2016 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team

2016 Sam Houston State Bearkats football
Southland Conference champion
FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals, L 7–65 vs. James Madison
Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 5
FCS Coaches	No. 5
Record	12–1 (9–0 Southland)
Head coach	K. C. Keeler (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Phil Longo (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Air raid
Defensive coordinator	Brad Sherrod (3rd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Bowers Stadium
Seasons ← 2015 2017 →

2016 Southland Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Sam Houston State $^		9	–	0					12	–	1
No. 14 Central Arkansas ^		8	–	1					10	–	3
SE Louisiana		7	–	2					7	–	4
McNeese State		5	–	4					6	–	5
Nicholls State		5	–	4					5	–	6
Stephen F. Austin		4	–	5					5	–	6
Houston Baptist		3	–	5					4	–	7
Incarnate Word *		3	–	6					3	–	8
Lamar		3	–	6					3	–	8
Abilene Christian *		2	–	7					2	–	9
Northwestern State		0	–	9					1	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from NCAA Division II Rankings from STATS poll

The 2016 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by third-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 12–1 overall and 9–0 in Southland play to win the Southland Conference title. They went undefeated during the regular season with a record of 11–0. They received the Southland's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Chattanooga the second round, only to lose in the quarterfinals to James Madison.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	6:00 pm	Oklahoma Panhandle State*	No. 2	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	W 59–21	8,609
September 17	7:00 pm	at Lamar	No. 3	Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX	ESPN3	W 44–31	8,343
September 24	7:00 pm	at Houston Baptist	No. 2	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	FCS	W 52–16	3,134
October 1	3:00 pm	vs. Stephen F. Austin	No. 2	NRG Stadium Houston, TX (Battle of the Piney Woods)	ESPN3	W 63–28	27,411
October 8	6:00 pm	at Incarnate Word	No. 2	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX	ESPN3/UIWtv	W 63–48	5,322
October 15	3:00 pm	Abilene Christian	No. 2	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	W 48–21	8,314
October 22	3:00 pm	at Nicholls State	No. 1	Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	ASN	W 38–21	7,759
October 29	6:00 pm	Texas Southern*	No. 1	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	W 66–17	8,611
November 5	6:00 pm	McNeese State	No. 1	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	W 56–43	8,025
November 12	6:00 pm	at Northwestern State	No. 1	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	ESPN3	W 48–16	6,421
November 19	2:30 pm	No. 11 Central Arkansas	No. 1	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	W 59–23	9,182
December 3	2:00 pm	No. 11 Chattanooga*	No. 1	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN3	W 41–36	4,897
December 9	6:00 pm	at No. 5 James Madison*	No. 1	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal)	ESPN2	L 7–65	15,646
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

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Game summaries

Oklahoma Panhandle State

Oklahoma Panhandle State at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 Total Aggies 14 0 0 7 21 • #2 Bearkats 21 17 7 14 59 Date: September 3 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:30 Game attendance: 8,609 Game weather: 89 °F (32 °C) • Wind NE 4 mph (6.4 km/h) • Mostly cloudy, warm Referee: Ross Smith Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 8:03 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 23 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 30 yards, 0:31 7–0 1 2:40 Sam Houston State Deo Hutchinson 32 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 2:53 14–0 1 2:25 Oklahoma Panhandle State Devyn Williams 90 yard kickoff return (Sterling Claphan kick), Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00 14–7 1 1:17 Sam Houston State Avery, Corey 15 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 1:08 21–7 1 0:07 Oklahoma Panhandle State Andrew Hernandez 69 yard pass from Shane Truelove (Sterling Claphan kick), Drive: 3 plays, 78 yards, 1:06 21–14 2 13:15 Sam Houston State Tre Honshtein 23 yard field goal, Drive: 7 plays, 35 yards, 1:45 24–14 2 11:04 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 21 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Tre Honshtein kick), Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 0:47 31–14 2 5:05 Sam Houston State Javin Webb 9 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick), Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 2:48 38–14 3 10:15 Sam Houston State Jeremiah Briscoe 8 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick), Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 2:55 45–14 4 13:10 Oklahoma Pandle State Andrew Hernandez 35 yard pass from D.J. Scott (Sterling Claphan kick), Drive: 1 play, 30 yards, 0:10 45–21 4 11:58 Sam Houston State Coree Compton 23 yard pass from Caleb Griffin (Tre Honshtein kick), Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards, 1:03 52–21 4 4:58 Sam Houston State Jordan Brown 1 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick), Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 1:38 59–21

