Bearkats vs. A&M-Commerce Game Notes
10/28/2015 5:14:00 AM | Football
OLD LONE STAR CONFERENCE RIVALS DUEL SATURDAY
Sam Houston and Texas A&M-Commerce (then East Texas) first met in 1919. From 1924 to 1931, the pair met as rivals in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association and from 1932 to 1983 the Kats and Lions battled annually as Lone Star Conference members. After Sam Houston's move to the Gulf Star Conference in 1984, the two met in non-conference games twice more.
The Lions have remained a dominant force in the Lone Star. Clinching their 22nd league title with a victory over West Texas A&M Oct. 17, they currently rank No. 8 in the NCAA Division II poll.
JALEN OVERSTREET HAS BIG NIGHT VS. NICHOLLS
Running back Jalen Overstreet became the 35th member of Sam Houston's 1,000-yard career rushing club with a career best 28 carries for 202 yards Saturday in the 37-7 win over Nicholls.
In his 23 games as a Bearkat since transferring to the Huntsville campus from the University of Texas in Austin, the Tatum High School product has rushed for 1,197 yards. Saturday's 202-yard performance ranks No. 14 among single game rushing totals by Sam Houston backs and is the sixth highest total by a Bearkat against a Southland Conference opponent.
QUARTERBACK JARED JOHNSON'S NUMBERS IMPRESSIVE
Junior Jared Johnson currently ranks No. 7 in FCS passing efficiency (165.9) and No. 9 nationally in completion percentage (.659). He leads the Southland in both categories. Johnson earned league offensive “player of the week” honors for the second time in his career after tying a Sam Houston school record with five TD passes in a 49-21 victory at Abilene Christian.
Johnson started all 16 games during last year's championship campaign, setting a school record for the most yards passing by a sophomore (3,054) and the second highest single season total offense production in program history (4,053 yards). He now ranks No. 3 behind Brian Bell (2010-13) and Rhett Bomar (2007-08) in career total offense with 5,712 yards and stands No. 5 in Bearkat career passing with 4,291 yards.
DEFENSIVE BIG PLAYS KEY IN WINNING STREAK
Big plays by the Bearkat defense have set up scoring sprees in three of the team's five wins. Interceptions by Tyrel Stokes, Sammy Webb IV and Trenier Orr powered the team to a 28-0 third quarter on the way to a 63-14 victory over Houston Baptist. Midway through the second quarter the score was tied 14-14. Stokes returned his interception 25-yards for a score.
Sam Houston got a quick start in the 59-7 victory over Incarnate Word with three TDs in less than a two-minute span in the first quarter thanks to its defense. After a 66-yard Jared Johnson to Cory Avery scoring pass, interceptions by P. J. Hall and Mikell Everette set up short, quick scoring drives. In the second quarter, Collins Okotcha returned the Kats' third interception of the night for a 60-yard score. Sam Houston led at half 52-0.
In the 37-7 win over Nicholls, a first quarter interception by Torian Williams set up a two-play, 20-yard scoring drive in a 23-0 opening period for the Kats. In the third quarter, a forced fumble and recovery by P. J. Hall sparked a two-play 15-yard drive that gave the Kats a 37-0 lead.
WIDE RECEIVERS MOVING UP IN SHSU RECORD BOOK
Three wide receivers are piling up impressive career totals in the Sam Houston record book.
LaDarius Brown leads the Southland and ranks No. 24 in FCS in receiving yards per game (73.6 average). The senior has 32 catches for 515 yards and five scores this fall. Brown has climbed to No. 15 in Sam Houston career receiving annals with 1,322 yards. His standout performances this season include four catches for 115 yards and a pair of 35-yard touchdowns in the victory over UIW and six grabs for 108 yards including a 64-yard score at ACU.
Sophomore Yedidiah Louis stands No. 22 with 95 catches for 1,141 yards and two TDs. A New Orleans native who moved to the Dallas area after Hurricane Katrina, he walked on at Sam Houston after playing at Richardson Berkner High School.
Senior Gerald Thomas moved up to the No. 25 spot in the 1,000-yard receiving club with six catches for 63 yards versus UIW. His 164 yards on eight receptions in the HBU victory included an 86-yard touchdown, the ninth longest passing play in Kat annals. Thomas has caught 66 passes for 1,042 career yards and 10 scores since transferring from the University of Colorado. Thomas made 18 receptions for 171 yards as a true freshman at Colorado in 2012.
TALENTED RUNNING BACKS SHARING LOAD
Sharing the load with Jalen Overstreet in the Sam Houston running attack are transfer Cory Avery and freshman Remus Bulmer. Avery has carried 46 times for 443 yards (9.6 average per carry) and Bulmer has 46 rushes for 234 yards (5.1 average).
Avery is a transfer from Kansas where he rushed for 631 yards and five TDs as a freshman last year. Bulmer rushed for 1,938 yards and 3422 touchdowns at Ridge Point High School in Missouri City. Sam Houston rankes No. 9 in the nation and No. 2 in the Southland Conference with 292.9 yards on the ground each game.
SAM HOUSTON IN TOP 10 IN BOTH POLLS
Sam Houston stands No. 8 in the STATS FCS media poll and No. 10 in the NCAA Coaches rankings. Since Sept. 9, 2011, the Bearkats have been ranked among the top 25 FCS teams 57 times in 64 weekly polls (including 39 times in the top 10). Sam Houston was No. 1 in the nation in the final regular season poll of the 2011 season and stood No. 1 in the STATS rankings the Monday following the Kats' 59-45 loss to Texas Tech.
