Game 2 • Huntsville • Bowers Stadium
Saturday, September 10 • 6:00 PM
Sam Houston (0-1) vs Northern Arizona (0-1)
Sponsor: Memorial Hermann
 
TV: AT&T Sportsnet • Watch on ESPN+
RADIO: KSAM 101.7 FM • Listen Online
HOW TO FOLLOW: Live Stats • @BearkatsFB on Twitter
PURCHASE TICKETS: CLICK HERE
 
Series vs the Lumberjacks: Tied 2-2 • Full Series History
 
HUNTSVILLE – The Sam Houston Bearkats will host Northern Arizona in the 2022 home opener on Saturday night at Bowers Stadium in a game sponsored by Memorial Hermann.
 
The game against the Lumberjacks will be streamed on the ESPN+ with Tom Franklin and John Harris on the call in the booth.
 
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.
 
Current students attending the game are reminded that they will receive free entry upon presentation of a valid SamID. They are encouraged to enter through Gate 1, located on the north end of Bowers Stadium, beneath the scoreboard.
 
BEARKAT BASICS
Sam Houston will take on Northern Arizona in the first of 4 games on the Bearkats' home turf in 2022.
 
Both the Bearkats and Lumberjacks will be looking for their first win of the season after falling to strong FBS opponents last week. The Kats dropped a 31-0 contest to No. 6 Texas A&M while NAU fell 40-3 at Arizona State.
 
The Kats will be in search of their eighth consecutive win in a home opener. The last time SHSU lost a home opener was a 49-46 loss to Lamar in 2015.
 
Sam Houston will have this week's game vs NAU, then host A&M-Commerce next week; however, the Kats will then spend almost 2 full months playing away from home, not playing another game at Bowers Stadium until hosting Abilene Christian on November 12.
 
THE LAST TIME THE KATS FACED NORTHERN ARIZONA
No. 1 Sam Houston 42, Northern Arizona 16
Walkup Skydome - Flagstaff, Ariz. - 9/2/2021
- Eric Schmid threw for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns to 3 different receivers in the Kats first game in the Fall of 2021 after claiming the 2020 FCS national title less than 4 months earlier
 
- Ramon Jefferson finished with 143 yards and a touchdown on the ground and Noah Smith got into the end zone as both a runner and a receiver
 
- Trevor Williams scored his second career touchdown with a 75-yard pick-6 in the third quarter to open the game up
 
- The Kats scored 21 unanswered to open the game, but the Lumberjacks had cut it to 21-10 and were driving again before Williams' interception turned the tide
 
- It was SHSU's first win over NAU since 2001 when it knocked off the Lumberjacks in the opening round of the 1-AA playoffs at Bowers Stadium behind quarterback Josh McCown for SHSU's first-ever NCAA playoff victory
 
LEFTOVERS FROM A 31-0 LOSS AT TEXAS A&M
- The Kats broke in a heavy number of new players in Aggieland. Of the 53 players who touched the field, 22 played their first game as a Bearkat. Of those 22 first-time players, 17 were transfers
 
- BJ Foster's interception in the second quarter was the first of his Bearkat career and the sixth of his collegiate career, counting his time at Texas
 
- Kameryn Alexander's interception in the third quarter was the third of his career, all coming in the past 2 seasons
 
- Markel Perry led the Kats with 7 tackles and 3.0 TFLs, his fifth career game with at least 3.0 TFLs
 
- It is the first time the Kats have had multiple interceptions vs an FBS opponent since picking off two passes in a 48-23 loss at Baylor in 2012
 
- The game was the first time the Kats have been shut out by an opponent since a 56-0 loss to LSU in 2014. The Kats have not been shut out by an FCS opponent since a 31-0 loss to No. 20 Western Illinois during the 2000 season
 
- Bearkat punter Jadon Cardell had a busy afternoon against the Aggies witth 10 punts against one of the top defenses in the SEC, but he made the most of his chances with an average of 42.9 yards per punt for the game. Additionally, he also pulled a snap down and ran in the fourth quarter, converting a first down with an 18-yard rush that turned out to be the Kats' longest play from scrimmage in the game
 
- The Kats have been one of the top teams in the FCS in tackles for loss and continued that against Texas A&M, racking up 6.0 TFLs against the Aggies
 
BEARKAT BYTES
- The Kats only have 9 games on the schedule in 2022 as the transition process to the FBS will not allow Sam Houston to be eligible for a spot in the FCS playoffs, despite competing as an FCS institution this year. Sam Houston will also not be eligible for a WAC or WAC/ASUN Challenge title in 2022 and Stats Perform has announced that the Kats will not be included in the weekly national polls
 
- Sam Houston will compete as an FBS school in 2023 in Conference USA, but will not be bowl eligible until 2024
 
- Sam Houston has been busy filling its future schedules for its time in the FBS, both at home and on the road. Since officially making the move to C-USA for 2023, the Kats have announced home-and-home series with Hawai'i, Colorado State, Troy and Georgia Southern in addition to single road games at both BYU (2023) and UCF (2024)
 
- Sam Houston is competing in 2022 after a historic 2021 calendar year. The Bearkats won 21 games in 2021, running its overall win streak to 22 games dating back to 2019, before falling in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs to Montana State. The 21 wins in 2021 is the most in the history of college football for a calendar year and included an FCS national title, Southland Conference title, WAC title and WAC/ASUN Challenge title
 
- Bearkat football has very much been a family affair in recent years with 4 sets of brothers on the 2021 squad. But this year's team has one-upped it with the Williams being just 1 of 5 sets of brothers on the team including: Chrests (Cody, Jaxon, Nick), Murrays (Lloyd, Chris), Morgans (Seth, Kaden) and Haglers (Ethan, Garret)
 
- SHSU's 11-1 record in 2021 was the 11th time in program history the Kats have finished with 10+ victories and the sixth time in K.C. Keeler's first 8 seasons in Huntsville
 
- With its 11-1 record last season, the Bearkats enter 2022 riding a streak of 12 consecutive winning seasons, a mark tied with North Dakota State for the second longest current streak in the FCS. The longest streak is held by Eastern Washington who enters this season with 15 straight winning seasons
 
- Sam Houston boasted one of the most experienced teams in the nation in 2021, but are fielding plenty of new faces in 2022 with only 3 starters returning on either side of the ball. The Kats have rebuilt the roster through a high-quality class of high school prepsters primarily from Texas, but have also heavily hit the transfer portal with 16 additions
 
- One of the primary additions to the Bearkat defense is the addition of safety BJ Foster, who spent the past 4 seasons at Texas. The Angleton native earned all-Big 12 honorable mention honors last year after leading UT with 3 interceptions, but joins the Bearkats where he has deep family roots. In addition to his sister also attending SHSU, his mother - Yolanda Royston - is one of the top volleyball players in Bearkat history. She is a member of SHSU's Hall of Honor and still ranks in the all-time top 25 at SHSU in those categories
 
- In addition to a large number of new faces on the field, the Kats brought in a bevy of new coaches, headlined by offensive coordinator John Perry who was most recently at Rutgers but spent a number of years professionally with the Houston Texans. On the defensive side, Joe Morris will take over calling the defense after Clayton Carlin was elevated into a role as Associate Head Coach