Running back Cory Avery carried 24 times for 125 yards including touchdowns of 3, 4 and 1 yards to power Sam Houston to a 38-24 non-conference victory over A&M-Commerce Saturday night at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium in Huntsville.
Bearkat quarterback Jared Johnson completed 23 of 38 passes for 267 yards including a 63-yardd pass to Yedidiah Louis. Johnson also rushed for 74 yards including a 24-yard touchdown with 9:19 to play after the Lions had cut the Bearkats' margin to a touchdown.
The victory, Sam Houston's sixth in a row since opening the season with two losses, upped the Kats' season mark to 6-2. A&M-Commerce is 7-2 for the year. The Bearkats are ranked No. 8 nationally in NCAA Division I FCS while the Lone Star Conference champion Lions stand No. 8 in the NCAA Division II national poll.
Lion quarterback Harrison Stewart completed 23 of 47 pases for 432 yards and three touchdowns.
Sam Houston built a 21-3 lead with 13 minutes left in the first half. But the Lions roared back to tied the contest 24-24 with 10 minutes left in the third period.
“We've been saying all week that A&M-Commerce is a good football team and they showed it tonight,” Sam Houston head coach K. C. Keeler said. “It would have been really easy to panic when they tied it up in the third quarter. We have played really good defense not giving up those big plays.
“When some of those big plays happen it's easy to get frustrated but you can't be that way. The kids did a really job keeping their composure. This was the first time we've had to play into the second half since Stephen F. Austin. I think this was all great experience for us in terms of knowing in these type ball games we can settle down and find a way to win.”
Turnovers and late stands by the Bearkat defense played a key roll in the victory. Sam Houston All-American defensive end P. J. Hall racked up three tackles for 20 yards in losses including a pair of sacks. Last year's Southland Conference “Freshman of the Year” moved up to third place in Bearkat career tackles for loss. His total of 39 as a sophomore stands 10 away from Andre Finley's career record of 49 set from 1986 to 1989.
Additionally, Hall blocked a Lion field goal attempt, his sixth career kick block. He now ranks third in SHSU career blocks, six behind all-time leader Tre Woods.
“P. J. the last couple of weeks has been our best player, defensively,” Keeler said. “He was really dominant and made some huge plays tonight with quarterback pressures and sacks. He was a big difference maker.”
Avery's first touchdown was a three-yard run three minutes into the contest that complete a 12-play 84-yard game-opening scoring drive for the Bearkats. Avery's second score four-yard run completed a five-play 80-yard drive late in the first period set in motion by a 63-yard pass catch-and-run by Yedidiah Louis.
Avery's third score proved to provide the Bearkats the game winning points after the Lions had rallied for two third quarter TDs to tie the contest at 24-24. Avery's one yard run completed a nine-play 44-yard drive with 2:14 left in the third quarter.
The Bearkats added 10 points in the second period on a two-yard Jalen Overstreet run and a 22-yard Tre Honshtein field goal on the last play before intermission.
Overstreet fell just one yard short of his second consecutive 100-yard rushing performance, carrying 23 times for 99 yards.
Louis led the Kats in receiving with eight catches for 98 yards. Gerald Thomas and Davion Davis each totaled four catches.
Sam Houston returns to Southland Conference action next week, taking on McNeese State Saturday at 6 p.m. in a battle of the first place Cowboys against the second place Bearkats.
