First spring scrimmage Saturday at 2 p.m.
3/27/2014 9:30:00 PM | Football
Two weeks into 2014 Sam Houston spring football, the Bearkats will hold their first full-contact scrimmage Saturday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.
Saturday's scrimmage is just part of the activity for the Bearkat football program.
Sam Houston is hosting a clinic for area high school coaches. Participating coaches will have the opportunity to observe Bearkat practices Friday and Saturday, attend position meetings and learn from talks by Keeler and his assistant coaches.
“With so many coaches in Texas with Sam Houston ties, it's great to reach out to the high school programs and have the opportunity to exchange ideas,” Keeler said.
Following Saturday's scrimmage, Sam Houston football players will meet for a barbeque dinner then watch the Bearkat baseball team take on Northwestern State in a 4 p.m. game at Don Sanders Stadium.
The scrimmage comes during the eighth practice of the spring sessions and Sam Houston head coach K. C. Keeler is excited about the opportunity to see the Kats in game condition action.
“We've had a good two weeks of practice, but we always look forward to the chance to see how the players react to the first live work with tackling to the ground,” Keeler said. “Saturday is going to be a fun day.”
Keeler, who has named as the 15th head football coach at Sam Houston in January, inherits a squad that includes 52 lettermen including 13 starters from the 2013 Bearkat team that earned Sam Houston its third consecutive FCS playoff berth.
“The team is making progress although we have a lot of players still recovering from injuries from last football season. Sometimes it's hard to get a feel for things out on the field,” Keeler said.
The new Bearkat head coach is no stranger to playoff success. His 2003 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens squad won the FCS national championship and reach the FCS championship game in 2007 and 2010. In his 11 seasons at Delaware, his teams compiled an 85-52 record. He holds an overall mark of 174 victories, 73 losses and one tied as a head coach.
“The staff is encouraged with how the players have bought into what we're trying to do,” Keeler said. “They've been extremely respective.”
One thing Keeler will be looking for in spring ball will be leadership. The Bearkats lost 15 seniors including 12 starters from last year's playoff team.
Spring ball will climax with the annual Orange-White spring game Friday April 11 at 7 p.m. at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.
