Question & Answer Feature With Coach Powledge
Matt Powledge has played a role in Sam Houston State University’s football success both as a student-athlete and a coach.
In his first season as special teams and running back coach for K. C. Keeler, Powledge tutored two All-Americans and three All-Southland Conference performers. The Bearkats rolled to a 11-5 record, the league championship and three consecutive playoff victories to reach the FCS semifinals.
Sam Houston led the Southland Conference and ranked sixth nationally in rushing offense. Other national FCS offensive rankings included sixth in net punting, 17th in scoring offense and 24th in scoring offense.
Punter Lachlan Edwards and kicking specialist Luc Swimberghe both were selected to FCS All-America squads. Edwards, Swimberghe and running back Keshawn Hill all earned all-conference honors. Each of the three rank among the top five in Bearkat career statistical rankings in their specialties.
As a Bearkat football player, Powledge earned All-Southland Conference honors in 2008 and was a team captain in 2009. He also earned Southland Conference Academic Honor Roll recognition as a student-athlete. He played four seasons from 2006 to 2009.
In February, 2014, Powledge returned to his alma mater from the University of Kentucky where he served as a graduate assistant for the defense and special teams. Previously he was running backs coach at Northwestern State.
He spent two seasons at Southeastern Louisiana as a graduate assistant where, his first year with the Lions, he worked with the offensive line. In his second year in 2011 he coached the tight ends. Southeastern Louisiana ranked third in the Southland in total offense (401.8 yards per game) and produced the third-best single season average in Lion history.
Playing for coach Mitch Coey at Huntsville High School, Powledge was an all-district running back and linebacker and earned area “Red Zone Player of the Year” honors.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Sam Houston in 2009 and his Master’s degree in sports management from Southeastern Louisiana in 2011.
