For the second week in a row, sophomore quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe came off the bench and directed Sam Houston to a come-from-behind playoff victory.

This Saturday, in the NCAA Division I Football Championship round of 16, the victim was previously undefeated Southland champion McNeese State in a 34-29 thriller in Lake Charles.

The victory, which came four weeks after a 27-10 regular season loss to the Cowboys, moves Sam Houston into the FCS quarterfinals against Colgate. The game will be played at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium Saturday at 7 p.m.

Briscoe found eager targets in wide receivers Yedidiah Louis and LaDarius Brown. Louis caught touchdown passes of 22 and 28 yards and Brown started the Bearkats' scoring with a 54-yard TD reception in the first quarter. Louis also returned a kickoff 58 yards to set up a tally.

Brown totaled four receptions for 108 yards and Louis caught four passes for 79 yards including a reception on third down that picked up a first down to allow the Kat offense to run out the final minute of play.

Briscoe completed 19 of 34 passes for 313 yards.

The Bearkat defense had its heroes as well with defensive ends Kiel Heidman and P. J. Hall coming up with crucial quarterback sacks after a 78-yard pass from Daniel Sams to Kent Shelby had the Cowboys first-and-goal at the SHSU one-yard line with seven minutes to play.

Myke Chatman appeared to have ended the threat with an interception the linebacker returned to the Cowboys 39. But the play was over-turned by the replay judge who said Sams' knee was down after a sack by Keil Heidman. Hall's sack on third down turned a first-and-goal for McNeese into a fourth-and-25.

The two sacks by Hall in the game tied the sophomore for the Sam Houston career mark of 49 tackles for loss set in 1986 through 1989 by Andre Finley. McNeese never touched the ball again as the Kat offense ran out the final six minutes and 41 seconds.

“This is one of the greatest victories in my career,” Sam Houston head coach K. C. Keeler said. “Coming into Cowboy Stadium, a really tough place to play, and coming out with a win is great. At times, we didn't make it easy on ourselves.”

Running back Corey Avery posted his fifth 100-yards rushing performance of the season, marking the seventh consecutive game a Bearkat running back has cracked the century mark on the ground. Avery carried 30 times for147 yards including one tally.

Sam Houston rolled up 494 yards total offense on 83 plays with 175 on the ground and 319 yards passing. McNeese produced 372 total yards on 63 plays.

“We have a great up-tempo offense, but they were at their best tonight holding onto the ball and running out that last six and a half minutes,” Keeler said. “What a game.”

Sams completed 12 of 23 passes for 225 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed for 57 yards.

McNeese got off to a quick start when Wallace Scott returned an interception on the fourth play of the game 21 yards to the Bearkat 30-yard line. The turnover set up a 43-yard Jean Breaux field goal to put the Cowboys up 3-0 two minutes into the contest.

After stopping the Cowboy offense twice, Briscoe found Brown open on the sideline at the two and the senior wide receiver powered his way into the end zone for a 54-yard score. The score was the fourth play in a 70-yard drive that took just a minute and four.

Both teams exchanged the ball twice before the Bearkat offense struck pay-dirt on a 54-yard touchdown strike from Briscoe to Brown. The senior wide receiver caught the pass at the two-yard line and powered his way past the Cowboy defender to put Sam Houston up 7-3 with 4:08 remaining in the opening period.

McNeese struck back immediately with an eight-play 67-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard scoring pass from Sams to Kent Shelby. A 21-yard catch and run by Zach Hetrick to the Kat 35-yard line was a key play in the drive that put the Cowboys back in front 10-7 with 39 seconds left in the period.

Jermaine Antoine's 14-yard interception return to the Sam Houston 27 allowed McNeese to put seven more points on the board with a four-yard Sams pass to David Bush just two minutes into the second quarter.

Louis raced out of the right side of the end zone and broke two tackles up the middle of the field for a 58-yard return on the ensuing kickoff. Davion Davis's 21-yard catch third and nine at the McNeese 31 set up a one-yard dive for six points by Avery as the Kats pulled within three, 17-14 with 9:38 left before intermission.

Sam Houston added 10 more points in the final four-and-a-half minutes of the first half on a 22-yard Briscoe to Louis touchdown pass and a career long 47-yard field goal by Tre Hohnstein on the final play of the first 30 minutes.

The Bearkats started the second half with a 24-yard field goal by Honshtein after an 11-play 63-yard drive highlighted by a pair of 20-yard rushes by Avery.

After Sam's third touchdown pass of the game cut the SHSU margin to 27-23 with 2:22 left in the third, Louis picked up his second score of the game with on a 28-yard throw by Briscoe. The Kats led 34-23 at the end of the third.

The only scoring in the final quarter came on a 43-yard scoring pass from Sams to Tavarious Battiste. The Cowboys passing attempt for a two point conversion fell short.

NCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND OF 16 RESULTS

Sam Houston 34, McNeese 29
North Dakota State 37, Montana 6
Jacksonville State 41, Chattanooga 35 (OT)
Illinois State 36, Western Illinois 19
Colgate 44, James Madison 38
Charleston Southern 14, The Citadel 6
Richmond 48, William & Mary 13