Lamar to be tough foe for Kats Saturday
9/16/2015 8:40:00 AM | Football
After Sam Houston's opponent Saturday, the Lamar Cardinals, stood toe-to-toe with the nation's fourth-ranked FBS Baylor Bears, head coach K. C. Keeler knows his Bearkats need to be ready to play when they open Southland Conference play at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.
“Lamar has a good football team and they showed it last Saturday,” Keeler said. “They had some holes to fill and it appears they filled them well. We can't take anyone lightly on our schedule this year.”
Saturday is “Orange Out” as Sam Houston opens its 30th season of competition at Bowers. The Kats are 115-43-1 in their previous 29 years at Bowers and have won 27 of their last 28 games on the stadium's turf. That one loss was to NCAA Division II national champion Colorado State-Pueblo last year.
“We've talked a lot with the team about what we have to do to accomplish our goals this year,” Keeler said. “Yes, we're preseason favorites and are in the top five in the rankings. But nobody gives you a championship. You have to go out and take it.”
Sam Houston is 0-1 after a 59-45 loss at Texas Tech two weeks ago in which the Bearkats rolled up 637 yards total offense. Lamar is 1-1 with a 66-3 victory over Bacone College and a 66-31 loss at Baylor.
“We've told the kids that every day we have to win the day,” Keeler said. “Maybe it's a cliché but its true. We have to take things one day at a time. We have to win each day's practice and get better. Then we have to win the day on Saturday.”
Lamar brings an outstanding ground attack into Bowers on Saturday. Lamar carried the ball 43 times for 173 yards and three touchdowns at Baylor last Saturday. Senior Carl Harris had six carries for 58 yards. Junior Kade Harrington is the team's leading rusher for the season with 24 carries for 104 yards and three scores.
The Cardinals also had defensive highlights against the Bears, picking off three Baylor passes. Two of the three interceptions led directly to Lamar scores resulting in 10 points.
Saturday's game will be televised on the American Sports Network with Randy McIlvoy (play-by-play), Shea Walker (analyst) and Brooke Bentley (sidelines) calling the action. The local outlet for the telecast will be KPRC-DT2 and that Altitude 2 and MASN will carry the game nationally.
The telecast will be streamed live on the Southland Digital Network at http://southland.org/asn .
After a physical four-home game in Lubbock two weeks ago, Keeler ended Sam Houston's open week by giving the players Friday and Saturday off.
“It was a long, hot game two weeks ago in Lubbock,” Keeler said. “The players needed some rest. We've come back strong this week and having been working hard to win each day.”
Saturday's game with Lamar is the first of six home games at Bowers Stadium. Tickets for all six games plus the 90th “Battle of the Piney Woods” at NRG Stadium Oct. 3 are on sale online at www.gobearkats.com or at the Sam Houston athletic ticket office located on the west side of Bowers Stadium.
