Media Day Kicks Off Football Preseason
7/25/2016 9:05:00 AM | Football
Anticipation for the 2016 Southland Conference gridiron season begins Wednesday with the league's annual media day activities at L'auberge Resort in Lake Charles, La.
Each league head coach and two top players from each university will face newspaper, television, radio and internet media to discuss their team's prospects for the coming season.
The conference's poll of how the head coaches see the league race also will be announced.
Sam Houston already has been tabbed as the league favorite by four preseason magazines (Lindy's, Athlon Sports, Sporting News and Texas Football). The Bearkats return starters at 16 positions including six on offense, eight on defensive and two specialists from a team that stood No. 3 in last season's STATS FSC national poll.
“This is a great time of the year. Everyone, coaches and players alike, are ready to get started,” Sam Houston head coach K. C. Keeler said. “We're pleased with our talent level, our strength and conditioning efforts and the commitment of our players to another outstanding season. Football media is a great event. We're looking forward to it.”
Quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe and defensive end P. J. Hall will be the two Sam Houston players attending media day.
Hall has been named to five All-America teams in his two years as a Bearkat. The two-time first team All-Southland Conference honoree is the program's all-time leader in tackles for losses (52 for 205 yards) and is second all-time at Sam in career sacks (23) and career kick blocks (23).
Briscoe passed for 1,012 yards and eight touchdowns in Sam Houston's four NCAA playoff games last season. That's the third highest total by a Kat signal-caller in post-season play. Both Hall and Briscoe were among the 13 Bearkats named to the 2016 preseason All-Southland Conference team last week. The preseason team is selected by vote of the league's head coaches.
Sam Houston is one of only three teams that have earned NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff berths each of the last five years. The Kats have reached the semifinals four of the last five seasons. Sam Houston won the 2014 Southland title and was the runner-up last year. The Kats own a 22-9 record the past two years. Sam Houston has won 33 of its last 40 Southland games on the way to three league titles in the last five years.
The Bearkats lead all Texas Division I football teams in victories during the past five seasons (since 2011). Sam Houston has won 56 games, followed by Baylor 50, Houston 48, TCU 45 and Texas A&M 43.
Complete coverage of 2016 Southland Conference media day will be available on www.gobearkats.com Wednesday.
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