HUNTSVILLE — In a game that featured more turnovers than touchdowns, Sam Houston made the plays when it mattered to squeak past Louisiana Tech 9-3 at Bowers Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Bearkats (7-2, 3-1) forced a fumble and a pair of turnovers on downs twice in the final 10 minutes of the game to preserve the win. The Bulldogs (3-5, 2-3) coughed it up four times, three of those came on fumbles inside the SHSU 7-yard line as Louisiana Tech was in position to put the ball in the end zone.
After the teams combined for five points in the first half, the Bearkats finally got rolling in the second. They took the kick and turned it into a 9-3 lead when running back
Jay Ducker busted loose for a 40-yard touchdown run three minutes into the third quarter.
That scoring drive alone almost matched Sam Houston's total yard output from the first half. The Kats drove the ball 85 yards (excluding a 10-yard penalty) on the scoring drive as compared to 94 yards gained in the entire first 30 minutes, and it proved to be enough thanks to the play of the defense when it counted the most.
Louisiana Tech, meanwhile, had success moving the ball but only had a field goal to show for it because the Bearkats bent but never broke. The Bulldogs went on the march down the field deep into Sam Houston territory after receiving the opening kick only to see the Kats came up with a stop on third and one from the 6-yard line.
The Bulldogs decided to roll the dice on fourth down as
Seth Mason was able to recover a bad exchange from the quarterback to the running back to keep Louisiana Tech off the scoreboard.
The Kats were unable to convert the turnover into points, and the Bulldogs picked up where they left off on their first drive.
Louisiana Tech put together another long drive to get back on Sam Houston's side of the field. The Bearkats stuffed them again on third to force the Bulldogs to settle for a field goal.
Sam Houston was able to get on the board at the end of the first quarter.
Kendrick DuJour got his first of two sacks on Tech quarterback Evan Bullock in the end zone for a safety to make it 3-2.
The defenses took over again from there.
Louisiana Tech was driving before
Caleb Weaver picked off a pass from Bullock and returned it past midfield. The Bearkats ended up giving it back when quarterback
Hunter Watson was intercepted on a deflection in the end zone only to recover a Bullock fumble to keep it a one-point game at the half.
Sam Houston has a break before returning to action on the road at Kennesaw State on Nov. 16.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The win was the 95th for head coach KC Keeler at Sam Houston, tying him with Paul Pierce for second all-time at SHSU
- The win was first time the Kats have won a game when scoring single digits since an 8-7 win over Stephen F. Austin in the 1976 season finale
- The Bearkats now have the two lowest-scoring victories in the FBS in 2024 with nine points on Tuesday vs LA Tech and 10 points last week at FIU
- The Kats finished with 174 yards in the second half after having just 94 yards of total offense in the first half; conversely, the Bearkat defense allowed just 104 yards of offense to LA Tech in the second half
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Jay Ducker's 40-yard touchdown was his sixth rushing score of the year. It is the most rushing touchdowns in a season for a Kat since Ramon Jefferson's 13 scores in 2021
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Noah Smith made his return to the lineup an effective one, finishing with 47 yards on six catches, both season highs. That included a season-long, 22-yard catch in the third quarter
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Kendrick DuJour got the Bearkats on the board with a safety in the first quarter, sacking Tech quarterback Evan Bullock in the end zone for the Kats' first safety since 2022. He picked up another sack in the third quarter, becoming the first Bearkat this season to have at least 2.0 sacks in a single game
- In all the Kats had 5.0 sacks of Bulldog quarterbacks, a season high. The Kats have totaled 14.0 sacks over their past four games
- The Kats recovered a fumble on LA Tech's first drive of the game and have now had a takeaway in 15 consecutive games
