Game 4 • Houston • NRG Stadium
Saturday, October 1
2:30 PM vs Stephen F. Austin
 
TV: Bally Sports Southwest
Online Stream: ESPN+
RADIO: KSAM 101.7 FM • Listen Online
HOW TO FOLLOW: Live Stats • @BearkatsFB on Twitter
PURCHASE TICKETS: CLICK HERE
 
Series vs the Lumberjacks: Sam Houston leads 59-34-2 • Full Series History
 
HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats will try to put an exclamation point on its rivalry series with Stephen F. Austin when it takes on the Lumberjacks in the 96^th Battle of the Piney Woods on Saturday at NRG Stadium.
 
The game against the Lumberjacks will be aired on Bally Sports Southwest, while streaming options will come from ESPN+. Randy McIlvoy and John Harris will be on the call in the booth with Deepi Sidhu on the sidelines.
 
Fans can also tune into KSAM 101.7 FM with Carlos Zimmermann and Brian Adams on the radio call both over the air and online. Live stats are also available and updates via social media will be available throughout the day by following @BearkatsFB on Twitter and Instagram.
 
With the Bearkats joining the FBS ranks and Conference USA for the 2023 season, Saturday's game will mark the final meeting between the programs for the foreseeable future, stopping the rivalry which has been played in all but four years since 1923.
 
BOTPW RIVALRY FACTS
-  Since 1923, Sam Houston and SFA have competed together in 4 conferences – the Lone Star, Gulf Star, Southland and the WAC
 
- This year's matchup marks the 13th time the Battle of the Piney Woods has been held in Houston and the 12th straight time it has been at NRG Stadium. The Kats and the Jacks also battled to a 14-14 tie in the Astrodome in 1976
 
- This year's Sam Houston vs. Stephen F. Austin meeting marks the 96th renewal of the Battle of the Piney Woods. The 2020 season was the first time since 1945 (World War II) that the game was not played, due to the COVID-19 shutdown that saw SFA play in the fall and the Kats in the spring. Last year's shutdown snapped a streak of 75 consecutive playings of the rivalry
 
- The rivalry is the fourth oldest active college football rivalry in Texas. The only active rivalries that had been going on longer than SHSU/SFA are Baylor/TCU (116 games), Texas/Baylor (110 games) and TCU/SMU (102 games)
 
- During the 1930s, The Battle of the Piney Woods was an annual Thanksgiving Day event
 
SHSU-SFA QUICK HITS
-  The Bearkats versus Lumberjacks series dates back to 1923. Sam Houston holds a 59-34-2 edge in the series. The Kats have won 10 straight Battles, which is the longest win streak in the series by either team
 
-  The matchup began its run at NRG Stadium in 2010. The 2016 game, a 63-28 SHSU win, set a record crowd with 27,411 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 2 decades

-  10 of the past 12 game winners has gone on to advance to the NCAA postseason playoffs
 
BEARKAT BASICS
- Sam Houston will be looking to extend the longest winning streak in the history of the Battle of the Piney Woods on Saturday, having won 10 consecutive meetings with rival Stephen F. Austin
 
- Coach K.C. Keeler is 7-0 all-time in his career vs SFA after last year's comeback win at NRG Stadium
 
- The Kats got their first win of the 2022 campaign vs A&M-Commerce on September 17 behind 131 rushing yards from Zach Hrbacek
 
- The Kats are in the midst of a stretch of almost 2 full months playing away from home, and will not playing another game at Bowers Stadium until hosting Abilene Christian on November 12
 
THE LAST TIME THE KATS FACED STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
No. 1 Sam Houston 21, No. 18 Stephen F. Austin 20
NRG Stadium - Houston - 10/2/2021
- Sam Houston trailed nearly the entire way, but scored 15 points in the final 9 minutes to win its 10th straight game in the rivalry that began with a 19-6 Sam Houston win in 1923 in Huntsville
 
- The Kats went into the game without all-America quarterback Eric Schmid, but Keegan Shoemaker filled the void well, especially in the game's final minutes. He finished with 222 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, earning WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors the following Monday
 
- Sam Houston was down 20-6 and pinned at its own 3-yard line with 13:08 to play, but a 45-yard pass from Shoemaker to Jequez Ezzard sparked the offense and 7 plays later Ife Adeyi made a shoestring grab on 4th-and-8 for a 26-yard touchdown that was followed by a good 2-point conversion
 
- One drive later Trapper Pannell punched it in from 4 yards out, a score that proved to be the winner when SFA's Chris Campos was wide right on a 51-yard field goal try with 40 seconds left on the clock
 
LEFTOVERS FROM A 27-17 WIN OVER A&M-COMMERCE
- Sam Houston avoided losing its third consecutive game at Bowers Stadium dating back to last season's playoff loss to Montana State. The Kats have not dropped 3 straight games at Bowers since falling in the final 2 games of 2008 and the 2009 opener
 
- The Kats held the Lions to just 54 yards on the ground and have now held 28 of their last 37 opponents under 100 total rushing yards over the past 3+ seasons
 
- Running back Zach Hrbacek had his breakout game, rushing for 131 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. It was his first career 100-yard rushing game and was enough to earn him WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors
 
- Hrbacek was not the only Kat to earn weekly honors from the WAC as kicker Seth Morgan was named Special Team Player of the Week after nailing field goals from 40 and 46 yards along with all 3 of his PATs