No.5 Bearkats Holds Off No.12 Mustangs 18-16
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Huntsville, TX – Miguel Antonio kicked field goals of 20, 32 and 26 yards and running back Timothy Flanders rushed 17 times for 101 yards as No. 5 Sam Houston State held off No. 12 Cal Poly for an 18-16 victory in an NCAA Division I Football Championships second round game Saturday at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.
Quarterback Andre Broadous rushed for 54 yards and passed for 113 more to lead Cal Poly.
The Mustangs cut the margin to two points on a 50-yard halfback reserve pass by Ryan Taylor to Willie Tucker with 1:34 to play.
But Sam Houston’s Trey Diller recovered the on sides kick attempt and the Bearkats ran out the clock.
Keshawn Hill scored the game’s only touchdown on an 18-yard pass from Brian Bell with 0:31 left in the third quarter to end a nine-play, 83-yard drive.
After trailing 8-0 at halftime after two Antonio field goals and a safety on a punt block by Vincent Dotson, Cal Poly scored on fields goals of 23 and 27 by Bobby Zalud at the 9:34 and 3:88 mark in the third.
Sam Houston, which reached the finals of the FCS playoffs last year, advances to the quarterfinals and will face No.3 Montana State Bobcats in Bozeman on Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
Bearkat Bowlers Goes 5-0 On First Day Of Kat Klash Tournament
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
The Sam Houston State women’s bowling team won all five of its matches in quad baker match play Friday as the second annual Track Kat Klash tournament completed its first day of action.
The Bearkats defeated Tulane 744-595, Louisiana Tech 833-703, Nebraska 847-838, Wisconsin-Whitewater 822-767 and Vanderbilt 785-771.
Sam Houston State came into the tournament ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division I women’s bowling.
Eight of the 16 teams in the event stand in the top 20. The Bearkats’ victories Friday included wins over the No. 4 (Vanderbilt), 5 (Nebraska) and 14 (Wisconsin-Whitewater) squads in the rankings.
The event is being held at Huntsville Lanes.
Other ranked teams in the field include No. 2 Arkansas State, No. 8 Sam Houston, No. 9 Valparaiso, No. 10 Stephen F. Austin and No. 17 Prairie View A&M.
Bowl.com has announced is streaming all three days action live all weekend on VIA www.bowl.com
The schedule for the Track Kat Klash calls traditional team matches on day two and bracket play best of seven Baker competition on the final day.
Tournament action will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Sam Houston won inaugural Track Kat Klash championship last year, defeating Arkansas State four games to none in the finals.
This year’s Bearkat bowlers have already won tournament championships at Tulane and Alabama A&M and finished as runner-up at Bethune-Cookman.
Bearkats Win O.T. Thriller 65-63 Over UC-Irvine
by Cheval John
Huntsville, TX-The Bearkat basketball team was pushed to their limits yesterday against a really good University of California-Irvine Anteaters in the final game of the Progressive Legends Classic Subregional.
The Bearkats knew that they had to give it their all if they wanted to beat an Anteater’s team that went toe to-toe with UCLA Bruins a week ago and narrowly losing to Southern Mississippi the day before.
They did just that in overtime behind a go-ahead, game-winning shot by Darius Gatson with 15 seconds left for a 65-63 win over UC-Irvine.
“I came off the screen. … .I was hoping to turn the corner and got some contact and I was able to get the shot,”
Gatson said.
“It was a big play for us.”
The Bearkats totaled 47 rebounds in the game. Most of the rebounds came on the offensive side of the ball that produced 18 second chance points.
Terrance Motley and Michael Holyfield had eight rebounds apiece.
“They both played really well,” head coach Jason Hooten said.
“Defensive end is technique and offensive end is just heart. We got 17 offensive rebounds. That’s just the will to go get it.”
“(Terrance) Motley got five and (Michael) Holyfield got four. … .That give’s you extra possession everytime.”
The Bearkats opened the game on a 12-2 run. They were leading 19-9 at one point before UC-Irvine came storming back with a 10-1 run of their own to cut the lead to 20-19.
When it was all said and down, the Bearkats were leading 30-25 at halftime.
Then things got really interesting as the Anteaters opened the second half on a 6-0 run to take a 31-30 lead behind a three-pointer by Mike Best and a pair of buckets by Will Davis II.
From there, it was an all-out battle by both teams as they were five lead changes and three ties.
With the score tied at 58, the Bearkats had an opportunity to win it in regulation, but couldn’t convert that allowed the game to go into overtime.
UC-Irvine went on a 5-3 run to lead at 63-61 with about two minutes left in overtime.
“I was sitting there thinking, ‘we’re going to win this game,'” Hooten said.
“Even when we got down in overtime, I just knew one of these guys were going to make a play.”
That turned out to be the case.
After Motley’s free throw that cut the lead to 63-62, Gatson made a huge steal that gave the Bearkats a shot at winning the game in the final seconds.
Gatson, who finished with 13 points, drove to the basket and laid it in for the go-ahead score at 64-63.
UC-Irvine couldn’t convert to tie it up and Gatson made one of his free throws to increase the lead to 65-63.
Then in desparation, the Anteaters threw up a prayer, but missed with time running out with the Bearkats celebrating a huge win.
