Game 13 • R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
New Orleans, La. • Caesars Superdome (73,208)
Sam Houston (9-3, 6-2 CUSA) vs Georgia Southern (8-4, 6-2 SBC)
Thursday, December 19 • 6:00 PM CT
TV: ESPN2 (Jorge Sedano, Orlando Franklin, Morgan Uber)
RADIO: BSN (Carlos Zimmermann, Brian Adams); Sirius XM 388
RADIO: ESPN (Dave Neal, Aaron Murray)
HOW TO FOLLOW: Live Stats • @BearkatsFB on X
GAME NOTES: Sam Houston • Georgia Southern
Series vs the Eagles: First Meeting
NEW ORLEANS – The Sam Houston Bearkats will make their first bowl appearance as a member of the FBS when they take on Georgia Southern from the Sun Belt Conference in the 24th R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Thursday night.
Kickoff of Thursday's contest is set for 6:00 p.m. CT at the Caesars Superdome. It will be aired on ESPN2 with Jorge Sedano and Orlando Franklin in the booth and Morgan Uber on the sidelines.
The game can be heard online on the Bearkat Sports Network and the Bearkat Athletics app with Carlos Zimmermann and Brian Adams on the call from the radio booth. The BSN broadcast can also be heard in-car on Sirius XM Channel 388.
Additionally, ESPN Radio will carry the game with Dave Neal and Aaron Murray calling the action.
KATS TO MAKE FBS BOWL DEBUT IN R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL
- The Kats became the first CUSA team in 2024 to secure bowl eligibility with its win at FIU. Sam Houston is the fourth consecutive program in NCAA to make the transition up and become bowl eligible within the first 2 seasons of being at the FBS (Jax State 2023, James Madison 2023, Liberty 2018)
- The Bearkats have won 12 of their last 16 games after starting their venture into FBS with an 0-8 start in 2023
- Sam Houston is seeking to get to 10 wins just a season after starting 0-8. The last time an FBS team started a year with at least straight eight losses and then post double-digit wins a year later was when Georgia Southern did just that, starting the 2017 season 0-9 before going 10-3 a year later and winning the Camelia Bowl
- Sam Houston will be playing in the New Orleans Bowl under the direction of acting head coach and offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen following former head coach KC Keeler's departure at season's end to accept the head coaching position at Temple
- The Kats have five players on the roster who have played in bowl games previously: Jaylon Jimmerson (Liberty), Jay Ducker (NIU/Memphis), Austin Smith (Memphis), CJ Johnson (Memphis) and Quincy Wright (Oregon State)
- Although it is Sam Houston's first bowl appearance as a member of the FBS, it is not the program's first postseason bowl appearance. The Kats played in four postseason bowls as a member of the Lone Star Conference (NAIA) in the early years of the program, taking part in the Shrimp Bowl (1952), Refrigerator Bowl (1953 & 1956) and the Christmas Bowl (1958). Each of those appearances came under head coach Paul Pierce who also led the Kats to an NAIA co-national championship in 1964
- Over the past 25 years (since 2000) there have been 22 programs to make the transition from the FCS/1-AA to the FBS level with the Kats being 1 of 6 programs in that span to post a season of 9+ wins within the first 2 years of the move up. The others include FAU (2004), Georgia Southern (2014, 2015), Appalachian State (2015), James Madison (2023), Jax State (2023, 2024)
- There are still 10 players remaining who were on the roster from that team. They are: Ife Adeyi, Noah Smith, Trey Fields, Ethan Hagler, Ysidro Mascorro, Jevon Leon, Jaylen Phillips, Seth Kohlscheen, Richard Outland Jr. and Briceon Hayes
- Smith, Adeyi and Leon have all been on the team since 2019 and enter their final collegiate game having been a part of 45 Bearkat wins in 6 years. That run also includes a streak of 22 straight victories, including 21 wins in the 2021 calendar year
SERIES HISTORY
- The Bearkats and Eagles have a combined seven national titles at the FCS/1-AA level; however, the programs have never previously squared off on the gridiron
- Georgia Southern will be the second Sun Belt Conference opponent the Kats have battled this year, having already beaten Texas State at NRG Stadium on September 28. The Bobcats are not a common opponent for the teams as GS did not take on Texas State in SBC play in 2024
SAM HOUSTON > GEORGIA SOUTHERN CONNECTIONS
- The Bearkats and Eagles share a former head coach as current Houston head coach Willie Fritz coached in both Huntsville and Statesboro. Fritz's first Division I head job was at SHSU where he posted a 40-15 record from 2010-13, leading the Bearkats to consecutive FCS National Championship games in 2011 and 2012. Fritz left Huntsville after the 2013 season to take over at Georgia Southern where he spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons, posting a 17-7 record before moving on to Tulane
