Sam Houston vs. JSU Semifinals Game Notes
12/16/2015 7:34:00 AM | Football
For the fourth time in the past five seasons and the sixth time overall in Sam Houston's NCAA Division I Football Championship history, the Bearkats are in the FCS semifinals.
Sam Houston faces Ohio Valley Conference champion and No. 1 ranked Jacksonville State at 3 p.m. (Central) Saturday in Alabama. The Kats own a 2-2 record in their semifinal appearances, losing at Montana 34-13 in 2004, beating the Griz 31-18 in Huntsville in 2011, winning 45-42 at Eastern Washington in 2012 and falling at the Fargo Dome to North Dakota State 35-3 last year. The Bison also defeated the Kats in Sam's two NCAA championship appearances in Frisco in 2011 and 2012.
TWO OF THE WINNINGEST FCS TEAMS IN LAST 5 YEARS MEET
Four-time national champion North Dakota State (69-5), two-time finalist Sam Houston (56-18), Coastal Carolina (48-18) and current No. 1 Jacksonville State (46-16) stand as the four winningest programs at the FCS level in the past five seasons.
The Bison are undefeated (18-0) in FCS post-season play the last five seasons while the Kats stand 13-4 with two trips to the finals and reaching the semifinals two other times.
With a 16-9 overall record in the post-season, Sam ranks third all-time in playoff winning pct. (.640) and seventh in total wins among current NCAA FCS programs.
REMATCH OF 2014 SECOND ROUND FCS GAME
Sam Houston defeated Jacksonville State 37-26 in last year's FCS second round at Burgess-Snow Field in Jacksonville. Down 26-24 at intermission, the Bearkats shutout the Gamecocks in the second half while chalking up third quarter TDs on a 49-yard pass from Jared Johnson to LaDarius Brown and a 33-yard run by Jalen Overstreet. Johnson rushed for 85 yards including a 10-yard score and passed for 161 more. Johnson connected with Keshawn Hill for a 10-yard scoring pass in the first period and a 19-yard tally to Brown.
The Bearkat defense came up with two key interceptions. Tristan Eche, who finished with six tackles and a sack, picked off a pass to set up a short drive for Sam's opening score. Mikell Everette ended a fourth quarter JSU threat with an interception in the end zone. P. J. Hall also posted six tackles with a tackle for loss and blocked a Gamecock extra point.
Sam Houston and Jacksonville State are meeting for the 10th time. The Bearkats lead the series with five wins to four for JSU. The pair met annually from 1994 to 2002 when JSU competed as a football member in the Southland Conference.
VICTORIES OVER THREE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
In each of its 2015 NCAA Division I playoff wins, Sam Houston has knocked off a conference champion. The Bearkats defeated Big Sky winner Southern Utah 42-39, Southland Conference champ McNeese State 34-29 and Patriot League winner Colgate 48-21.
The first two contests featured come-from-behind victories. Sam Houston trailed Southern Utah by 13 points (39-26 with 12:58 to play in the third quarter) and McNeese by 10 (17-7 with 13:32 remaining in the second quarter).
Saturday's game with No. 1 ranked Jacksonville State marks the 40th time in the Bearkats' 28 seasons at the FCS level both teams have come into the contest nationally ranked. Sam Houston is 22-18 in those games including last year when the Kats upset No. 3 ranked JMU in Alabama.
DOMINATING WIN OVER COLGATE
Quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe, running back Corey Avery and wide receivers Yedidiah Louis and LaDarius Brown put on an offensive show in a 48-21 dominating victory over Colgate in the quarterfinals Saturday.
Briscoe had his best game as a Bearkat on Saturday, throwing for 358 yards and four touchdowns. The sophomore transfer from UAB directed Sam Houston to scores on six of its first seven possessions. Sam Houston's 37 first downs were a school record. The team's 653 total yards on offense marks the third highest single game total in school history.
Sam Houston's quick-strike offense seemingly wore down Colgate's defense. All eight of the Kats' scoring drives took less than three minutes. The Raiders were continually gashed, giving up 7.4 yards per play. Briscoe's 358 yards Saturday were the third highest passing total in a playoff game by a Kat quarterback. All-American Dustin Long tossed for 478 yards in the famous 20-point comeback win at Eastern Washington in 2004 and 375 in the semifinals at Montana that year.
The ground attack behind Sam Houston's powerful offensive line sparkled as well. Avery rushed 25 times for 197 yards, the third highest single game playoff total for a Kat running back. All-American Timothy Flanders gained 287 against Montana State and 231 at Eastern Washington.
Louis' 119 yards receiving stand as the fifth highest playoff game receiving total for the Kats.
RESERVES SHINE IN PLAYOFF VICTORY OVER T-BIRDS
With two running backs, the starting quarterback and two offensive tackles sidelined and having seen a 14-point lead turn into a 13-point deficit, Sam Houston turned to its reserve players to power the Bearkats to the game's last 16 points in a 42-39 FCS playoff opening round victory over No. 16 Southern Utah (the Big Sky Conference champion) Saturday, Nov. 28, in Huntsville.
Jeremiah Briscoe took over on the final series of the second quarter to pass for 211 yards including a 55-yard pass to Yedidiah Louis for the game's winning tally with 3:44 left to play.
