Opponent Preview: Sam Houston State
9/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State renew their annual Battle of the Piney Woods rivalry, meeting for the 91st time in the series Saturday. For the seventh-straight year, the rivalry will take center stage at NRG Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans, kicking off at 3 p.m.
Following the Lumberjacks
Saturday’s Battle of the Piney Woods showdown between Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State will once again be streamed in high definition through ESPN3, available online at ESPN3.com or through the WatchESPN app on portable devices. Randy McIlvoy (play-by-play), Shea Walker (analyst) and Tatum Everett (sideline) will have the call of the 91st Battle of the Piney Woods from NRG Stadium, kicking off at 3 p.m. The audio call, courtesy of Rob Meyers, will be carried by Q107.7 FM and online at Q1077.com, as well as through the TuneIn app by following the Lumberjack Sports Network. Live stats will be available as well as Twitter updates at @SFA_Football.
Five Storylines
• Saturday's game is the 91st meeting between the two teams, marking the fourth oldest active rivalry in the state of Texas. The only active rivalries that have been going longer than SFA-SHSU are Baylor-TCU (111 games), Texas-Baylor (105 games) and TCU-SMU (96 games).
• Sam Houston State leads the all-time series 53-35-2 and have won five-straight in the series, one shy of the all-time longest winning streak between the two teams. Saturday's game is the seventh time the game has been played at NRG Stadium.
• The Lumberjacks enter this week's game boasting three-straight Southland Conference Players of the Week in Storm Ruiz (Sept. 12 - Special Teams), Zach Conque (Sept. 19 - Offensive) and Hunter Taylor (Sept. 26 - Offensive). The last time SFA had an SLC weekly honor in three-straight weeks was 2004.
• Saturday's game will feature three of the top defensive ends in the nation going head-to-head. For SFA, senior Kedrick Harrison (sixth) and junior John Franklin (12th) both rank in the top-20 nationally in sacks while DE P.J. Hall for Sam Houston State is second nationally in tackles for loss.
• The game is annually one of the highest attended FCS games nationally. During the first six years of holding the game at NRG, the game has drawn an average 25,990 each year, and with both teams off to a combined 6-1 start in 2016, attendance is anticipated to reach close to 30,000 in 2016.
Scouting the Bearkats
2016 Record: 3-0 overall, 2-0 Southland Conference. Ranked #2 in this week’s FCS coaches and media polls
Last Three Games: W at Houston Baptist (52-16), W at Lamar (44-31), W vs. Oklahoma Panhandle (59-21)
Head Coach: K.C. Keeler (Delaware, 1981). Third season at SHSU (25-9, .735); 23rd season overall (199-82-1, .707).
Key Offensive Players:
• #16 Jeremiah Briscoe (Jr., QB): 76-of-121 (62.8%) for 1,035 yds., 9 TDs, 2 INTs
• #34 Remus Bulmer (So., RB): 30 rushes for 242 yds. (8.0 avg.), 3 TDs
• #6 Corey Avery (Jr., RB): 30 rushes for 206 yds. (6.9 avg.), 2 TDs; 6 catches for 84 yds. (14.0 avg.), 2 TDs
• #9 Yedidiah Louis (Jr, WR): 17 catches for 273 yds. (16.1 avg.), 2 TDs
• #1 Derrick Dick (So., WR): 6 catches for 155 yds. (25.8 avg.), 1 TD
Key Defensive Players:
• #54 Justin Johnson (So., LB): 22 tackles (5 solo), 2.0 TFL, 0.5 sack
• #90 Mouf Adebo (Jr., DE): 19 tackles (4 solo), 4.0 TFL, 1.0 sack
• #23 Sammy Webb (Sr., CB): 18 tackles (17 solo)
• #92 P.J. Hall (Jr., DE): 17 tackles (9 solo), 10.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 2 PBU, 1 FF
• #7 Adrian Contreras (So., S): 16 tackles (11 solo), 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU
Synopsis: Sam Houston State remains one of the top-ranked teams nationally, sitting second in both this week’s FCS coaches and media polls. The Bearkats continue to rank among the national leaders offensively, averaging 51.7 points and 632.7 yards per game. SHSU boasts a balanced rushing attack, averaging 256.0 yards per game as three different rushers have eclipsed 200 yards already this season. QB Jeremiah Briscoe and the passing game is putting up 376.7 yards per game with WR Yedidiah Louis leading the Bearkats with 273 receiving yards. Defensively, SHSU is allowing 22.7 points and 380.3 yards per game, including 166.3 rushing and 214.0 passing. The Bearkat defensive effort is led by All-America candidate DE P.J. Hall, who leads the SLC with 10.0 tackles for loss, as Sam Houston State is holding opponents to just a 28% conversion rate on third down.
