Bearkats Falls Short In Quest For First FCS Title
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
FRISCO – Penalties and turnovers by Sam Houston State played a big role as North Dakota State earned their second consecutive NCAA Division I Football Championship with a 39-13 victory over the Bearkats at FC Dallas Stadium Saturday.
The Bixon coverted the miscues in to 441 total yards as game “most valuable player” quarterback Brock Jenson totaled 159 yards total offense including 115 yards rushing and three rushing TDs.
Running back Sam Ojuri rushed 14 times for 92 yards and two more scores.
No penalty hurt more than a holding call that wiped out an apparent 37-yard third quarter run into the end zone by Timothy Flanders. The play would have given the Kats a 17-10 lead early in the third quarter.
On the next play Carlton Littlejohn intercepted a pass at the 40-yard line.
The turnover set up a 10-play 60-yard drive as Jenson scored from the one to put North Dakota State up 17-10 with 8:30 left in the period.
The Bison rolled to 29 second half points.
Sam Houston ended the day with seven penalties for 70 yards including three that gave the Bison first downs.
North Dakota State picked off four Sam Houston passes. Three of the turnovers set up scores.
The loss in the Bearkats’ second consecutive NCAA football finals appearance ended Sam Houston’s season with an 11-4 mark.
The No. 1 seed in the 2012 playoffs, North Dakota finished with a 14-1 record. With the win, the Bison join Georgia Southern (1985 & 86 and 1989 & 90), Youngstown State (1993 & 94) and Appalachian State (2005, 06 & 07) to repeat as FCS national champions.
Bearkat quarterback Brian Bell completed 19 of 33 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Timothy Flanders led SHSU on the ground with 18 carries for 46 yards.
Linebacker Darius Taylor led the Kat defense with 11 tackles including five solo stops.
In a first quarter dominated by the defenses, both teams had field goal opportunities.
Sam Houston’s Miguel Antonio was wide right on a 32-yard attempt, then the Bison’s Adam Keller was successful on a 22-yard kick to North Dakota State up 3-0.
The score with 3:49 left in the first period was set up by a 57-yard run by John Crockett to the SHSU 23.
Antonio nailed his second field goal attempt just 42 seconds into the second quarter to tie the contest 3-3.
A 26-yard Bell pass to Sincere to the Bison 49 was the big play on the 11-play, 55-yard scoring drive.
Marcus Williams 17-yard interception return set up a five-play, 72-yard touchdown drive to put North Dakota State up 10-3 with 3:09 to play before halftime.
Three big plays sparked the drive as Jenson rushed 21 yards to the Bearkat 44, Ryan Smith ran 24 to the SHSU 20 and Jenson scored from the 20.
On Jenson’s run into Sam Houston territory, the Kats lost their leading tackler, Darnell Taylor to a leg injury.
Bell’s arm powered the Bearkats to a quick nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive.
The junior quarterback completed six passes for 60 yards on the two minute and 36 second series.
K. J. Williams caught the final pass for a one-yard score with 33 ticks remaining in the period.
Sincere’s 30-yard diving reception at the one was the key play on the scoring march.
After Adam Keller was short on a 50-yard field goal on the half’s final play to leave the score tied 10-10 at intermission.
Driving after Jenson’s go-ahead touchdown in the third period, a Bell fourth down pass at the North Dakota 43-yard line fell incomplete,and the Bison drove 65 yards in six plays for another score.
Sam Ojuri scored from the one and a two-point conversion pass was successful as NDSU went up 25-10.
The Kat offense responded with an 11-play, 50 yard drive for a 32-yard Antonio field goal as SHSU cut the Bison margin to 25-13 with 13:20 to play in the fourth quarter.
Jenson added another one-yard touchdown after a six-play 65-yard drive as North Dakota State extended its lead with 32-13 with 10:13 to play.
Ojuri scored on an 11-yard score with six minutes left.
Bearkat Safety Earns Another National Award
by Cheval John
The awards keep piling up for SHSU’s safety Darnell Taylor.
Today, Taylor earned a spot in the 2012 Walter Camp All-America Squad.
The senior from Mesquite, TX led the team in tackles this year with 100.
He was named the Southland Conference (SLC) “Defensive Player of the Year” for the second year in a row.
Defensively, he played a critical role when the Bearkats won their second consecutive SLC title this year that allowed them to be selected for the NCAA FCS playoffs.
In the playoffs, the Bearkats went through three Big Sky Co-Champions in Cal Poly, Montana State and Eastern Washington to make it to the FCS National Championship Game in Frisco, TX for the second year in row.
It was the first time that the Bearkats have ever made consecutive appearances in the FCS playoffs and the title game.
They will have a second go-around with defending champion North Dakota State Bison on January 5 at 1 p.m eastern time on ESPN2.
Both teams played last year in the championship game with the Bison coming on top with 17-6 win.
The Walter Camp All-America squad honors players who made a significant impact for their respective teams from nine conferences and 24 institutions in the FCS.
