Southland media day finds Kats focused on EWU
7/23/2014 11:10:00 PM | Football
With Southland Conference Football Media Wednesday taking place an hour-and-a-half away from Baton Rouge, Louisiana reporters asked several questions about the Bearkats' game with FCS powerhouse LSU Sept. 6.
But SHSU head coach K. C. Keeler's response to each query was the same.
“When our football team reports this Sunday, each player will receive a schedule with only one game listed,” Keeler said. “That game is August 23 against Eastern Washington.”
The trip to Cheney, Washington, to play in the FCS Kickoff on ESPN marks the earliest season opener for the Bearkats in their 98 years of football. Media Wednesday fell exactly one month away from the EWU game.
“Being on ESPN, the one not the two or three, in the first televised game of the year is such a reward to our players for all their hard work this summer,” Keeler said. “Our game is the only contest on national TV that day and that's big."
Due to injuries and other factors during spring ball, only three or four of the players who started in the spring game will be starters next month in Cheney. Going up against probably the number one team in the nation, we've got a lot of work to do. We have to be completely focused on Eastern Washington.”
Senior running back Keshawn Hill echoed his coach.
“The enthusiasm this summer has been great,” Hill said. “There's been great energy among both the young players and the returning guys. We're ready to get started next week.”
Sam Houston will hold its first practice at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium Monday morning.
“With this program's record of success during the last three years, our coaching staff has inherited a group of outstanding young men who know what it takes to win at this level,” Keeler said. “During spring ball, it was exciting to see the way everyone bought into what we are trying to do.”
Sam Houston has been picked to finish third in the Southland Conference race according to the annual poll of the league's head coaches. Southeastern Louisiana and McNeese are the coaches' picks to finish first and second, respectively.
The Bearkats won the Southland title in 2011 and 2012 and were third last year. Sam Houston is one of only three programs to earn FCS playoff berths each of the past three seasons.
With a new coaching staff and many new faces in the starting lineup, there will be a lot of new wrinkles for the team both on offense and defense.
“Football is football,” senior safety Michael Wade said. “We're be doing some different things this year, but we're on the right track. There's been tremendous enthusiasm this summer with the guys working together. We're here to win. The coaching staff and the players are on the same page.”
Keeler knows there's plenty of local excitement about playing LSU in its season opener at newly-enlarged Tiger Stadium.
“I've gotten a lot of calls from people wanting to make sure they can get tickets,” Keeler said. “But that's something I'll handle. I want the players to be thinking only about Eastern Washington. You become successful by taking games one at a time.”