Head Coach Clint Conque's Press Transcript
On the Abilene Christian game:
“It’s always nice to win and play well at home. A lot of young men contributed to the victory. We came into the game knowing they were going to be a very hungry football team. They played that way in the second half and we didn’t. We had an early lead and we just didn’t finish the game the way we wanted too. We’re excited about the win but we need to be more consistent. We still haven’t put together four quarters of consistent football. You see flashes of excellence, like in the kicking game, and I thought we dominated the kicking game except for two plays. We knew it was inevitable that Storm Ruiz would miss a field goal somewhere and he missed a chip shot that he usually makes. I told him that it didn’t kill us and it got the miss off his plate, so hopefully it will alleviate a little bit of pressure. We gave up numerous big plays and just lost our focus in the second half. I was very pleased with Hunter Taylor’s effort and he deservedly was named the conference player of the week. I was very pleased with his play making ability but we’ve got to get more consistent. I made the decision to pull Zach (Conque) early in the game because I could see the pressure mounting on him, of him wanting to be perfect. This organization and his teammates mean so much to him, I just wanted to take the pressure off of him. We got huge contributions from guys that didn’t have recognizable names going into the season. We told the team at half time that (ACU) was going to throw the kitchen sink at us, and they did that. We didn’t respond completely the way we would’ve wanted to. Going into a game against one of the premier programs in the country, we’re going to have to play more consistently.”
On the quarterback position for this week:
“We’re going to let it play out in practice this week. Hunter has the hot hand right now and you have to feel really good about the way he is playing at this time. Zach has given us over 6,500 yards of offense in a little over two years and about 65 touchdowns. We’ve got two really good players and I feel confident playing at a high level with either one of them. Hunter has earned the right to start, and that is probably the direction we will go. In no means are we going to ignore the production Zach has given us. I think Zach is just putting too much pressure on himself. It’s kind of like a golfer that gets the yips. There’s not a throw he can’t make and hasn’t made. All of his reads are right - he made a really nice throw on a third down conversion early in the game. He’s just really pressing right now. I thought we made the right decision putting Hunter in. We reinserted Zach in a couple of situations and he responded well. We’re going to have two people ready to go there and every other position. In order to be successful in this conference you better have solid depth at each position and we feel fortunate to have two very quality players at the quarterback position.”
On the decision balancing being a head coach and a father:
“Sure it’s hard. Anytime you have to deal with your children on anything that’s not positive it always weighs on your heart. But I’m also the head coach and I have to do what’s right for the team on offense, defense, and special teams.”
On what to expect against Sam Houston State:
“We’ve put a plan together to go out and put ourselves in a competitive position to win. We’re playing a great opponent, the number two ranked team in the country. They’ve been to at least the national semifinals four of the last six years, I believe. They came from behind and beat us by six last year, making some big plays when they needed to, which is what a veteran and experienced team does. They are a very skilled and big team. PJ Hall is a big time player. We don’t really have to worry about a dual threat at QB like we have in the past, but Briscoe is an incredibly skilled passer. I’m not going to put any additional pressure on our football team because of how games against them in the past have gone. They know this is a big game. It’s a big game because we have a chance to be 3-0 and stay atop the conference standings. It’s a big game because it’s the next game. They understand who the opponent is and what this game means to our students and fan base. I want to get better at the things we are doing, and let them go out there relaxed to play disciplined football. We had seven pre snap fouls last week. We can’t give away free yards. I want our kids to be prepared. We have to get healthy. We are really thin at a couple of positions right now and that’s concerning to us. I want them to prepare well and expect to play well, and go in to the game with a lot of excitement. This is a big game to stay relevant in the conference race.”
On the quality of the Southland Conference:
“It’s full of great coaches and great players. We tend to beat up on each other quite a bit. Typically the team standing at the end has been able to overcome, stay healthy and play well at the end of the year. This is absolutely the biggest game of the year (against Sam Houston State). It gives us a chance to be 3-0 in conference. When we play at Nicholls next week, it will be the biggest game of the year again. We’re trying to mature and educate this team. About 30 guys that were on the playoff team are still here. Most of these guys haven’t experienced a high level of success. We’re still teaching these guys how to finish games, and when to put the gas on people when you have the opportunity to do so. Teams aren’t going to quit in this league. They are going to fight you tooth and nail every week. We better be prepared and ready for 60 minutes of high effort to be able to compete week in and week out.”
-SFA-
