Southland TV/ESPN3 to telecast Kats-Demons
10/17/2014 2:50:00 PM | Football
Sam Houston State and Northwestern State meet Saturday in Natchitoches, La., 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 more than 25 affiliates across the region, plus national and online outlets.
The Bearkats' local outlet in the Greater Houston area is the KUBE Channel 57.
Sam Houston moved to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in conference after a 38-22 upset win against then-No. 4 McNeese State. With the win, the Bearkats jumped back into both national polls, moving to No. 24 in The Sports Network Poll.
Northwestern State is coming off a 49-12 win against UIW and sits at 3-3 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Demons received votes in The Sports Network Poll last week.
Sam Houston has won its last two games since having its 23-game home winning streak snapped on Sept. 13. The Bearkats are led by sophomore quarterback Jared Johnson, who earned the league's offensive player of the week honors last week after accounting for 382 yards of total offense, including 190 rushing yards with touchdown runs of 73 and 67 yards in the win against McNeese.
Johnson, who ranks seventh in the conference with 62.5 rushing yards per game, has thrown for 1,273 and eight touchdowns and five interceptions on 117 of 213 passing. Freshman receiver Yedidiah Louis leads the Bearkats with 56.2 yards per game and one score.
Defensively, Sam Houston is led by freshman defensive end P.J. Hall, who was recently named to the Jerry Rice Award Watch List for the most outstanding first-year player in FCS. Hall, a two-time defensive player of the week in the Southland, has 37 total tackles on the season and paces the Bearkats with nine tackles for a loss. He ranks as the top freshman in the nation in tackles for losses.
Yedidiah Louis, Sam Houston's top receiver, leads all FCS freshmen in the nation in pass receiving with 31 catches.
Northwestern State, which has won three of its last four games, is looking to continue its momentum in conference play. The Demons have won three consecutive home conference games and will look to senior quarterback Zach Adkins to guide their potent offense. Adkins has completed 129 of 193 passes for 1,241 and 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Junior Ed Eagan leads the Demon receiving corps with 32 catches for 386 yards and three scores. Senior running back Garrett Atzenweiler helps keep opposing defenses honest by averaging 70.3 yards per game with five rushing touchdowns. Defensively, the Northwestern State secondary has recorded nine interceptions led by senior Imoan Claiborne and sophomore Adam Jones, both of whom top the conference with three interceptions.
Northwestern State holds a 19-17 advantage in the all-time series. However, the Bearkats have won the last three meetings, including a 44-10 win last season in Huntsville.
Four-time Louisiana sportscaster of the year Lyn Rollins will handle play-by-play duties and will be joined in the booth by color analyst Shea Walker, a former Texas A&M receiver. Jessica Province will serve as the sideline reporter.
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. For live coverage, the 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 KMYS (35.1), 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 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, and The Comcast Network Mid-Atlantic (D.C., Maryland and Virginia). Nationwide, the game is available live on the ESPN GamePlan pay-per-view package.
All Southland TV games will be streamed live and for free on the Southland Digital Network, available via Southland.org/watch and the Southland's official mobile and tablet app for Apple and Android devices. Coverage is also accessible via ESPN3 at WatchESPN.com and on the WatchESPN application for smart phones, tablets, Xbox, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire, Roku and other devices.
The game will air on tape-delayed basis in Fayetteville-Fort Smith, Arkansas, on the Cox Channel at 6 p.m., Central, Saturday. Tape-delayed coverage is available in two Oklahoma markets via the Cox Channel (3/703), Oklahoma City and Tulsa, on Sunday at 12 noon, Central. Comcast SportsNet Houston is set to air the matchup Sunday at 8 a.m., Central. Nationally, the Bearkats and Demons can be seen on Fox College Sports Central, Sunday at 5 p.m., Central. Cox Sports Television will carry the broadcast Monday at 7 p.m., Central. Altitude Sports makes the game available in the Rocky Mountain region beginning Monday at 11 p.m., Mountain.
