Kats Have Playoff Mentality for Saturday
11/22/2013 8:33:00 AM | Football
The football playoffs begin Saturday for Sam Houston State.
Although the Bearkats' game with Central Arkansas at 3 p.m. Saturday in Conway officially is the regular season finale for both teams, for Sam Houston must win to keep its hopes alive for one of the 24 NCAA Division I Football Championships playoff berths.
Sam Houston's three losses this year are to FBS Texas A&M (No. 6 in the nation at the time) and FCS No. 6 McNeese and No. 8 Southeastern Louisiana.
With a victory over No. 3 Eastern Washington, the Big Sky Conference champion, a victory at Central Arkansas should nail down a playoff berth for the No. 9 rated Bearkats.
“We've told the team that if we win, we're going to be in,” head coach Willie Fritz said. “This is a playoff game. We need to play well. We've got to win. That's what we're talking about and there's no secret about it.”
Saturday's game matches the two teams that tied for last year's Southland Conference championship and were picked to finish first and second in the 2013 preseason poll.
Southeastern Louisiana, however, already has clinched at least a share of the title and can wrap up an undisputed championship with a victory at home over Nicholls Thursday.
Sam Houston has made NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff appearances five times (1986, 1991, 2001, 2004, 2011 and 2012) and advanced to the finals the past two seasons. The Bearkats are eager for a third consecutive playoff appearance.
Central Arkansas, the only Southland team to defeat Sam Houston during the 2012 season, stands in the way.
If Lamar were to upset second place McNeese State Saturday and Sam Houston won in Arkansas, the pair would tie for the league's runner-up spot. A Central Arkansas victory Saturday and UCA and SHSU tied for third.
“Central Arkansas is a dangerous team,” Fritz said. “They're especially tough on their home field. Winning is going to take an outstanding team effort.”
Central Arkansas is coming off a 17-10 victory at Nicholls last Saturday. UCA is now 6-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play. Wide receiver Desmond Smith had career highs of seven receptions and 140 yards, including a key second-quarter touchdown catch, to lead the UCA offense in the Nicholls game.
Since the Lamar game in Week 7, the quarterback spot at UCA has used dual quarterbacks with junior Ryan Howard and sophomore transfer Taylor Reed sharing the position.
Howard had a stellar debut as a starter last month, completing 26 of 40 passes for 281 yards and 3 touchdowns at Lamar. He topped that with 403 yards and 4 TDs the next week in the blowout win over SFA. In five games as the starter, Howard is 110 of 181 for 1372 yards, with 12 TDs and 4 INT. He is throwing for 274.4 yards per game.
During that same five-game span, Reed, a 6-3, 215-pound transfer from the University of Arkansas, is 20 of 25 for 179 yards, with 3 TDs and 0 interceptions.
The Bears hold a 4-3 lead all-time in the series with Sam Houston after winning 24-20 in last year's game, which was also in Conway.
The Sam Houston-Central Arkansas game will be televised Saturday by the Southland TV Network.
Randy McIlvoy and Shea Walker will call the action from the press box and Chris Mycoskie will be the sideline reporter.
The KUBE in Houston is the local outlet for the contest.The network telecast will be featured on more than 20 affiliates across Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas and will be available on the Southland Conference Digital Network and ESPN3.