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@ Lamar

Sam Houston State at Lamar

1 2 3 4 Total • #3 Bearkats 14 16 7 7 44 Cardinals 3 0 14 14 31 Date: September 17 Location: Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX Game start: 7:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:40 Game attendance: 8,343 Game weather: 92 °F (33 °C) • Hot and humid Referee: Marvel July Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 13:32 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 9 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:29 7–0 1 3:32 Lamar Alex Ball 44 yard field goal, Drive: 18 plays, 54 yards, 7:38 7–3 1 2:07 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 35 yard pass from Briscoe, Jeremi (Swimberghe, Luc kick), Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 1:16 14–3 2 5:27 Sam Houston State P. J. Hall -8 yard safety, Drive: 2 plays, -8 yards, 0:39 16–3 2 4:54 Sam Houston State Derrick Dick 35 yard pass from Briscoe, Jeremi (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:33 23–3 2 1:32 Sam Houston State Remus Bulmer 4 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:10 30–3 3 13:37 Lamar Zae Giles 56 yard pass from Andrew Allen (Ball, Alex kick), Drive: 5 plays, 79 yards, 1:19 30–10 3 3:50 Sam Houston State Tyler Scott 14 yard pass from Briscoe, Jeremi (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 1:38 37–10 3 0:47 Lamar Brenda Langley 55 yard run (Alex Ball kick), Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 2:58 37–17 4 6:00 Lamar Carson Earp 67 yard run (Alex Ball kick), Drive: 7 plays, 99 yards, 2:56 37–24 4 3:37 Sam Houston State Javin Webb 2 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 2:22 44–24 4 0:48 Lamar Kendrick King 34 yard pass from Andrew Allen (Alex Ball kick), Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 2:41 44–31

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@ Houston Baptist

Sam Houston State at Houston Baptist

1 2 3 4 Total • #2 Bearkats 21 10 7 14 52 Huskies 0 6 10 0 16 Date: September 24 Location: Husky Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 7:00 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:26 Game attendance: 3,134 Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind ESE 6 mph (9.7 km/h) • Mostly cloudy Referee: Ross Smith Television network: FCS Sources:[2]

Scoring summary 1 13:04 Sam Houston State Javin Webb 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 1:56 7–0 1 6:23 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 48 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 87 yards, 0:58 14–0 1 2:42 Sam Houston State Javin Webb 13 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 2:01 21–0 2 13:06 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 8 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 3 plays, 51 yards, 0:41 28–0 2 10:07 Houston Baptist Alec Chadwick 21 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 2:59 28–3 2 7:20 Sam Houston State Luc Swimberghe 29 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 2:41 31–3 2 2:13 Houston Baptist Alec Chadwick 46 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 51 yards, 5:00 31–6 3 12:16 Houston Baptist Alec Chadwick 24 yard field goal, Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 2:44 31–9 3 5:46 Houston Baptist Mev Ajdin 12 yard pass from Tony Dawson (Alec Chadwick kick), Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:38 31–16 3 3:25 Sam Houston State Davion Davis 17 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 45 yards, 0:22 38–16 4 14:16 Sam Houston State Remus Bulmer 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 2:31 45–16 4 9:26 Sam Houston State Remus Bulmer 13 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:23 52–16