Ridgeway Frank (a sixth-year senior) and Remus Bulmer (a freshman) came off the bench to mark only the tenth time in Sam Houston's 100 seasons of football two backs rushed for 100 or more yards in the same game. Frank carried 29 times for 137 yards including two scores. Bulmer added 111 yards on 16 carries.
All-Southland defensive end P. J. Hall was a beast on defense chalking up four tackles for losses including a quarterback sack, blocking two extra point attempts and intercepting a pass. One of the blocked PATs was returned for a defensive two-point conversion by Alfonzo McMillian.
BIZARRE END TO McNEESE REMATCH IN SECOND ROUND
For the second week in a row, sophomore quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe came off the bench to lead the Bearkats to victory. With the Kats trailing by 10 points early in the second period Saturday at McNeese, Briscoe threw for 313 yards and three scores in a 34-29 Bearkat win. The victory occurred exactly four weeks after previously unbeaten McNeese State defeated Sam Houston 27-10 in Lake Charles to clinch the Southland Conference title.
Briscoe's 28-yard TD pass to Yedidiah Louis in late in the third quarter provided the game-winning points. But the contest was decided by one big play in a bizarre finish to the contest.
Trailing by five points with 9:21 to play, Cowboys quarterback Daniel Sams hit Kent Shelby for what looked like it would turn into a 79-yard go-ahead score. But, incredibly, Sam Houston's first team All-Southland Conference cornerback Trenier Orr caught Shelby and brought him down at the one-yard line. Orr's tackle was followed with an amazing goal line stand.
First, McNeese was penalized five yards to the Sam Houston six after a false start. Then Sams was sacked for nine-yard loss to the 15-yard line by Kiel Heidman. Next, a holding call moved the Cowboys back to the 25-yard line. After an incomplete pass, a sack by P. J. Hall and a delay of game flag, McNeese faced fourth-and-goal from the 39 and was forced to punt.
McNeese never touched the ball again as Sam Houston's offense picked up three first downs to run out the final six minutes and six seconds and advanced to the quarterfinals.
KATS LEAD FCS IN TOTAL OFFENSE
Sam Houston ranks No. 1 nationally in total offense (551.1) and total first downs (399). The Kats stand No. 3 in scoring offense (43.3), No. 9 in both rushing offense (264.1) and third down conversion percentage (.473) and No. 13 in passing offense (287.0).
The Bearkats lead the Southland Conference this season in total offense, scoring, rushing offense and passing offense. The up-tempo Kats have run more than 80 plays in eight of their games including a school record 118 plays in the playoff victory over Southern Utah.
EIGHT CONSECUTIVE GAMES WITH 100-YARD RUSHER
A Sam Houston running back has carried for more than 100 yards in each of the past eight games.
Senior Jalen Overstreet started the streak with a career best 28 carries for 202 yards in the 37-7 win over Nicholls. Overstreet just missed a second 100-yard game a week later with 23 carries for 99 yards and a score versus A&M-Commerce. Since transferring from the University of Texas, the Tatum High School product has rushed for 1,521 yards to rank No. 28 in all-time Sam rushing.
All-Southland Conference sophomore Corey Avery has rushed for 100 yards in six of the last seven games. He posted 197 yards rushing in both victories over Northwestern State and Colgate. He carried for 125 yards and three TDs versus A&M-Commerce, 107 yards in the loss at McNeese, 109 yards in the win at Central Arkansas and 147 yards in the playoff victory in Lake Charles.
Avery's season total of 1,402 yards on 180 carries leads Southland Conference rushers. That total marks the 12th time in 100 seasons of SHSU football a running back has posted more than 1,000 rushing yards. Avery is a transfer from Kansas where he rushed for 631 yards and five TDs as a freshman last year.
Sixth-year senior Ridgeway Frank and freshman Remus Bulmer became the 10th backfield duo to post 100-yard rushing performances in the same game Saturday in the win over Southern Utah.Frank rushed 29 times for 137 yards while Bulmer added 111 yards on 16 carries.
P J HALL'S DEFENSIVE HEROICS
Sophomore P. J. Hall was 15th in the STATS FCS “Defensive Player of the Year” voting this fall. In 2014 he was Southland Conference “Freshman of the Year” and third place finisher in STATS FCS “Freshman of the Year” voting. He has earned All-America honors each of the past two seasons.
Hall has made his presence known with a string of impressive performances during the second half of the season. He has recorded an interception, fumble recovery, sack, kick block or tackle for loss in each of the last eight games.
Hall is the Bearkats' leader in total tackles (63 with 44 solo stops), tackles for loss (21 for 87 yards), sacks (11 for 61 yards) and blocked kicks (5). He also has two interceptions, 14 pass break-ups, a fumble recovery and a caused fumble to his credit.
Only in his second season, Hall now holds the SHSU career mark (51) for tackles for losses and is second in career sacks with 23. Andre Finley, who earned All-Southland honors in 1986-89, holds the mark for sacks with 36. Last year Hall totaled 30 tackles for losses, one short of the school record.With a punt block in the victory over Colgate, Hall became the only Bearkat ever to record five kick blocks in back-to-back seasons. His career mark of 10 blocks puts him two away from tying Trey Woods' school all-time mark of 12 established from 1991 to 1994.
Hall holds Sam Houston FCS playoff single game records with six tackles for loss in last year's opening round victory over Southeastern Louisiana and two kick blocks in this year's opening round win over Southern Utah.
In seven playoff appearances the past two season, Hall holds the Sam Houston career mark for most tackles for losses in post season play (18).
