Sam Houston - McNeese Homecoming Game Notes
10/10/2014 11:35:00 AM | Football
81ST HOMECOMING FOR SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY
Sam Houston State University hosts its 81st homecoming football game Saturday in a 3 p.m. duel with the McNeese State Cowboys. Since the first Sam Houston alumni event was played at Joseph Pritchett Field in 1931, the Bearkats stand 39-40-1 in SHSU homecomings.
The Kats' record on the artifical turf at Bowers in homecoming games is 19-9 with Sam Houston riding a five-game homecoming win streak.
McNeese State is the Bearkats' homecoming opponent for the seventh time. The Kats defeated the Cowboys 45-10 in 2012 and 30-25 in 1996 in homecoming tilts. McNeese was the victor in the other four alumni day matchups (1994, 1998, 2002 and 2008).
TWO OF SOUTHLAND'S BEST BATTLE SATURDAY
Thirteen of the 23 seasons since McNeese and Sam Houston tied for the 1991 Southland Conference championship, either the Cowboys and the Bearkats or both have won or shared the league title. Sam Houston's five Southland football titles have come in 1991, 2001, 2004, 2011 and 2012. McNeese's 12 conference championships were in1979, 1980, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2009.
The pair stand as the league's winningest teams in FCS post-season action. Sam Houston owns a 10-7 record in the playoffs while McNeese stands 11-15. Sam Houston reached the National Championship game in 2011 and 2012. McNeese was a finalist in 1997 and 2002
KATS FACE TOP 10 FCS OPPONENT
McNeese State enters Saturday's game ranked No. 4 in the FCS national polls. The Bearkats own nine victories over FCS Top 10 ranked teams. The latest came in 2012 in the semifinals of the NCAA playoffs when Sam Houston defeated No. 4 Eastern Washington 45-42 in Cheney. The Kats' highest ranked victory was a 41-25 win over No. 1 Montana in Huntsville in 2004.
BEARKATS VERSUS COWBOYS ALL-TIME SERIES
McNeese holds a 25-9 advantage over Sam Houston in the pair's all-time series. There has been one tie. Sam Houston is 5-21 against McNeese since joining the Southland in 1988. The Bearkats are 3-9 against McNeese in Bowers Stadium.
TWO-TIME NATIONAL FINALISTS OWN THREE-YEAR PLAYOFF RUN
Sam Houston is one of only three teams to earn FCS post-season playoff berths each of the past three seasons (joining North Dakota State and New Hampshire). The Bearkats reached the Championship Game in Frisco with playoff runs in both 2011 and 2012. Last year, the Kats lost by one point to Southeastern Louisiana in the second round of the playoffs.
“GET BETTER” WEEK LED TO WIN AT LAMAR
With Sam Houston moving its Eastern Washington game from Sept. 20 to Aug. 23 for ESPN, the Bearkats had an open date before their Southland opener at Lamar.
SHSU coach K. C. Keeler used the bye as a “Get Better” week. The result was a 42-10 victory over Lamar in the Kats' Southland Conference opener.
“We definitely got better during the open week,” Keeler said. “We got back to the basics just like in preseason training camp and practiced really hard. We played with a lot of emotion.”
Sam Houston limited a Lamar offense that came into the game the Southland's scoring and total offense leaders to a touchdown and a field goal in a 42-10 victory.
University of Texas transfer Jalen Overstreet rushed for 130 yards on seven carries including a 50-yard fourth quarter touchdown. Jared Johnson passed for 164 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 78 more. The Kats forced seven Lamar fumbles, recovering three. P. J. Hall led the defense with seven stops including a quarterback sack and blocked a Cardinal punt.
BEARKATS AFTER OPEN DATES
Since the 2011 season, Sam Houston is 5-0 after an open weekend. Overall, in 27 seasons at the FCS level, Sam Houston is 16-13 after open dates.
COWBOYS-BEARKATS BATTLE ON SOUTHLAND TV
McNeese State and Sam Houston State meet Saturday in Huntsville, Texas, on the Southland Conference Television Network Game of the Week. The matchup is part of the syndicated network's 10-game football schedule. Coverage begins at 3 p.m., CT, and will be carried by over 25 affiliates across the region, plus national and online outlets.
McNeese sits at 3-1 overall and 1-0 in conference after winning its conference opener 45-3 against Nicholls last week. Sam Houston is coming off its second bye week in three weeks and will look to improve upon its 2-3 overall record and 1-0 mark in conference play. The Cowboys are currently ranked No. 4 in the Coaches' Poll and No. 5 in The Sports Network Poll while the Bearkats are receiving votes in both polls.
LOOKING AT THE COWBOYS
The Cowboys have reeled of five consecutive conference road wins since last losing to Sam Houston 45-10 on Oct. 20, 2012 in Huntsville. McNeese, which leads the Southland with 44.5 points per game, will utilize its two-quarterback offense against the Bearkats. Junior quarterback Tyler Bolfing will guide the Cowboys in the air, having passed for 469 yards and three scores on 30 of 45 passing, while junior quarterback Daniel Sams will conduct the rushing attack for McNeese. Sams, who has passed for 238 yards on 19 of 40, has 336 rushing yards on 40 carries. The Cowboys boast one of the toughest defenses in the conference, leading all teams in rushing defense (95.5 ypg), scoring defense (14.2 ppg) and total defense (280.8 ypg).
THE SOUTHLAND TV NETWORK
The Southland TV Network, which enters its seventh season in 2014, is set to broadcast 10 football games throughout the season. The network earned its seventh Telly Awards honor this summer, receiving a bronze statuette for live production of last season's Sam Houston State vs. Southeastern Louisiana matchup. In addition, SLCTV has earned a pair of College Sports Media Award distinctions for live event production.
Viewers can visit Southland.org/television for a complete affiliate clearance list, plus a cable and dish channel number guide. This list of Texas markets includes Abilene-Sweetwater on KIDZ (15.2), Amarillo on KCPN (19.2), Austin on KBVO (14.1), Beaumont-Port Arthur on KUIL (12.5), Corpus Christi on KDF (47), Dallas-Fort Worth on KTXD (47.1), El Paso on KVIA (7.2), Houston on KUBE (57.1), Lubbock on KMYL (22.2), San Angelo on KIDY (6.2), San Antonio on WOAI (4.2), Tyler-Longview-Lufkin-Nacogdoches on KCEB (54.1), and Waco-Temple-Bryan on KCEN (6.2). The list of Louisiana markets includes Alexandria on KLAX (31.2), Baton Rouge on WBTR (41), Lafayette on KLFY (10.2), Lake Charles on KVHP (29.2), New Orleans on WUPL (54.1) and Shreveport on KPXJ (21.1). In Arkansas, fans can find the game in Fayetteville-Fort Smith on the Cox Channel (77/2077), Little Rock on KARZ (42.1), and Texarkana on KPXJ (21.1). Affiliates from outside the Southland footprint include WJXT (4.2) in Jacksonville, Florida, The Comcast Network Mid-Atlantic (D.C., Maryland and Virginia), plus Altitude Sports in Colorado and surrounding states. Nationwide, the game is available on the ESPN GamePlan pay-per-view package.
