Playoff Win Over T-Birds A Team Victory
11/29/2015 3:34:00 PM | Football
Saturday's playoff opening round victory over Southern Utah had some unlikely heroes as the Bearkats battled back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter with 16 unanswered points for a 42-39 win.
Running backs Ridgeway Frank and Remus Bulmer came on the bench to become the 10th pair of Sam Houston running backs to both rush for more than 100 yards in one game. Frank carried 29 times for 137 yards and two short touchdowns. Bullmer added 111 yards on 16 carries. Both were college career highs for the two backs.
Defensive tackles James De La Rosa, freshman Adrian Contreras and backup quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe stepped up and made huge plays as well as Sam Houston set up a rematch with Southland Conference champion McNeese State in Lake Charles, La., Saturday at 6 p.m.
“This was the best team win I've ever been associated with,” Sam Houston head coach K. C. Keeler said. “Our top two tailbacks go down and we throw in a freshman and a sixth-year senior and they both run for over 100 yards. Our starting quarterback turns his ankle and we bring in the next guy and he plays pretty well too. It shows a lot of character on our part.”
Following a safety when De La Rosa and Contreras brought down Southern Utah running back Pete Williams for a five-yard loss in his own end zone, Sam Houston cut the Thunderbird margin to 39-35 with 3:58 to play.
Briscoe quickly zipped a screen pass to sophomore wide receiver Yedidiah Louis who slipped an ankle tackles and shoulder his way through another defender to break free for a 55-yard trip to the end zone for the winning score.
“I was really impressed with how the kids churned it out,” Keeler said. “If you look at the last touchdown, two or three guys had shots at getting Louis down and he just kept pumping his legs.”
The Thunderbirds had one last chance with 1:02 left in the game. On the 20-yard line and facing a second-and-10, Southern Utah quarterback hit wide receiver Justin Brown for a 25-yard gain, but Contreras jarred the ball loose and linebacker Tristan Eche fell on the ball. The game was over.
Before the Bearkats took the lead the Sam Houston defense came up with several big stops. Behind 39-26 midway through the third quarter, defensive end P. J. Hall and the Bearkat defensive line were the catalysts for the Kats' comeback.
Near midfield, defensive end Luis Carreno leapt and batted a T-Bird pass straight into the air and Hall ran underneath it for an easy interception. That set up a one-yard touchdown by Frank.
Now Sam Houston travels back to Lake Charles where the Bearkats lost 27-10 to the Cowboys three weeks ago. The contest is one of eight second round match-ups in the 2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship.
Opening round results and the complete schedule for next weekend:
OPENING-ROUND NOV. 28
Chattnooga 50, Fordham 20 at Chattanooga, Tennessee
The Citadel 41, Coastal Carolina 38 at Conway, South Carolina
Colgate 27, New Hampshire 20 at Durham, New Hampshire
Sam Houston 42, Southern Utah 39 at Huntsville, Texas
Montana 24, South Dakota State 17at Missoula, Montana
Northern Iowa 53, Eastern Illinois 17 at Cedar Falls, Iowa
William & Mary 52, Duquesne 49 at Williamsburg, Virginia
Western Illinois 24, Dayton 7 at Dayton, Ohio
ROUND OF 16 DECEMBER 5 (All Times Central)
Chattanooga (9-3) at #1 Jacksonville St. (10-1) 1 p.m. ESPN3
The Citadel (9-3) at #8 Charleston Southern (9-2) 12 noon ESPN 3
Colgate (8-4) at #5 James Madison (9-2) 12 noon ESPN 3
Sam Houston (9-3) at #4 McNeese State (10-0) 6 p.m. ESPN3
Montana (8-4) at #1 North Dakota State (9-2) 2:30 p.m. ESPN3
Northern Iowa (8-4) at #6 Portland State (9-2) 8 p.m. ESPN3
William & Mary (9-3) at #7 Richmond (8-3) 11 a.m. ESPN3
Western Illinois (6-5) at #2 Illinois State (9-2) 1 p.m. ESPN3
