FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Sam Houston made the signature plays that won the school its first FCS national championship in the season opener Thursday.
Running backs
Ramon Jefferson and
Noah Smith accounted for three touchdowns, and linebacker
Trevor Williams returned an interception for a score to lift the Bearkats to a 42-16 victory over Northern Arizona at the Walkup Skydome.
Quarterback
Eric Schmid also threw touchdown passes to tight end
Jacob Kainer and wide receiver
Brennon Tibbs in the victory.
The Lumberjacks gained some momentum toward the end of the first half and into the third quarter while the Bearkats hit a wall offensively.
NAU kicked a 30-yard field goal on the opening possession of the second half to pull within 21-10. Sam Houston looked like they would answer when they drove down the field deep into Lumberjack territory, but Schmid threw an ill-advised pass into double coverage into the end zone for an interception.
That's when the Kat defense took control with NAU threatening once again. Williams picked off a pass from quarterback Jeff Widener and outran would-be tacklers 75 yards for the touchdown to make it 28-10.
Three plays later, linebacker
Ysidro Mascorro came up with Sam Houston's second turnover when he also intercepted Widener at the NAU 20-yard line. Smith helped increase the lead to 35-10 with a seven-yard touchdown run plowing over defenders.
The Lumberjacks answered with an 18-yard scoring pass from backup quarterback Cale Millen to Stacy Chukwumezie with 13 seconds to go in the third but failed to convert the two-point conversion.
The Bearkats got back in a grove and made the highlight-reel plays that helped them lead from start to finish.
Jefferson, much like he did in the first half, took over from there. On the first play following the kickoff, he juked his way to a 45-yard gain. He finished off the drive with a 7-yard plunge into the end zone to make it 42-16 following the extra point by
Seth Morgan.
Plays that picked up large chunks of yardage also opened the game up for the Kats in the first half.
Sam Houston built a three-score lead at 21-0 when Chrest setup a 22-yard touchdown pass from Schmid to Smith following a 37-yard catch and run of his own.
Jefferson had two explosive plays that set up the Bearkats' first two scoring drives. Sam Houston went up 14-0 when he broke loose for a 36-yard burst which led to a 7-yard scoring pass from Schimd to Kainer.
The Bearkats turned the ball over on their first possession when Schmid fumbled on a keeper, but after a defensive stand, two big plays got Sam Houston on the board first.
Jefferson ripped off a 35-yard run to get the Kats near midfield. Four plays later, Schmid threw a strike to Tibbs who broke a tackle which allowed him to race 41 yards to the end zone.
The Sam Houston defense dominated the opening period. The Lumberjacks managed just 12 yards of total offense as the Bearkats had three tackles for a loss and allowed only one completion for negative two yards.
NAU finally got something going offensively late in the second half. The Lumberjacks drove 75 yards for their only score of the half capped by a four-yard touchdown pass from Widener to Brandon Porter.
