Play of defense to be key in Saturday's Battle
10/3/2015 6:03:00 AM | Football
PRE-GAME FAN INFORMATION FOR SATURDAY AT NRG
Another record crowd is expected Saturday when Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin meet in the 90th “Battle of the Piney Woods” presented by H-E-B.
Kickoff is at 3 p.m. at NRG Stadium, the sixth consecutive year for the pair to meet at the home of the NFL Houston Texans.
Sam Houston head coach K. C. Keeler expects the game to be an electrifying contest in which both teams will play the best football they have played all season.
“Montana versus Montana State and Sam Houston against Stephen F. Austin have to be the two greatest rivalries in FCS football,” Keeler said. “Rivalry games are rivalry games. If you look historically, there have been a number of times that the team that is not ranked won the ball game, I think, just because of sheer emotion.”
Fifteen times since 1986, either Sam Houston or Stephen F. Austin has come into the contest with ranking. Six of those times the unranked squad pulled off the upset.
Tensions run high in the “Battle of the Piney Woods” which is why Keeler has emphasized playing under control this week in practice. The Bearkats (1-1 in Southland Conference play and 1-2 overall) have already been flagged for more personal foul penalties that the head coach would like.
“It's going to be hard but Coach Keeler gets on to us every day in practice that we have to play clean,” Sam Houston defensive lineman Sione Latu said. “If we play clean, we should be able to win the game.”
Recent meetings between the two schools have been full of big plays and a couple of down-to-the-wire finishes.
During their current four-game winning streak against SFA, the Bearkats have won by scores of 42-28, 56-49, 51-43 and 45-10.
On paper, with Sam Houston ranked No. 2 in FCS national statistics in both scoring and total offense, the contest looks like it should be another high-scoring game. But the head coach thinks the talent that can be found on the defensive sides of both teams could surprise fans expecting to see lots of fireworks.
“Looking at the numbers and the history, you would think that this is going to be one of those 45-40 kind of games, but I'm not sure,” Keeler said. “I know our defense has made great strides and I think their defensive line is as good as any that we will face this year. Both defenses have a chance to step up and play better football.”
The big challenge for the Sam Houston defense will be stopping Lumberjacks quarterback Zach Conque, a mobile signal-caller who has accounted for seven touchdowns this year. Latu knows the Bearkat defense is facing one of the top quarterbacks in the league Saturday.
“It could be frustrating but we have to keep going out there and work to get the offense back on the field,” Latu said.
This early in the year, both teams know that winning the “Battle of the Piney Woods” could be the springboard either squad needs to get back into the Southland race.
Keeler said the Bearkats turned their season around in 2014 once the defense began to show improvement. He believes the “Battle of the Piney Woods” marks a great opportunity for the defense to make a similar type of statement.
“When we made our run last year, we made it because of a really good defense,” Keeler said. “We have nine of those guys back. It's been disappointing where we've been as a defense so far. You saw glimmers of what could be if the second half against both Lamar and Houston Baptist. I think we can be a really good defense and that it's going in the right direction.”
The Sam Houston defensive line is coming off a four-sack performance against Houston Baptist. The Bearkats will get plenty of chances to for more as Conque averages more than 37 passes per game.
“We're going to have more opportunities to pass rush one-on-one the way SFA pass protects,” defensive end P. J. Hall said. “We need to get to the quarterback and make some things happen.”
Everyone on the defensive side of the ball knows their play will be important to the outcome of Saturday's game.
“We have to make sure we do our jobs,” Latu said. “We can't jump into other gaps. We have to read our assignments.”
