Players assault Bearkat record book vs HBU
9/27/2015 9:10:00 PM | Football
The Sam Houston football team got back on the winning track in a big way Saturday night in their 63-14 victory over Houston Baptist at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.
The Bearkats rolled up 709 yards on 78 plays (an average of 9.1 yards per page. The total marked the second highest mark in school history, topped only by Sam Houston's 823 yards last year at Houston Baptist. Completing 31 of 41 passes, the Bearkats chalked up 464 yards in the air and rushed for 245 yards on 37 carries.
The 63 points stand as the seventh highest single game total by a Sam Houston team against an FCS opponent.
Quarterback Jared Johnson accounted for 259 yards of the total offense with 19 on the ground and 240 in the air. A junior, the South Grand Prairie product's career marks now stand at 1,356 yards rushing and 3,744 yards passing for a sum of 5,090 yards total offense.
He ranks No. 5 in Sam Houston career total offense and is only 61 yards from moving up to No. 4. Johnson stands ninth in Bearkat all-time passing yardage and 29th in career rushing.
Kicker Luc Swimberghe was successful on all nine of his point-after attempts Saturday. Only two other Sam Houston players have kicked more PATs in one game. Swimberghe also helped the Bearkats win field position battle with 63.3 yard average on 10 kickoffs including three touchdowns.
The junior from Natchitoches, La. now stands No. 2 in SHSU career PATs (160), No. 3 in career kicking points (244) and No. 5 overall in Bearkat career scoring (244 points).
Three starting wide receivers are writing their names into the school's football record book.
With six catches for 63 yards Saturday night vs. HBU, sophomore Yedidiah Louis has become the 25th member of the Sam Houston 1,000 yard receivers club. The New Orleans native has totaled 86 catches for 1,028 yards.
Wide receiver Gerald Thomas posted a career night with eight catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns. On the second play of the Kats' second drive, The senior from Plano took a pass from Johnson 86 yards for a score. The play stands as the eighth-longest pass reception in Sam Houston history. In his third season as a Bearkat Thomas has 57 catches for 930 yards.
Another starting wide receiver, LaDarius Brown, now stands only 19 yards away from becoming the 26th receiver to gain 1,000 or more yards for Sam Houston. In the past two seasons, the Waxahachie product has 58 catches for 981 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, sophomore end P. J. Hall produced a four-yard sack to move into the No. 8 position in Sam Houston career tackles for loss with 31.
Next action for the Bearkats is the 90th “Battle of the Piney Woods” presented by H-E-B at NRG Stadium in Houston Saturday at 3 p.m. Tickets for the annual grudge match with Stephen F. Austin are on sale online at www.gobearkats.com and at the Sam Houston athletic ticket office located on the west side of Bowers Stadium. The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.