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Stephen F. Austin

Battle of the Piney Woods

1 2 3 4 Total • #2 Bearkats 28 14 21 0 63 Lumberjacks 0 7 14 7 28 Date: October 1 Location: NRG Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 3:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:35 Game attendance: 27,411 Game weather: Indoors • 79 °F (26 °C) outside • Calm wind Referee: Michael VanderVelde Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 9:20 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 37 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 53 yards, 0:44 7–0 1 6:48 Sam Houston State Davion Davis 57 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 57 yards, 0:40 14–0 1 5:28 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 7 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 3 plays, 18 yards, 1:16 21–0 1 2:39 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 73 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 79 yards, 0:39 28–0 2 12:13 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 39 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 2:00 35–0 2 10:23 Stephen F. Austin Jabralon Allen 18 yard pass from Zach Conque (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 1:50 35–7 2 7:29 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 17 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 2:54 42–7 3 12:05 Stephen F. Austin Justice Liggins 1 yard pass from Zach Conque (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 2:55 42–14 3 10:22 Sam Houston State Collin Rison 16 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:43 49–14 3 7:56 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 21 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 1:42 56–14 3 6:45 Stephen F. Austin Tamrick Pace 34 yard pass from Hunter Taylor (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:11 56–21 3 1:55 Sam Houston State Deon Hutchinson 2 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 4:50 63–21 4 7:53 Stephen F. Austin Loren Easly 7 yard run (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 13 plays, 57 yards, 3:54 63–28

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@ Incarnate Word

Sam Houston State at Incarnate Word

1 2 3 4 Total • #2 Bearkats 21 14 21 7 63 Cardinals 7 14 14 13 48 Date: October 8 Location: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:30 Game attendance: 5,322 Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind 9 mph (14 km/h) • Mostly Sunny Referee: Dan Lewis Television network: ESPN3, UIWtv Sources: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 13:54 Sam Houston State Davion Davis 12 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 1:06 7–0 1 11:06 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 54 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 1 play, 54 yards, 0:09 14–0 1 4:08 Incarnate Word Kody Edwards 13 yard pass from Trent Brittain (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 15 plays, 86 yards, 6:51 14–7 1 3:23 Sam Houston State Davion Davis 80 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 83 yards, 0:33 21–7 2 11:45 Incarnate Word Kody Edwards 44 yard pass from Trent Brittain (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 2:18 21–14 2 3:47 Incarnate Word Trent Brittain 2 yard run (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 5:24 21–21 2 2:08 Sam Houston State Remus Bulmer 4 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 1:35 28–21 2 0:30 Sam Houston State Nathan Steward 12 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 0:26 35–21 3 10:54 Incarnate Word Jamari Gilbert 26 yard pass from Trent Brittain (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 4:06 35–28 3 8:13 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 2:33 42–28 3 6:18 Incarnate Word Broderick Reeves 25 yard run (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 1:45 42–35 3 4:17 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 67 yards, 1:53 49–35 3 0:00 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 56 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 78 yards, 1:54 56–35 4 10:48 Sam Houston State Tyler Scott 5 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 2:03 63–35 4 6:13 Incarnate Word Kody Edwards 43 yard pass from Trent Brittain (Cyril Clarke rush failed), Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:35 63–41 4 0:48 Incarnate Word Daryl Brooks 36 yard pass from Taylor Laird (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:53 63–48

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Abilene Christian

Abilene Christian at Sam Houston State (homecoming)

1 2 3 4 Total Wildcats 0 0 7 14 21 • #2 Bearkats 7 20 21 0 48 Date: October 15 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 3:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:32 Game attendance: 8,319 Game weather: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind S 9 mph (14 km/h) • Sunny Referee: Kevin Boutmann Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 0:27 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 69 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 78 yards, 1:37 7–0 2 13:30 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 16 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick failed), Drive: 3 plays, 42 yards, 0:39 13–0 2 6:45 Sam Houston State Hayden Cagle 2 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 4:17 20–0 2 0:50 Sam Houston State Tyler Scott 15 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 1:15 27–0 3 12:04 Abilene Christian Josh Fink 8 yard pass from Dallas Sealey (Nik Grau kick), Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:56 27–7 3 10:01 Sam Houston State Remus Bulmer 7 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:03 34–7 3 5:27 Sam Houston State Remus Bulmer 12 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 2:33 41–7 3 3:29 Sam Houston State Deon Hutchinson 4 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 3 plays, 12 yards, 1:10 48–7 4 9:16 Abilene Christian D.J. Fuller 14 yard pass from Dallas Sealey (Nik Grau kick), Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:19 48–14 4 3:29 Abilene Christian D.J. Fuller 59 yard pass from Dallas Sealey (Nik Grau kick), Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:13 48–21

