Kats Set for Battle of the Piney Woods
9/30/2016 4:00:00 PM | Football
Game 4
Saturday, Oct. 1 • 3:00 p.m. • Houston, Texas • NRG Stadium (72,220)
No. 2 Sam Houston State (3-0, 2-0 SLC) vs Stephen F. Austin (3-1, 2-0 SLC)
Live Stats • ESPN3 • @BearkatsFB on Twitter • Complete SHSU Game Notes
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The second-ranked Sam Houston State Bearkats will get its toughest test of the season in one of the nation's most heated rivalries when they take on Stephen F. Austin on Saturday at NRG Stadium in the 91st edition of the Battle of the Piney Woods.
The Kats held their No. 2 national ranking this week after a 52-16 thumping of Houston Baptist on Saturday in Houston; however, the Lumberjacks are off to a 3-1 start themselves, including a 2-0 start in Southland Conference play that was highlighted by a 27-24 win at then No. 13 McNeese State on Sept. 17 in Lake Charles.
Saturday's game will be aired live on the ESPN3 platform with Randy McIlvoy and Shea Walker on the broadcast call and Tatum Everett on the sidelines. Fans can also listen along on KSAM 101.7 with and get live in-game updates via Twitter by following @BearkatsFB.
Fans should also be advised that a clear-bag policy will be in effect at NRG Stadium for Saturday's contest. Details can be found HERE.
SERIES NOTES
- The Bearkats versus Lumberjacks series dates back to 1923. Sam Houston holds a 53-35 edge in the series with a pair of ties. The Kats have won five straight. The longest win streak in the series is six, held by Sam Houston between 1937-1946.
- The matchup has been played at NRG Stadium each of the past six years with the crowds growing larger each season. Sam Houston defeated Stephen F. Austin 34-28 on Oct. 3 last year before a record crowd of 26,990 fans at NRG Stadium.
- Since 2007, the winner of the Battle of the Piney Woods has earned a 21-pound, solid-cedar trophy that displays replica pistols from Texas' frontier past. The logos from both universities are engraved on the handle of the pistols above name plates that will display the outcomes of the contest for the next two decades.
- The 91st Battle of the Piney Woods presented by H-E-B again will be one of the top FCS games of the 2016 season. Each of the past seven game winners has gone on to advance to the NCAA post-season playoffs. Five of the last seven years, the winner of the rivalry game has emerged as champion of the Southland Conference.
- Since 1986, one team has come into the Battle of the Piney Woods in the FCS top 25 and the other not ranked 15 times. Six of those games, the unranked team won.
BEARKATS CONTINUE OFFENSIVE SURGE
The Bearkats continued their surge offensively, closing the week ranked first in total offense (632.7 yards per game), first in scoring offense (51.7 points per game), second in passing offense (376.7 yards per game) and eighth in rushing offense (256.0 yards per game).
Quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe is also second nationally with 345 passing yards per game. Remus Bulmer ranks first in the country with an average of 8.00 yards per carry. Wide receiver Derrick Dick is fourth nationally with 25.83 yards per catch.
BEARKATS RANKED SECOND NATIONALLY
For the second consecutive week, the Sam Houston State football program checked in as the second-ranked team nationally, that coming after a 52-16 lopsided victory against Houston Baptist.
The Bearkats (3-0) maintained their No. 2 ranking in the STATS FCS Top 25, trailing unanimous top-ranked North Dakota State (3-1), who was coming off a bye.
In the FCS Coaches Poll, Sam Houston recorded 610 points to remain at No. 2 behind North Dakota State. The poll listed Chattanooga and No. 3 followed by Jacksonville State and Eastern Washington.
FCS' WINNINGEST TEAM SINCE 2011
Four-time national champion North Dakota State (74-5), two-time finalist Sam Houston (59-19), Coastal Carolina (51-19) and Jacksonville State (50-18) stand as the four winningest programs at the FCS level in the past five seasons.
The Bison are undefeated (20-0) in FCS post-season play the last five seasons while the Kats stand 13-5 with two trips to the finals and reaching the semifinals two other times.
With a 16-10 overall record in the post-season, Sam ranks third all-time in playoff winning pct. (.615) and seventh in total wins among current NCAA FCS programs.
KATS CAPTURE WIN NO. 500, EYE MORE MILESTONES
Sam Houston's win at Lamar marked the 500th in program lore, improving Sam Houston's all-time mark to 500-460-36. The Bearkats are now two wins shy of capturing their 200th NCAA Division I victory and will play their 1,000th game in team history against Abilene Christian on Oct. 15.
Head coach K.C. Keeler is one win away from capturing his 200th career victory. The third-year Sam Houston head man is 199-86-1 and is in his 23rd year of coaching. Only 75 coaches have ever reached the milestone and just 14 are currently active coaches.
