Big Plays Powered Kats To 2nd Round Win
12/7/2015 8:27:00 AM | Football
A win in Lake Charles, a town where the Bearkats have found little success in the past three decades, has propelled Sam Houston into the NCAA Division I Football Championship quarterfinals for the fourth time in five years.
The Kats will return to Bowers Stadium for the quarterfinals on Saturday when they host Colgate, which upset No. 5 seed James Madison 44-38. Kickoff for the quarterfinal playoff game between the Bearkats and the Raiders is set for 7 p.m.
For the second week in a row, quarterback Jerimiah Briscoe came off the bench to team with the receiving trio of LaDarius Brown, Yedidiah Louis and Gerald Thomas to make some phenomenal plays in the passing game against suffocating man-to-man coverage, which resulted in a different outcome than November's matchup.
“Gerald Thomas, Yedi Louis, Davion Davis and LaDarius Brown are the best four wideouts you can have on the field out of anybody in this country,” Briscoe said. “I'll take them one-on-one against any corner. It definitely makes things easier on me that I know that I just have to get the ball out there. Our offensive line played great tonight, like they have all year.”
Down 17-7 early in the second quarter, Louis gave the Bearkats a short field on a kickoff return after the Cowboys had just scored, weaving his way through defenders on the ensuing kickoff 58 yards to the McNeese 42-yard line.
Nine plays later, running back Corey Avery dove through the heart of the McNeese defense and crossed the goal line for a 2-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal to cut the Cowboys' lead to three.
Coming off an injury, Avery gutted a Cowboys defense that came into the conference giving up just 78.6 yards per game, rushing for 147 yards on 30 carries.
“No one has run the ball right at McNeese,” Sam Houston State head coach K.C. Keeler said. “Last time we did it, and we did it again this time. I think Corey Avery is one of the best backs in the country.”
After forcing a McNeese punt, the Bearkats retook the lead when Briscoe found a wide-open Louis near the left sideline, who hopped into the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown catch to cap a 10-play, 86-yard drive.
The Bearkats drove into McNeese territory when Briscoe connected with Brown on a short pass. Brown appeared to be tackled, but immediately jumped off the defender who tried to bring him down and ran to the Cowboys' 42-yard line for a 30-yard pickup before the referees blew the whistle.
The Bearkats added two field goals to score 20 straight points, jumping out to a 27-17 advantage midway through the third quarter.
After quarterback Jared Johnson had completed just two of his six pass attempts and threw an interception during the Bearkats' first two drives, Keeler pulled Johnson and Briscoe engineered five scoring drives out of the first seven possessions he was under center.
“Each and every week, I have to come in prepared the exact same way as far as being a starter,” Briscoe said. “I don't think there is anything different. Last time we came and played them, we definitely got a good idea of what they were going to do and I knew that I could throw the ball against them. Our entire team showed how much grit we have. We haven't had a bye since Week 2. Everybody is banged up.”
The Cowboys ended the Bearkats' 20-0 run when McNeese State quarterback Daniel Sams tossed his third touchdown of the night to open tight end Zach Hetrick on third and goal to cut the Bearkats' lead to 27-23, but kicker Jean Breaux's point-after try was blocked by Sam Houston defensive end P.J. Hall.
The Bearkats went right back to work, scoring in five plays in just over a minute to increase their lead to 34-23.
Briscoe threw a picture-perfect ball to Louis in tight coverage and Louis leapt to snag the ball just over the defender's helmet for a 28-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone.
The turning point of the game, however came in the fourth quarter when, facing a third-and-9, Cowboy quarterback Sams tossed a deep strike to receiver Kent Shelby, who blew past Trenier Orr and was finally tackled at the 1-yard line by Orr after zig-zagging across the field for a 78-yard gain.
Despite getting burned by Shelby, Orr's effort would end up being huge, as the Cowboys failed to punch the ball in with a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
“Tre (Orr) could've easily given up on that play,” Keeler said. “He didn't give up on that play. He went and tackled him at the 1-yard line. That's just a testament to the coaches and the kids. They know that someone is collecting the equipment on Sunday. We know every play has to be like our last play.”
McNeese was called for a false start on first down, then Sams was sacked twice, once by Hall and once by backup defensive end Kiel Heidman, and the Cowboys were called for holding, then delay of game on fourth down.
That series of plays backed the Cowboys to the Bearkats' 39-yard line, forcing them to punt with a little more than six minutes left in the game.
“We got ourselves in a position and … I don't really have any fourth-and-34 plays,” McNeese State head coach Matt Viator said. “I don't think I've ever seen disappointment like I see in that locker room now.”
McNeese had one last chance to stop the Bearkats and get the ball back. With 2:08 left, Sam Houston faced a third-and-6 at the Sam Houston 47-yard line. Briscoe dumped off a short screen to Thomas just as the pressure was getting to him and Thomas powered down the field for 17 yards and the game-clinching first down.
Briscoe took three knees and the game was over.
Brown, Louis, Thomas and Davis combined for 17 catches, 298 receiving yards and three touchdowns, making spectacular catches and big plays in critical situations throughout the Bearkats' biggest game of the season.
2015 Season Ticket Holders who purchased the series package will be automatically renewed with their same seats for the quarterfinals game.
2015 season ticket holders who did not purchase for the opening round game have their same seat location on hold may renew it in a playoff series package by logging into their My Bearkat Account. Season ticket holders have until Tuesday, December 12 at 12:00 p.m. to renew their same seats for any playoff game hosted by Sam Houston.
Single game playoff tickets will be on sale online Sunday or by calling the athletic ticket office starting Monday morning.
Student tickets will be $5 each. Must provide an active Bearkat One Card when purchasing a student ticket. The student tickets can be picked up at the Box Office Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or on gameday.
Playoff Ticket Prices will be:
$30 for reserved chairbacks
$23 for bleacher reserved
$18 for general admission
$5 for SHSU Students (east side general admission)
All orders will have a $2 per ticket processing fee for the FCS Playoffs hosted by SHSU.
