SHSU-EWU Biggest Game Ever at Bowers
9/26/2013 2:31:00 PM | Football
Both the head coaches of No. 4 ranked Sam Houston and No. 2 rated Eastern Washington aren't shy when asked about the importance of Saturday's game between the two teams at 2 p.m. at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium in Huntsville.
“This is the biggest regular season football game ever at Bowers Stadium,” SHSU head coach Willie Fritz said. “No. 2 versus No. 4. We've never had anything like this.”
EWU head coach Beau Baldwin agrees.
“Non-conference games of this magnitude in FCS are few and far between,” Baldwin said. “Down the road, if you are in a possible situation for an at-large berth, having a win like this on your resume gives you a better chance.”
Eastern Washington is the highest ranked team to come into Bowers Stadium since No. 1 Montana visited in 2004. Sam Houston won that matchup 41-29, but the Bearkats were unranked at the time. The victory slipped the Bearkats into the national poll at No. 24 the next week.
“Eastern Washington is an outstanding team,” Fritz said. “They have some tremendous athletes and they are well coached. Their quarterback Vernon Adams gave us fits last year in the second half. He was the FCS 'Player of the Week' after their victory over Oregon State. We hope that we can wedge as many fans into the stands as we can. We need it loud.”
Saturday marks the 27th time Sam Houston and its opponent both have come into the contest FCS nationally ranked. The Bearkats are 15-11 overall and 9-1 at Bowers in those games.
The Eastern Washington-Sam Houston State game is a rematch of last year's 45-42 Bearkat victory over the Eagles in the semifinals of the 2012 FCS Playoffs. Eastern Washington rallied for 42 second half points after trailing 35-0 at halftime.
“There is a different feel to this game for us because of the tough loss we had to them in the semifinals,” Baldwin said. “To Sam Houston's credit, they did a great job against us. They had a great team and they do again this year. I really like playing a tough non-conference schedule.”
The contest marks the first regular season meeting between SHSU and EWU. Next year, Sam Houston will return the game in Cheney, Wash.
Both previous meetings between the pair came in the playoffs.
In the 2004 FCS quarterfinals, Sam Houston came from 20 points behind in the final 14 minutes to win 35-34. When added together the two teams have combined for 156 points in eight quarters.
The two teams each feature high-powered offenses again this year.
Sam Houston leads FCS in scoring with 52.3 points per game and stands No. 6 nationally with 302.2 yards rushing per contest.
The Eagles are averaging 533 yards total offense and have scored 113 points in their three games.
Tickets for the Sam Houston vs. Eastern Washington game are available online now at www.gobearkats.com .
The Sam Houston athletic ticket office is open Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The West Side ticket office at Bowers Stadium will open at 10 a.m. on Saturday's game day. The Bearkat Alley tailgate opens at 12 noon and gates open at 12:30 p.m.
For more information, call the SHSU athletic ticket office at (936) 294-1729.