KICKER LUC SWIMBERGHE
Preseason FCS All-America and All-Southland selection Luc Swimberghe now is Sam Houston's leader in career successful point-after kicks. His three-year total now stands at 179. The old record was 171 set by Miguel Antonio in 2010-12.
Swimberghe has other records in his sights. His 272 points on 31 career field goals and 179 PATs rank him No. 2 in Sam Houston kick scoring (behind Antonio's 324 points) and No. 3 in all-time Kat scoring (behind Timothy Flanders' 420 points). The junior ranks No. 5 in career field goals.
P. J. HALL TURNING ON PRESSURE
Sophomore P. J. Hall, last year's Southland Conference “Defensive Player of the Year” and a third place finisher in the 2014 voting for the Jerry Rice award as FCS “Freshman of the Year,” has moved into fifth place in career tackles for losses (35) and eighth in Sam Houston's all-time sack standings (14). Last year Hall totaled 30 tackles for losses, one short of the school record. He also tied the school mark for blocked kicks in a single season (5).
PUNT RETURN SUCCESS
Sam Houston special teams set a school record with 195 yards and two touchdowns on punt returns in the 34-28 victory over Stephen F. Austin Oct. 3. The Bearkats rank No. 21 nationally and No. 3 in the Southland in punt returns with an average of 14.56 yards per return. The Kats stand as one of only four FCS programs with two punt return scores this season.
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Senior defensive end Luis Carreno (30 tackles), sophomore linebacker A. J. Davis (29), senior cornerback Mike Everette (28), junior linebacker Myke Chatman (27) and defensive end P. J. Hall (26) lead the Bearkats in tackles this year.
Sam Houston has totaled 52 tackles for 164 yards in losses in seven games. The Bearkats have created 13 turnovers with 10 interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
Freshman safety Alfonzo McMillian leads the team with a pair of interceptions. Another freshman, linebacker Collins Okotcha, returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown in the victory over Incarnate Word.
In seven games this year, the defense has forced 37 three-and-out series ending with a punt. The turnovers caused by the Bearkat defense have resulted in 77 points.
The last three games, the Sam Houston defense has gotten off to a first start. Against Incarnate Word, Abilene Christian and Nicholls combined, the Kats gave up only 13 yards rushing and 42 passing in the opening period. During those 45 minutes of first quarter action the Bearkats intercepted three passes, blocked a punt and scored on a safety.
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE LEADERS
Wide receiver LaDarius Brown leads the league in receiving yards per game (73.6). He stands fourth in receptions per game (4.6). Gerald Thomas stands fifth in receiving yards per game (58.7). Yedidiah Louis is eighth in the league in average receptions (4.0).
Kicker Luc Swimberghe leads the Southland in kick scoring (9.0 points per game) and ranks second in overall scoring. Swimberghe has kicked 39 PATs and five field goals.
Quarterback Jared Johnson ranks second in passing efficiency (165.9), third in total offense per game (206.4) and fourth in passing (165.0). His 13 touchdown passes lead the Southland.
Punter Lachlan Edwards stands fifth in Southland punting (41.6).
As a team, Sam Houston leads the Southland in scoring (47.6), total offense (548.4), passing offense (292.9), pass efficiency (158.2) and passing defense (177.1).
OTHER QUICK BEARKAT NOTES
• Sam Houston leads all Texas Division I football teams in victories during the last four seasons (since 2011). The Kats have won 50 games followed by Baylor 47; Houston 41, TCU 40; Texas A&M 39; Texas 34; Texas Tech 31; Rice 30; Texas State 25, Lamar, UTSA and SFA 24.
• The Bearkat offense ranks No. 2 nationally in total yards (548.4), scoring (47.6) and first downs (198). Sam Houston stands No. 9 in FCS rushing (255.6) and No. 14 in the nation in passing (292.9)
• After starting the year with losses to Texas Tech (59-45) and Lamar (49-46), Sam Houston owns a five-game winning streak. The Bearkats have outscored their last five foes 242 to 77.
• The Bearkats trailed at half in three of their first four games (31-42 at Texas Tech, 14-31 vs. Lamar and 3-14 against SFA). Sam Houston got off to quick starts in their last three games, leading 24-0, 28-0 and 23-0 at the end of the first quarter against UIW, ACU and Nicholls, respectively.
• The Bearkats are one of only three teams that have earned FCS playoff berths each of the last four years (the other two are North Dakota State and New Hampshire).
• Australian punter Lachlan Edwards earned FCS All-America and All-Southland Conference honors last year after leading the league and ranking No. 15 nationally with a 43.1 average. Edwards stands as Sam Houston's all-time punting leader with an average of 43.44 yards per punt.
• Two Kats have earned Southland “Player of the Week” honors in the past three weeks. Gerald Thomas won the special teams award after a 78-yard punt return touchdown that sparked a comeback victory over Stephen F. Austin in Houston. Quarterback Jared Johnson was the offensive winner after the Abilene Christian win in which he tied a school record with five touchdown passes.
• With 12 catches for 103 yards and a TD at Texas Tech, wide receiver Davion Davis from Hutto totaled the most catches ever by a Kat freshman in one game. The total was one short of the school record of 13 catches held by Jason Mathenia and Torrance Williams.
• Four of Sam Houston's all-time top single game total offense performances have come in the past two seasons including 823 yards vs. HBU in 2014 and 709 this year against the Huskies. The Kats also totaled 685 yards of offense in their 2014 home opener against Alabama State and 637 yards in the 2015 contest in Lubbock against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
