 in FCS national rankings for yards per completion (15.43). The senior from China Spring is the program's all-time leader in passing (7,307 yards) and total offense (8,441 yards). Bell's 67 career touchdown passes also is an SHSU school mark and stands as the 5th highest total in Southland annals. Bell also is only the second quarterback in school history to gain 1,000 career yards rushing. The first was David Kubiak (1,528 in 1967-70). Bell now stands No. 31 in SHSU career rushing with 1,134 yards. He has 19 rushing TDs to his credit.
WILD BEARKAT RICHARD SINCERE
Richard Sincere, the senior wide receiver who also runs the “Wild Bearkat” formation and returns kicks, stands No. 6 in Sam Houston all-purpose yards with a total of 3,258. The Galveston Ball product is one of only two Bearkats to gain more than 1,000 yards in a career both rushing and receiving. He has totaled 2,084 rushing yards and 1,018 receiving. Tony January gained 2,376 yards rushing and 1,328 yards receiving from 1978-82. Sincere has six rushes for more than 40 yards (including a long of 65 yards for a touchdown in the 2012 victory over McNeese). He has three touchdown catches of more than 60 yards (the longest, 77 yards from Brian Bell in the 2011 Lamar victory). Sincere stands No. 6 in all-time Sam Houston all-purpose yards and No. 10 in all-time rushing yardage.
TORRANCE WILLIAMS TOPS IN SOUTHLAND & FCS
Torrance Williams leads both the Southland Conference and FCS national statistics in punt returns with an average of 21.2 yards per attempt. Williams has returned 17 punts for 361 yards. He earned the Southland special teams player-of-the-week after the Lamar victory, returning five punts for 138 yards with a long return of 53 yards. Williams is the 22nd member of the 1,000-yard career receiving club at Sam Houston. He has caught 82 passes for 1,211 yards and 12 TDs during his career. His long reception has been 75 yards. He has also totaled 2,159 career all-purpose yards. The senior stands fourth in the Southland with 26 catches for 468 yards and seven TDs this year.
THE BEARKAT DEFENSE
Sam Houston's defense has ranked as one of the best in FCS the past two years, leading the nation in rushing defense in 2011 and ranking 16th nationally in turnover margin last year. But the Bearkats had to replace six All-Southland performers including the league's Defensive Player of the Year Darnell Taylor. The defense has responded to the challenge, producing 10 turnovers (seven interceptions and three fumble recoveries).
CORNERBACK BOOKIE SNEED
Cornerback Bookie Sneed is the Bearkats' lone returning starter in the secondary. Sneed picked off four interceptions last year and eight in his career. He is tied for eighth in career interceptions at SHSU. He holds a school record with his 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter of the 2012 SFA victory. The play broke a mark that had stood since 1968.
DEFENSIVE END ANDREW WEAVER
Andrew Weaver was selected to the Associated Press FCS All-America third team in 2012. He was an All-Southland second team honoree. Weaver had two sacks at Montana State and one in the NCAA title game. In 2011, he returned an interception for 23 yards versus SFA. This season the Texas A&M transfer leads the Bearkats with five sacks.
PICK SIX
Defensive backs Shelby Davis, Tristen Eche and De'Antrey Loche each have returned interceptions for scores this season. Davis and Eche scored in the Houston Baptist victory on plays of 48 and 32 yards, respectively. Loche brought back a interception 42 yards for a game-turning score against EWU.
THE BLOCK PARTY
A Bearkat tradition established by head coach Willie Fritz when he was an assistant at Sam Houston in the early 1990s returned in 2010. The SHSU “Block Party” has produced six blocks in each of the past two seasons and four in 2013. Eric Humphrey and James Delarosa each blocked a punt in the HBU victory and Andrew Weaver blocked a point after in the EWU win and a field goal in the Lamar victory. After Fritz started the “Block Party” in 1991, Sam Houston blocked 80 punts, field goals and extra points in the next 14 seasons.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Saturday's 2 p.m. game pitting Sam Houston versus Northwestern State at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium are available now online at www.gobearkats.com. Fans also may purchase tickets at the SHSU athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House in the south end zone at Bowers Stadium. The ticket office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.
