90th Piney Woods Battle Four Weeks Away
9/7/2015 9:05:00 AM | Football
The 90th "Battle of the Piney Woods" presented by H-E-B is less than four weeks away.
As Sam Houston celebrates its 100th season of college football in 2015, it seems fitting that the Bearkats' most famous rivalry sees its 90th renewal Saturday, Oct. 3 at NRG Stadium in Houston, home of the NFL Texans.
Each of the next four weeks GoBearkats.Com takes a look back at Sam Houston's victories over the Lumberjacks in Houston the past four years.
Today, the 2011 victory is highlighted when the Kats defeated the Jacks 45-10 in front of 25,083 fans.
Going into the third quarter of the 2011 matchup, the Kats were holding a slim 10-3 lead. But a Brian Bell to Keith Blanton pass from the Sam Houston 45 started a scoring spree.
Next defensive lineman Andrew Weaver picked off an errant pass deep inside SFA territory. Following an 8-yard keeper by Richard Sincere, running back Tim Flanders scored with a spectacular effort, leaping over safety Caleb Nelson and twisting in mid-air, landing back on his feet before celebrating on the ground.
The “Flanders Flip” became a “Battle of the Piney Woods” signature play.
Sam Houston later capitalized on another turnover for another Flanders score and, just like that, the Kats had a 31-3 advantage with a quarter and change to play.
Richard Sincere added two touchdowns and the Bearkats ended up with 217 yards on the ground for the day.
The Bearkats kept attacking the Lumberjacks' defensive front with the ground game and were able to gash their way for big plays.
Late in the quarter, Sincere sprinted through SFA's defensive line, breaking three tackles for a 51-yard gain on a quarterback keeper that put Sam Houston in the red zone again. The speedy sophomore finished off the drive with a 4-yard score.
On the next possession with backups coming in for valuable playing time, running backs Ryan Wilson and Keyshawn Hill chewed their way up the middle and Sincere capped another TD drive with a 9-yard keeper, which gave the Kats a 45-3 lead.
After being held to just 19 rushing yards in the first half, the Bearkats ended up with 217 yards on the ground. Stephen F. Austin came into the game boasting the 12th-ranked total offense in the FCS, averaging 438 yards per game, but the Bearkats defense held the Lumberjacks to just 274 yards of offense.
Tickets for the 90th “Battle of the Piney Woods” presented by H-E-B are available online at www.gobearkats.com or at the Sam Houston athletic ticket office located on the west side of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.
The Houston Touchdown Club will host the “Battle of the Piney Woods” luncheon Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston at 12 noon.
The event, to take place in the Westin Galleria Hotel's Grand Ballroom, is sponsored by Texas Barge & Boat, Midway Energy Services and CenterPoint Energy. The hotel address is 5060 West Alabama in Houston.
Both head coaches – Sam Houston's K. C. Keeler and SFA's Clint Conque -- will be present at the special event which takes place two days before the 90th "Battle of the Piney Woods" presented by H-E-B.
The two athletic directors from both universities – Bobby Williams from Sam Houston and Robert Hill from Stephen F. Austin – also will speak.
Tickets are $50 each. Tables are $450 ($50 discount). Sponsorship levels (including a table of 10 and program recognition) are $600 (bronze sponsorship), $1,000 (silver sponsorship), $1,500 (gold sponsorship) and $2,500 (platinum sponsorship). All tables are 10 seats each.
All proceeds benefit the Houston Touchdown Club, the Houston chapter of the National Football Foundation, a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people.
For more information or to purchase tickets contact Neal Farmer by telephone at (713) 849-9860 or email nfarmer07@att.net or visit www.touchdownclub.org to purchase tickets by PayPal.
Tickets for the 90th “Battle of the Piney Woods” football game on Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. are available online at www.gobearkats.com or at the SHSU Athletic Ticket Office at (936) 294-1729.