DeMarcus Gatlin lead the Bearkats with 15 points, five rebounds and one steal.
Adam Folker led UC-Irvine with 13 points while Davis II had 12.
With thanksgiving weekend, the players and coaches will use this time to rest before they get back to work in preparation for Tuesday’s matchup against the University of Texas at Austin.
“It’s another game for us,” Hooten said.
“I know they’re really good. They won two out of three in Maui and I know they will be ready.”
“We will be ready too.”
The Longhorn’s only loss in Maui came against Charminade, a D-II school, but coach Hooten doesn’t see this game as a David vs. Goliath match.
“I wouldn’t look at it like that,” Hooten said.
“This may sound crazy to everybody, but we expect to go play well and have a chance to win no matter who we play.”
Former U.S. Attorney General Still Believes In The “American Dream”
Courtesy: Brian Blalock/SHSU
by Cheval John
With the unemployment rate at 9.7%, Americans feel that the nation is going down hill.
Some are wondering if the economy will rebound from the “Great Recession?”
Former United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales believe that this nation is still the land of opportunity.
Earlier today, he spoke to a capacity audience on the campus of Sam Houston State in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center for the President’s Speaker Series.
Gonazales talked about his journey towards becoming the first Hispanic U.S. Attorney General and why he’s hopeful for the U.S.
“I know we have serious issues in this country but I have great faith for the future of our country because of the young people that I see,” Gonzales said.
“It’s very encouraging and I’m very hopeful about what’s possible in America.
Gonzales credits his parents for instilling in him the value of hard work and getting an education.
He learned about being accountable from his father who understood that he was responsible for providing for his mom, himself and his seven siblings.
He also believes that serving in the Air Force was the best decision he’s ever made because it taught him about responsibility.
“I think being in the military was a great experience,” Gonzalez said.
“I wish my sons would consider doing something like that. It shaped my role as a husband and shaped my role as a dad.”
Gonzales started at Vinson and Elkins, L.L.P. in Houston after receiving his law degree from Harvard University in 1982. Though he made partner and spent 13 years at the firm, he felt that he was meant to do something more.
Then in 1994, George W. Bush was elected as governor in the state of Texas and named Gonzales to the position of general counsel.
“I really just jump at the chance because this might be something that will really fulfill me. … .Getting into public service,” Gonzales said.
“I remember telling my wife that it will be a few years and then I’ll come back into the private practice.”
After serving a general counselor, he was promoted to Attorney General of Texas.
But that was just the beginning.
Gonzales was named as White House Counsel by newly elected George W. Bush in 2000.
He served in that position for five years before being appointed as the 80th Attorney General of the United States.
In that capacity, he played an important part in the fight against terror.
He also implented the Project Safe Childhood intiative in an effort to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.
Gonzales says that he was proud of being the first Hispanic to serve as U.S. Attorney General because he felt that he was not just bring black justice, hispanic justice, white justice etc., but was bringing justice for the American people.
“I’ve always taken pride in being Hispanic,” Gonzales said.
“There’s no escaping it. I don’t make any apologies for it. … .I take even more pride in saying that I was the Attorney General of the United States.”
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The Benefits Of Being Thankful
by Cheval John
Everyone have something to be thankful for today.
Whether it’s another day of life, having that dream job, or being with friends and family, many count themselves lucky.
For fans of Sam Houston State and Texas A&M, they have plenty of reasons to be thankful.
One thing that comes to mind is the fact that the Bearkat football team have made their consecutive NCAA FCS playoffs with the opportunity to make it back to Frisco.
While in A&M’s case, the Aggie football team proving that they belong in the Southeastern Conference after pulling off the 29-24 upset of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
When the Aggies and the Bearkats faced each other last Saturday, it brought a sense of excitement and perspective for fans and alumni of both schools.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to play in a bigger stadium with a bigger crowd and with an SEC team,” Angie Taylor, Director of Leadership Initiatives at SHSU said last week before Saturday’s matchup in which the Aggies won 47-28.
“This year, it’s a good experience for them and I think it will be excited and it’s two local communities coming together and it will be a good turnout.”
The two communities, Huntsville and College Station are located an hour away from each other on highway 30.
Some of the 350,000 alumni or ex-students of A&M calls Huntsville home.
Though most are fans of the Bearkats, when it comes to facing their alma mater, there is no question of who they will root for.
I’ve adopted the Bearkats as my hometown team and I support them regularly,” Amy Lee, publisher of the Huntsville Item said last week.
“But I’m an Aggie graduate, so I have to root for A&M.
For some of 100,000 plus Bearkat alumni, living in Bryan/College Station and experience the A&M culture has been fun and interesting.
Bearkat graduate Michael Oder, who works for KBTX-TV, a CBS affiliate in College Station, covering the local scene including A&M athletics has been fulling for him.
“Living and working in Bryan/College Station is interesting,” Oder said.
“I think SHSU and A&M are two great universities that operate at different levels. … .A&M has a great energy.”
“With the move to the SEC, that only multiplied ten-fold.”
Bearkat fans saw the match as added exposure for the football team and the school.
Also, it brought in $300,000 dollars for the Bearkat athletics program when they played A&M.
With the FCS playoffs set to begin this weekend, many believe that this experience will be a huge benefit for the Bearkat football team.
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