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@ Nicholls

Sam Houston State at Nicholls

1 2 3 4 Total • #1 Bearkats 10 14 7 7 38 Colonels 0 0 14 7 21 Date: October 22 Location: John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA Game start: 3:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 2:09 Game attendance: 7,759 Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) • Slight wind • Nice Referee: Michael VanderVelde Television network: ASN Sources:

Scoring summary 1 6:52 Sam Houston State Luc Swimberghe 41 yard field goal, Drive: 7 plays, 19 yards, 2:19 3–0 1 0:16 Sam Houston State Javin Webb 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 3:04 10–0 2 7:57 Sam Houston State Remus Bulmer 3 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 3:49 17–0 2 0:48 Sam Houston State Derrick Dick 40 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 2:37 24–0 3 9:03 Nicholls C.J. Okpalobi 16 yard run (David McKey kick), Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:51 24–7 3 4:05 Sam Houston State Deon Hutchinson 1 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, 4:52 31–7 3 0:18 Nicholls Chase Fourcade 25 yard run (David McKey kick), Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:47 31–14 4 10:11 Sam Houston State Deon Hutchinson 2 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 4:59 38–14 4 1:17 Nicholls C.J. Bates 7 yard pass from Chase Fourcade (David McKey kick), Drive: 12 plays, 67 yards, 0:00 38–21

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Texas Southern

Texas Southern at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 Total Tigers 0 10 0 7 17 • #1 Bearkats 28 17 14 7 66 Date: October 29 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:27 Game attendance: 8,611 Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C) • Wind SSE 6 mph (9.7 km/h) • Clear Referee: Vidal Jones Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 12:43 Sam Houston State Davion Davis 79 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 1 play, 79 yards, 0:11 7–0 1 10:13 Sam Houston State Ragan Henderson 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 3 plays, 46 yards, 0:51 14–0 1 4:56 Sam Houston State Alfonzo McMillian 19 yard return of blocked punt (Luc Swimberghe kick) 21–0 1 0:57 Sam Houston State Davion Davis 41 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:11 28–0 2 13:29 Texas Southern Brad Woodard 61 yard run (Eric Medina kick), Drive: 5 plays, 89 yards, 2:22 28–7 2 11:46 Sam Houston State Davion Davis 18 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:43 35–7 2 3:36 Texas Southern Eric Medina 45 yard field goal, Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 1:40 35–10 2 2:25 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 40 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:11 42–10 2 0:48 Sam Houston State Luc Swimberghe 44 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 15 yards, 1:19 45–10 3 13:52 Sam Houston State Tyler Scott 6 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 30 yards, 0:57 52–10 3 10:39 Sam Houston State Ragan Henderson 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 1:30 59–10 4 14:13 Texas Southern Brad Woodard 1 yard run (Eric Medina kick), Drive: 17 plays, 89 yards, 6:59 59–17 4 7:48 Sam Houston State Deontay Townsend 2 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 6:25 66–17

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McNeese State

McNeese State at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 0 9 21 13 43 • #1 Bearkats 14 14 21 7 56 Date: November 5 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 6:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:28 Game attendance: 8,025 Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind N 4 mph (6.4 km/h) • Overcast Referee: Marvel July Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 8:13 Sam Houston State Davion Davis 28 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:22 7–0 1 5:27 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 52 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 89 yards, 1:37 14–0 2 11:04 McNeese State Gunnar Raborn 41 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 51 yards, 3:16 14–3 2 9:36 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 45 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 1:23 21–3 2 6:33 Sam Houston State Ragan Henderson 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 1:34 28–3 2 1:29 McNeese State Kent Shelby 4 yard pass from James Tabary (two-point run conv. failed), Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:04 28–9 3 12:39 McNeese State Justin Pratt 39 yard run (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:21 28–16 3 10:13 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 11 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 2:17 35–16 3 9:02 McNeese State Darious Crawley 19 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 1:05 35–23 3 5:39 Sam Houston State Collin Rison 2 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 3:18 42–23 3 3:25 McNeese State Kylon Highshaw 8 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:14 42–30 3 0:54 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 35 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 2:24 49–30 4 11:25 McNeese State Kent Shelby 11 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick blocked), Drive: 13 plays, 77 yards, 4:24 49–36 4 6:57 McNeese State Tavarious Battiste 55 yard pass from James Tabary (Gunnar Raborn kick), Drive: 3 plays, 68 yards, 1:11 49–43 4 5:42 Sam Houston State Ragan Henderson 2 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 81 yards, 1:09 56–43

