Bearkats Are Back In The NCAA FCS Playoffs
by Cheval John
The Sam Houston State Bearkat football team knew that it was not going to be easy to make it back to Frisco.
After starting the season at 1-2, they won seven straight games to get consideration for the NCAA FCS playoffs and in the process clinched a share of the Southland Conference title with the Central Arkansas Bears.
The Bears received the automatic bid and will have a bye as well before they go on the road against No.5 Georgia Southern on Dec.1.
The 47-28 loss to Texas A&M yesterday didn’t hurt them as they were one of the final ten to be selected for the 20-team field in the FCS playoffs that’s set to begin this weekend.
The Bearkats finished the season overall at 8-3 and will have a bye before hosting Cal Poly Mustangs on Dec. 1 at 3 p.m. central on ESPN3.
“We’re very proud of being in the field of 20,” head coach Willie Fritz said.
“We wanted to be a team that is in national contention year after year. … .We’d liked to have been higher, but that’s just the way it is.”
This marks the second year in a row that the Bearkats have made the playoffs in their 26 years at the NCAA Division I level.
What’s more impressive is the fact that they only had three home games for the entire season.
“It’s a very hard thing to do and we’re just happy that we came out on top in all of those games,” senior running back Vincent Dotson said.
Last year, they went to the FCS National Championship Game in Frisco, Texas at 14-0 before losing to the North Dakota State Bison in the finals.
The Bison finished the season at 10-1 and were selected as the No.1 seed for the playoffs.
The Bearkats are just content that they will have a chance to host a playoff game and will use the time to get ready for the Mustangs.
“They’re a triple option team and run it quite different than we do,” Fritz said.
“It’s going to be good for us to have the extra days to prepare.”
“I’m just happy that we have a home game,” Dotson said.
“It will be a great advantage for us and will be a great crowd.”
Tickets goes on sale tonight at 6 p.m. and can be purchase online at gobearkats.com/tickets.
Bearkat Women’s Basketball Won 73-55 Over Grambling State
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Lynchburg, Va. – Britni Martin scored 17 and three other Bearkats totaled double figures as Sam Houston State defeated Grambling State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference 73-55 in the second consolation game in the preseason Women’s National Invitational Saturday afternoon.
Anglea Beadle tallied 13 points, Jazmin Wiley added 11 more and Sequeena Thomas scored 10 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the Sam Houston women picked up their first win of the season.
The Bearkats lost to No. 10 Delaware in the WNIT first round and Sacred Heart in the first consolation contest.
The WNIT consolation games were played on the Liberty University campus.
“The team came out with intensity and fire,” head coach Brenda Nichols said.
“I’m proud of how the team pulled together for the win”
Grambling State (0-3) led 20-16 with 7:47 remaining in the first half.
Beadle put in a layup to start a 10-0 run by the Bearkats.
Jasmine Johnson’s layup put the Kats up 26-20 at the 4:03 mark.
Sam Houston never trailed again.
The Bearkats outscored the Tigers 40-27 in the second period.
Sam Houston had its best shooting performance of the season, hitting 28-of-65 from the field (43.1%).
The Kats outscored Grambling State 44 to 26 in the paint.
Sam Houston continues its road journey, playing the Nebraska Cornhuskers Wednesday in Lincoln.
The Bearkats play their first regular home opener Friday, November 30, against Texas A&M-Commerce in the annual “Pack the House” game at 11 a.m.
Bearkats-Aggies Face Off Today At Kyle Field
by Cheval John
Everyone have been looking forward to the matchup between Sam Houston State Bearkats and Texas A&M Aggies since it was announced earlier this year.
Bearkats fans were in high gear since they finished at 14-1 as NCAA FCS finalist while Aggies fans were excited to be playing their first season in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Now the day is here when the Bearkats (8-2 overall, 6-1 Southland Conference) square off against the Aggies (8-2 overall, 5-2 SEC) today at Kyle Field in College Station at 2:30 p.m.
The game is sold out to capacity and is available on Fox Sports Southwest via Pay Per View in the state of Texas and on ESPN Game Plan nationwide.
Here are some players to keep an eye on in this game:
Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
Johnny “Football” Manziel has played lights out for the Aggies this season.
The freshman quarterback has passed for 2,780 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 1,014 yards and 15 touchdowns.
He’s only the second freshman to ever pass for 2,000 yards and rushed for 1,000 yards in NCAA FBS history (Brad Smith of Missouri did this in 2002).
He was the arquitect behind A&M’s 29-24 “upset” of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, when he passed for 294 yards and 2 scores.
Many are looking for him to have a huge day against the Bearkats.
Ryan Swope, Texas A&M
Swope is the go-to guy for this A&M offense.
The senior receiver has 236 catches for 2,956 yards and 22 touchdowns in career for the Aggies.
He needs 136 yards to break A&M’s school record for reception yards.
He also has 13 career 100 yards receiving which is also a school record.
