Improved UIW Cardinals next for Sam Houston
10/8/2015 9:03:00 AM | Football
The University of the Incarnate Word comes to Huntsville Saturday bringing what Sam Houston head coach K. C. Keeler sees as one of the most improved teams in FCS to Elliott T. Bowers Stadium for the 6 p.m. league tilt.
“This is not the Incarnate Word team that we saw last year,” Keeler said. “Coach Larry Kennan and his staff are doing a great job with this program. I talked a couple of weeks ago about how Houston Baptist has improved so much. The same thing is true of Incarnate Word. They're not only one of the most improved teams in this league but in the entire country.”
Led by 6-2, 208-pound quarterback Trent Brittain, the UIW Cardinals lost to UTEP two weeks ago by a field goal and last weekend defeated Northwestern State 45-31. The Cardinals are 3-2 for the season and 2-1 in league play. Their only league loss is to Southland front-runner McNeese State 43-6 in Lake Charles.
“Incarnate Word has gone from a young program that was scrapping out a couple of wins a year to a team that is 2-1 in conference play, just like us, and went down to the wire with an FBS program,” Keeler said. “They really play hard and run to the ball. They're more talented and they're playing with a sense of purpose.”
Keeler knows his Bearkat team needs to get off to a strong start to set the tone against Incarnate Word.
“We haven't been hitting on all cylinders in some of our early games. We can't start that way against UIW,” Keeler said. “They're coming in here with some confidence. We have to set the tone early.”
Brittain has rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns and passes for 999 yards and six scores. UIW features an offense that is averaging 146.4 yards rushing per game and 212.2 yards passing.
“Honestly, we've talked a little about Incarnate Word with the team, but more we've talked about how we need to get better,” Keeler said. “Our emphasis the past two weeks has been to know your job and do your job.”
Sam Houston is coming off a 34-28 victory over Stephen F. Austin in the 90th “Battle of the Piney Woods” at NRG Stadium last Saturday which saw the Bearkats trailing 14-3 at halftime.
“It says a lot about how this team has progressed that, down 14-3 at half, there wasn't any panic in the locker room,” Keeler said. “We came out the third quarter, executed on special teams and got back in the ball game. You never know what's going to happen in a rivalry game. We left some points on the field in the first half, but we came back and found a way to win.”
Tickets for the Sam Houston versus Incarnate Word football game are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com or at the Bearkat athletic ticket office located on the west side of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. The ticket office number is (936) 294-1729.
