Ready to play in front of another big crowd
9/5/2015 7:08:00 AM | Football
Each of the past three seasons, the Bearkat football team has experienced what it is like to play in front of more than 50,000 fans.
In 2012 and 2013, the Kats played in front of crowds of 87,147 and 86,864 at Texas A&M. Last year the largest crowd ever to watch Sam Houston play football featured 100,330 screaming LSU fans at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. Referred to as “Death Valley,” the stadium is one of the most hostile venues in all of college football.
On Saturday, third-ranked Sam Houston State kicks off its 100th season of football in a similar scenario. The Kats have made the journey to Lubbock to battle Texas Tech with more than 60,000 fans avid Red Raider fans in attendance.
LSU defeated Sam Houston 56-0 early in the 2014 season. The Bearkats look to see a much different result Saturday.
“Last year, we were still trying to figure out who we were as a team,” Sam Houston defensive tackle Jacobi Hunter said. “At the end of last season, we kind of got our team chemistry and camaraderie together. We're coming into this game after our second camp together … knowing who we are, so it's going to be a completely different game for us.”
Throughout training camp, Bearkats head coach K.C. Keeler has talked about how difficult it is to simulate the atmosphere of game day during practice.
The Bearkats have practiced with music blaring, making it a little bit tougher to communicate on the field, but it's not exactly comparable to 60,000 fans yelling at the top of their lungs from the stands.
However, with 22 starters returning from a team that experienced the raucous LSU crowd and the noisy FargoDome, the Bearkats say they're better prepared to handle the atmosphere this time around.
“It's going to be loud,” Sam Houston linebacker Myke Chatman said. “It's going to be a game day Saturday in Lubbock, Texas. Fans are going to be yelling at us, trying to get into our heads. We've just got to stick to our game plan, having each person do their job and we should come out on top.”
Twenty of Sam Houston's players have played in front of crowds akin to Texas Tech's while playing for Football Bowl Subdivision-level schools before transferring to Sam Houston. Twelve of those players transferred from schools in the Power Five conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12).
Hunter, who used to play for California, is one of those transfers, which includes Chatman (Baylor), wide receivers LaDarius Brown (TCU), Gerald Thomas (Colorado) and Derreck Edwards (Texas Tech), running back Jalen Overstreet (Texas), cornerback Trenier Orr (Cincinnati) and offensive lineman Curtis Riser (Texas) to name a few.
“We've got a lot of guys who have decided to transfer,” Hunter said. “We've just got a lot of guys who have played at this level. Against LSU, the score might not have said it, but it was comfortable for us. We're used to playing in front of that many people because I played in front of that many people as a true freshman.”
Knowing that many of Sam Houston's players have the ability to play at the FBS level, the Bearkats are confident that they can compete in Lubbock.
“As far as the talent, I think it is all there,” Edwards said. “The obstacle that will be in front of us is being in front of 60,000 people and sometimes with smaller schools you get shook, but we have guys from TCU and Baylor and we're going to go down there with a level head and do what we have to do.”
Other than talent, depth at each position is usually what separates FBS schools from Football Championship Subdivision schools, since FBS schools can award 22 more scholarships to prospective players.
However, according to Keeler, Sam Houston's team is deeper than last year's squad, something that will help the Kats to keep up with Texas Tech for a 60-minute ballgame at an up-tempo.
“I think our twos are closer to our ones this season,” Keeler said. “I do recognize that they probably have some higher-level kids than we do. But we won't be forced to overwork our ones like we did sometimes last year.”
Edwards is familiar with the Red Raiders, after playing in Lubbock for three years, and is excited to go up against his former team.
“It's nothing personal,” Edwards said. “It's going to be all business. I have some good friends on that team and I have communicated that with them. It can get rough out there physically, emotionally and all that. At the end of the day, there will be no hard feelings because we've got to do what we've got to do.”
The Sam Houston versus Texas Tech game will be televised live regionally by FOXSports Southwest. The telecast marks the 40th Sam Houston football game in the past four seasons on TV either regionally or nationally.
FOXSports Southwest is available on U-Verse channel 755, Verizon channel 577, Direct TV channel 676 and Dish channel 416. The game also will be broadcast in the Walker County area on KSAM 101.7 FM and on the internet at www.gobearkats.com
Sam Houston alumni groups around the state also will be hosting Bearkat watch parties.