Look for him to have a big day.
Deamontre Moore, Texas A&M
Moore has been the anchor for the A&M defense.
The junior defensive lineman leads the team in tackles and is ranked No.2 in the nation in tackles for losses (2.00 per game) and averages 1.5 sacks per game.
Brian Bell, SHSU
Bell is not flashy as Manziel, but has been managed the Bearkat offense efficiently.
The junior is 27-6 as a starter and has passed for 45 touchdowns, the most in SHSU history.
He has a 5,333 career passing yards which is second in SHSU.
Timothy Flanders, SHSU
What more can you say about Flanders.
He has made his name known in the nation and at SHSU.
The junior All-American and Walter Payton Award candidate has twenty-two 100 yard games and is the all-time leading rusher for SHSU (3,679). That mark also ranks him at No.6 in the Southland Conference.
He scored 51 career rushing touchdowns which puts him at No.2 in the SLC.
The Bearkat defense
The Bearkat defense has been been solid throughout the season.
They are ranked No.3 in the nation in rushing defense (68.3 per game) and No.5 in total defense (283.2 per game).
During their seven-game winning streak, they have held opponents to an average 255.4 yard and allowed only 83 total points.
The prediction:
Many analyst in major media from CBS Sports to ESPN have already predicted an Aggie win because of the opponent that A&M faces today.
Me, I am not going to do that.
Instead, I am going to predict that this game will be closer than everyone thinks because SHSU is no chump team.
Many forget that the Bearkats had an 20-10 lead at halftime against Baylor earlier in the season and kept it close at 24-23 in the fourth quarter before they eventually lost 48-23.
Though A&M have an all-time record of 10-0-1 against the Bearkats, anything can happen.
This will be a game that both Bearkat fans and Aggie fans will never forget.
Bearkats Loses To Sacred Heart 66-62
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Lynchburg, Va. – Defending Northeast Conference champion Sacred Heart outscored Sam Houston 9-2 in the final two-and-a-half minutes of action to pull out a 66-62 victory over the Bearkats Friday afternoon in preseason Women’s National Invitational (WNIT) consolation action.
Britni Martin scored 17 points and Chanice Smith added 14 to lead Sam Houston (0-2) as SHSU and SHU battled in a see-saw game with 11 lead changes.
Down 44-37 with 14 minutes to play, the Bearkats went on a 25-15 run to take a one-point lead, 62-61, on a lay-up by Martin with 1:16 remaining.
Sacred Heart did not allow the Kats to score again.
Morgan Merriman put her team ahead 63-62 with a layup with 1:02 left and Gabriel Washington fired in a three-pointer with 13 seconds to play to seal the victory.
Washington led Sacred Heart with 21 points.
Merriman scored 18 and Kiley Evans added 17.
Turnovers were key for Sam Houston.
Sacred Heart scored 17 points off SHSU’s 23 turnovers while the Bearkats could collect only 13 points from SHU’s 15 miscues.
Sam Houston won the rebounding battle with 48 boards to Sacred Heart’s 43.
Sequeena Thomas and Angela Beadle led both teams each with 10 rebounds.
SHSU point guard Jasmine Johnson totaled seven assists.
The Bearkats now will complete action in the WNIT with a second consolation game at 4 p.m. Saturday against the loser of the Liberty versus Grambling State contest.
Bearkat Volleyball Advances To Semifinals In SLC Tournament
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Led by Deveney Wells-Gibson with 16 kills, Sam Houston defeated Nicholls State to advance to the semifinals of the Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament.
The tournament is being hosted by Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas.
No. 2 Sam Houston defeated No. 6 Nicholls State 25-22 25-12 25-19.
The Kats will face the winner of the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi vs. Oral Roberts matchup.
The Southland Player of the Year, Wells-Gibson put up a dominant performance against the Colonels with her 27th double figure kill performance of the year.
Friday’s first set had 14 ties and 10 lead changes before the Kats finished it off 25-22.
In the second set, Sam Houston led from the beginning after jumping out to an early 5-0 lead.
Nicholls found itself within four at 11-7, but the Bearkats finished the set on a 14-5 run to win the second set, 25-12.
The third set was much like the first as both teams tied 14 teams and exchanged the lead five times, but Sam Houston finished the match on a 9-3 run to win the set 25-19 and finish off the sweep. Wells-Gibson led the charge with six kills in the final set.
Kaylee Hawkins, who was named honorable mention All-Southland, added 12 kills for the Bearkats.
Second team All-Southland member, Kim Black had six kills and four blocks for the Kats.
Tayler Gray, who was the second team All-Southland setter, had 37 assists.
For Nicholls, Jennifer Brandt and Sarah Terry each led the team with six kills.
Sam Houston advances to play the winner of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Oral Roberts, which begins at 1:30 p.m. today.
The semifinal match will commence at 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Farris Center and will be streamed on the Southland Digital Network.