The honor is named after Walter Camp, who is considered the “Father of American Football” because he developed the present game as we know it.
Here are the list of the Camp All-America Squad
2012 Walter Camp Football Championship Subdivision All-America Team
OFFENSE
Pos. Name, School Hgt Wgt Class Hometown
WR Erik Lora, Eastern Illinois 5-10 181 Jr. Miami, FL
WR Aaron Melette, Elon 6-2 220 Sr. Sanford, NC
TE A.C. Leonard, Tennessee State 6-4 245 Soph. Jacksonville, FL
OL Earl Watford, James Madison 6-4 295 Sr. Philadelphia, PA
OL Mike Sellers, The Citadel 6-0 290 Jr. Summerville, SC
OL Billy Turner, North Dakota State 6-6 300 Jr. Shoreview, MN
OL Chris Howley, Maine 6-3 295 Sr. Runnemede, NJ
C Corey Howard, Central Arkansas 6-1 290 Sr. Wichita Falls, TX
QB Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion 6-1 295 Soph. Atlanta, GA
RB Miguel Maysonet, Stony Brook 5-10 205 Sr. Riverhead, NY
RB Zach Zenner, South Dakota State 6-0 215 Soph. Eagan, MN
PK Patrick Murray, Fordham 5-7 182 Sr. Mahwah, NJ
DEFENSE
Pos. Name, School Hgt Wgt Class Hometown
DL Caleb Schreibeis, Montana State 6-3 252 Sr. Billings, MT
DL Colton Underwood, Illinois State 6-4 255 Jr. Washington, IL
DL Brandon Thurmond, Arkansas Pine Bluff 6-2 260 Sr. Augusta, GA
DL Davis Tull, UT-Chattanooga 6-3 230 Soph. Knoxville, TN
DL Joseph LeBeau, Jackson State 6-1 245 Sr. New Orleans, LA
LB Jeremy Kimbrough, Appalachian State 5-11 240 Sr. Decatur, GA
LB Matt Evans, New Hampshire # 6-0 228 Sr. Hanover, MA
LB Stephon Robertson, James Madison 5-11 225 Jr. Alexandria, VA
DB Marcus Williams, North Dakota State 5-11 194 Jr. Minneapolis, MN
DB Darnell Taylor, Sam Houston 6-0 195 Sr. Mesquite, TX
DB Cooper Taylor, Richmond 6-5 235 Sr. Atlanta, GA
DB Jaquiski Tartt, Samford 6-1 220 Soph. Mobile, AL
P Andy Wilder, Northern Arizona 6-3 205 Jr. Scottsdale, AZ
KR Jerodis Williams, Furman 5-11 208 Sr. Prattville, AL
Bearkat MBB Extends Win Streak To Three Games
by Cheval John
The Sam Houston State Bearkat basketball team extended their win streak to three games with an 89-53 beat down over Huston-Tillotson Rams.
SHSU (6-5) shot 50.7% from the field and went 40% from the three point line.
Most of the three point shooting came from junior transfer guard Jeremy McKay.
McKay made four of seven treys and finished with 16 points, four rebounds and an assist.
Both teams played tight early in the first half as they were five lead changes.
Though the Rams (2-11) led 10-7, the Bearkats went on a 10-0 run to retake the lead at 17-10 behind junior guard Aaron Harwell’s three maded shots and junior transfer forward James Thomas’ back-to-back buckets.
The Rams pulled twice with a score to tie the match, but the Bearkats hang on to the lead at 38-30 by halftime.
“I wasn’t happy with our first half,” head coach Jason Hooten said.
“I thought we didn’t came out with energy.”
That energy came in the second half as the Bearkats opened on a 13-2 run that included McKay three straight treys to widened the gap at 50-33.
They didn’t looked back as they cruised to an 89-53 win.
Marquel McKinney totaled 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and four steals.
Terrance Motley and Darius Gatson each had 11 points.
The Bearkats will take a long week off before they face their final non-conference opponent Howard Payne on December 29.
RG3 Proved That He Belongs In The NFL
by Cheval John
This year was supposed to have been a rebuilding year for the Washington Redskins.
But somebody forgot to tell Robert Griffith III, a.k.a. RG3 and the rest of the team that statement.
Behind the heroic play of RG3, the Redskins defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28-18 to claim the NFC East title and earn a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Though RG3 didn’t have his best game today, he came through when it was needed.
Griffith III went 9 of 18 for 100 yards and rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Many thought that RG3 was not going to do well at Washington because of their failures over the past decade and the fact the Mike Shanahan was the coach.
But RG3 thrived under Shanahan’s offense and made plays that made the casual fan tune in everytime he steps onto the field.
In hindsight, RG3’s decision to go the NFL was a risky proposition, but it turned out to be the right call and the Redskins are now going to the playoffs.
On the other hand, the Cowboys ended their season with another devasting lost and are wishing that RG3 would have stayed at Baylor instead of going to the NFL.
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