Kats focused as media day kicks off season
7/27/2016 3:46:00 PM | Football
LAKE CHARLES, La. – After coming one win from a national championship appearance a season ago, Sam Houston State did not shy away from making it known additional motivation has been provided.
The Bearkats, who were picked first in the Southland Conference by both the league's coaches and sports information directors, spoke of capturing that last 10 percent at Wednesday's media day from L'Auberge Resort.
“I thought our summer has been great so far,” quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe said. “We are working to get that last 10 percent. That's what we have printed on the back of our shirts. We're trying to get that last 10 percent to not only play in a national championship but win one.”
In order to do that, Sam Houston will look to get off to a strong start to the season. A year ago, the Bearkats dropped their first two games before winning eight of the final nine regular season outings to clinch a fifth straight FCS Playoffs berth.
“Every team in this league is capable of beating you,” head coach K.C. Keeler “In the long term, it (the loss to Lamar) was good for us because it re-focused us. I know coming into this season, there are some lessons we have learned. This is a very good football league. A lot of it depends on staying healthy. This conference can match up with anyone in the country.”
The Bearkats led the nation a season ago in total offense (531.7 yards) and first downs (414) but will be replacing offensive linemen Donald Jackson III and Zachary Stevens. Despite the change, Briscoe believes the squads' depth positions them well.
“Anytime you lose a four-year All-American and four-year starter, it's hard to replace them,” Briscoe said. “The way we do things, we play eight offensive linemen so we get a lot of guys experience early on. As two pivotal pieces as D.J. (Donald Jackson III) and Zach (Stevens) were, replacing them wasn't too hard the way we manage our offense.”
With much of the attention on the offense, defensive end P.J. Hall hopes his unit will also turn heads in the upcoming year. Hall, a first-team preseason all-conference honoree is joined by returning starter Luis Carreno (defensive end) as well as defensive lineman Sione Latu among eight returners on that side of the ball.
“As a defensive front, we're capable of taking over the game,” Hall said. “We all have experience. In order for our defense to be dominant, we have to be dominant up front.”
The Bearkats open their 11-game schedule on Sept. 3 against Oklahoma Panhandle State. The team starts Southland play one week later with a visit to Lamar. Season tickets, including the 91st Battle of the Piney Woods at Houston's NRG Stadium, are currently on sale by calling (936) 294-1729 or visiting GoBearkats.com.
“Every year is different,” Keeler said. “I know expectations are high but we're starting from zero. We have to take it one day at a time and keep growing as a team and hopefully have the season we're capable of.”
