Coach Fritz Finally Gets What He Deserves
by Cheval John
Another award has been bestowed on head coach Willie Fritz.
Fritz was named the 2012 “Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year” in the FCS level earlier today after leading the Sam Houston State Bearkats to an 11-4 record and a second consecutive NCAA Division I Championship Game in Frisco, TX.
Fritz has received $70,000 that will go to the charities of his choice ($50,000) and scholarships for the Sam Houston State University Alumni Association because of his committment on the field and off.
Here is the article that was written last year about why he deserved to win the award.
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.
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.
Bearkat Football Soars To New Heights Under Coach Fritz
by Cheval John
Though there is no such thing as moral victories, the Sam Houston State Bearkat football team have accomplished more under head coach Willie Fritz.
Before the arrival of coach Fritz, the Bearkats have made only four appearances in the NCAA FCS playoffs (1986, 1991, 2001, 2004) during their 26 years of competition at the Division I level.
But under Fritz, the Bearkats have made back-to-back appearances in the FCS National Championship game and brought pride to the city of Huntsville, the students and alumni of Sam Houston State.
In addition, the Bearkats have made more television appearances in the last two years either nationally or regionally and applications to the university has sky-rocketed over that same period of time.
Though they run to the FCS title game in 2011 was great, their 2012 run was even more impressive because they only had three regular season home games and had to go through three teams, who were the tri-champions in what is considered to be the toughest conference in the FCS, the Big Sky.
Ron Randleman, who was the head coach of SHSU from 1982 to 2004, is not surprised with the success of coach Fritz.
“Coach Fritz has a special way with people. Randleman said. ”
He’s put together a quality staff and these guys gave worked very hard to get to where we are today because it’s not easy to get there.”
Fritz played for Randleman while he was at Pittsburg State from 1979-82. and
He later served as a graduate assistant under Randleman in 1984-85 at SHSU and again in 1991-92 as as an assistant coach.
When he was hired as the head coach in December of 2009, the Bearkats was reeling from two consecutive losing seasons.
Many knew that coach Fritz was going to turn things around because of his reputation of turning programs that previously had losing seasons into winning teams.
After going 6-5, many believed that they were going to do better in the 2011 season by winning the SLC title.
The Bearkats exceeded their expectations and went 11-0 in the regular season and won the SLC title for the fourth time and won three straight playoffs games to make their first appearance in the FCS title game.
It seemed as they were not going to get back to the FCS title game because they only had three regular season home games and had brought in three new assistant coaches on the offensive side of the ball.
But coach Fritz and the Bearkats had other ideas as they went 8-3 and won their second consecutive SLC title and made it back to the playoffs and went through Cal Poly at home and defeated Montana State and Eastern Washington on the road to return to the title game.
Though they lost, one thing is for certain, the Bearkat football program has gone to new heights under coach Fritz.
But the most important thing is that coach Fritz is following in the footsteps of Coach Randleman because the players has conducted themselves with dignity and respect and have brought great pride to the university.
Maybe, that alone is a moral victory after all.
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