Bearkats Grounded The Eagles To Make A Return To FCS Title Game

Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information

Cheney, Wash. – For the second year in a row, Sam Houston State and North Dakota State will meet in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game in Frisco, Texas, thanks to a 45-42 Bearkat victory over No. 2 seed Eastern Washington at Roos Field Saturday.

Sam Houston led 35-0 at halftime, but quarterback Vernon Adams engineered an Eagle comeback as the Bearkats had to run out the clock on their final possession to earn a win by the margin of Miquel Antonio’s 42-yard field goal.

Eastern Washington drove to the Sam Houston 15-yard line but was forced to settle for a field goal attempt.

Jimmy Pavel missed from 32 yards just 39 seconds into the second period.

Three plays later, on a third-and-two, Bell rolled left, kept on the quarterback option and dashed downed the left sideline for a 72-yard touchdown with 12:56 to play in the half.

The run was Bell’s longest as a Bearkat and the longest TD run for Sam Houston this season. His previously long was a 54-yard score in the 2011 NCAA quarterfinals against Montana State.

Six minutes later Keshawn Hill took a pitch from Sincere around left end and dashed 15 yards into the end zone to put the Kats up 28-0 with 6:44 before intermission.

The drive covered 48 yards in eight plays.

Shaw broke up a pass attempt on fourth down to give the ball to the Kats at the EWU 45.

The Kats needed only three plays to score again, this time on a six-yard run by Sincere with 3:48 remaining in the second quarter.

Flanders’ 39-yard run to the six on the second play of the drive set up the score.

Sam Houston went into the locker room with a 35-0 lead.

A different East Washington team came out in the third quarter.

First, Vernon Adams hit Greg Herd for a 31-yard touchdown to complete a seven play 79-yard drive.

Then Adams found Brandon Kaufman for a 22-yard score ending a six-play, 55-yard scoring march.

A successful onsides kick set up a third TD pass by Adams, this time for 43 yards to Aston Clark to make the score 35-21 with 1:05 in the period.

Kaufman was the target for a 43-yard score with 13:08 to go in the fourth and, in just 15 minutes, EWU had cut the lead to 35-28 with 9:48 to play.

Finally, the Bearkat offense got its mojo back, taking two minutes and 19 seconds to go 86 yards in five plays for a four-yard scoring pass from Bell to Shane Young to put them with a two touchdown lead at 42-28.

A 49-yard run by Flanders to the EWU three-yard line was the key play in the drive.

Adams picked up where he had left off, finding Kaufman for a 60-yard gain to the SHSU seven, then two plays later hitting Nicholas Edwards for a four-yard touchdown.

The Eagles were back within a touchdown 42-35 with 9:48 to play.

Miguel Antonio increased the Bearkats’ margin to 45-35 with a 42-yard field goal with 5:33 remaining.

Sam Houston drove 36 yards in eight plays.

Adams again struck, hitting Kaufman for a 33-yard touchdown as the margin now was 45-42 with 3:04 to play.

But the Bearkats stood their ground and made the plays when it was needed with Flanders’ key first down conversion run on 3 and 3 to ice the game.

They will now look to finish what they started as they face the No. 1 ranked and defending national champion NDSU Bison on Saturday, Jan. 5, at 12 noon at FC Dallas Stadium.