Game 2 • Orlando, Fla. • FBC Mortgage Stadium
Sam Houston (1-0, 0-0 CUSA) at UCF (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Saturday, September 7 • 5:30 PM CT
TV: ESPN+ (James Westling, Leger Douzable)
RADIO: BSN (Carlos Zimmermann, Brian Adams)
HOW TO FOLLOW: Live Stats • @BearkatsFB on X
GAME NOTES: Sam Houston • UCF
Series vs the Knights: First Meeting
HUNTSVILLE – After jumping on the scene of the 2024 season with a convincing win last week, the Sam Houston Bearkats will be looking to keep the early-season momentum going on Saturday when they travel to UCF for the program's first-ever meeting with UCF.
Kickoff of Saturday's contest is set for 5:30 p.m. CT at FBC Mortgage Stadium. It will be aired on ESPN+ with James Westling and Leger Douzable on the call. The game can be heard online on the Bearkat Sports Network and on the Bearkat Athletics app with Carlos Zimmermann and Brian Adams on the call from the radio booth.
BEARKATS LOOKING TO BUILD OFF SEASON-OPENING WIN
- The Sam Houston Bearkats are coming off a season-opening win at Rice, the first win for the Kats over the Owls since 1939
- Sam Houston will be looking for its first-ever win over a Big 12 opponent. Its last win vs a current member of the Big 12 came in 1947 when they defeated Houston when the Cougars were a member of the Lone Star Conference
- The Kats captured a pair of CUSA weekly honors on Monday as quarterback Hunter Watson was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week and kicker Christian Pavon was the Special Teams Player of the Week for their performances at Rice
- Sam Houston scored 34 points in its win over Rice after scoring only 10 points in 3 non-conference games in 2023
- The Kats were the lone team in CUSA to pick up an FBS win in Week 1 of the season
- The win over the Owls was the second win in program history over a team coming off a bowl appearance. The first came in the 2023 season finale when the Kats took down Middle Tennessee
SERIES HISTORY
- Sam Houston and UCF will be meeting for the first time on Saturday in Orlando
- Sam Houston will be playing only the second game in program history in the State of Florida. The last time the Kats traveled to the Sunshine State was in 1953 when they beat Tampa, 26-6
- The Knights are 1 of 2 first-time opponents on the Bearkat schedule for 2024. The second will occur next week when the Kats host Hawaii in the season's home opener
- Sam Houston is 2-14 all-time vs current members of the Big 12
SAM HOUSTON >> UCF CONNECTIONS
- Sam Houston defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity may be the youngest defensive coordinator in the FBS, but he will not be unfamiliar to UCF head coach Gus Malzahn. Cassity graduated from Auburn in 2016 and began his coaching journey as a student assistant on the offensive side of the ball for the Tigers while Malzahn was head coach
QUICK HITTERS FROM THE WIN AT RICE
- KC Keeler often speaks to the importance of the Kats needing to play clean to win, and on Saturday they did just that by committing only 2 penalties and not turning the ball over. It is the first time in the Keeler era the Kats have played a season opener without committing a turnover with it last happening in the 2011 season opener vs Western Illinois
- Sam Houston spread the ball around vs the Owls with 10 separate players getting touches. In all, Hunter Watson found 7 different receivers for catches and 4 players finished the game with at least 1 catch and 1 rush
- Hunter Watson found Ife Adeyi for a 32-yard touchdown near the end of the first half, the 19th touchdown reception of Adeyi's career. Still, it was the first score for Adeyi since the finale of the 2021 season vs Montana State. Adeyi has only played in 7 of 21 possible games over the past 2 seasons after only playing in 4 games of the 2022 season to retain his redshirt during the Kats' first transition season to FBS and then missing the final 9 games of 2023 due to injury
- The Kats did their scoring in spurts vs the Owls, scoring 17 points on 3 straight possessions in the first half before scoring in the final 2 minutes of the first half and the first 2 possessions of the second half
- Sam Houston's defense forced either a 3-and-out or a turnover on each of Rice's first 4 possessions of the game. The Kats already held a 17-0 lead before the Owls converted their first first down of the game late in the first quarter
- The Kats held Rice to just 47 rushing yards for the game. That total is the lowest by a Bearkat opponent in a season opener since Oklahoma Panhandle rushed for just 45 yards in the opener of the 2016 season
- Safety Caleb Weaver led the team with 10 tackles vs the Owls, setting a new career high
- David Fisher's pick-6 in the first quarter was the first of his career and third career interception overall. Sam Houston now has a pick-6 in 3 of its last 4 games dating back to 2023 with Kavian Gaither having had one at Louisiana Tech and Trevor Williams in the 2023 finale vs Middle Tennessee a year ago
- 6 of the Kats' 11 starters were making their first career start as Bearkats