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@ Northwestern State

Sam Houston State at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total • #1 Bearkats 20 21 0 7 48 Demons 13 0 3 0 16 Date: November 12 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:16 Game attendance: 6,421 Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • Wind SSE 7 mph (11 km/h) • Calm and cool Referee: Ross Smith Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 11:09 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 5 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 2:30 7–0 1 10:06 Northwestern State Bobby Chan-Chan 79 yard pass from J.D. Almond (Eric Piccione kick), Drive: 3 plays, 85 yards, 0:56 7–7 1 7:52 Northwestern State De'Mard Llorens 14 yard run (Eric Piccione kick blocked), Drive: 6 plays, 51 yards, 2:01 7–13 1 4:38 Sam Houston State Davion Davis 10 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 3:08 14–13 1 0:37 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 4 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick failed), Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 1:33 20–13 2 12:29 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 33 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 44 yards, 0:59 27–13 2 9:53 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 1:17 34–13 2 3:22 Sam Houston State Ragan Henderson 13 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 3:33 41–13 3 3:41 Northwestern State Eric Piccione 39 yard field goal, Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 2:03 41–16 4 14:25 Sam Houston State Tyler Scott 3 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 49 yards, 1:06 48–16

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Central Arkansas

Central Arkansas at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 Total #11 Bears 0 10 6 7 23 • #1 Bearkats 17 21 14 7 59 Date: November 19 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 2:30 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:42 Game attendance: 9,182 Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind N 7 mph (11 km/h) • Sunny and clear Referee: Brad Van Vark Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 12:23 Sam Houston State Parker Murry 2 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:37 7–0 1 6:42 Sam Houston State Luc Swimberghe 23 yard field goal, Drive: 13 plays, 78 yards, 3:42 10–0 1 4:11 Sam Houston State Collin Rison 3 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 2:02 17–0 2 11:21 Central Arkansas Desmond Smith 14 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 13 plays, 70 yards, 4:00 17–7 2 8:11 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 40 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 3 plays, 43 yards, 0:28 24–7 2 4:00 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 21 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 3 plays, 34 yards, 0:42 31–7 2 1:46 Sam Houston State Jaylen Harris 55 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 61 yards, 0:13 38–7 2 0:05 Central Arkansas Matt Cummins 33 yard field goal, Drive: 10 plays, 40 yards, 1:32 38–10 3 10:24 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 46 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 1 play, 46 yards, 0:10 45–10 3 6:24 Central Arkansas Jarvis Cooper 1 yard run (Matt Cummins kick failed), Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:00 45–16 3 3:24 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 10 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 1 play, 10 yards, 0:05 52–16 4 11:45 Sam Houston State Remus Bulmer 17 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:31 59–16 4 0:19 Central Arkansas Chandler Dexter 10 yard pass from Hayden Hildebrand (Matt Cummins kick), Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 2:16 59–23

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FCS Playoffs

Second Round–Chattanooga

Chattanooga at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 Total #11 Mocs 0 14 10 12 36 • #1 Bearkats 14 7 14 6 41 Date: December 3 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 2:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:22 Game attendance: 4,897 Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C) • Wind NE 8 mph (13 km/h) • Overcast and drizzly Referee: Chris La Mange Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 14:05 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 31 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 0:55 7–0 1 11:04 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 6 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 2:02 14–0 2 14:40 Sam Houston State Corey Avery 7 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 14 yards, 0:55 21–0 2 6:18 Chattanooga Derrick Craine 1 yard run (Henrique Ribeiro kick), Drive: 6 plays, 24 yards, 2:28 21–7 2 5:21 Chattanooga Nakevion Leslie 14 yard interception return (Henrique Ribeiro kick), Drive: 3 plays, -6 yards, 0:47 21–14 3 11:58 Chattanooga Xavier Borishade 18 yard pass from Alejandro Bennifield (Henrique Ribeiro kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:02 21–21 3 6:39 Sam Houston State Davion Davis 35 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 3 plays, 30 yards, 0:19 28–21 3 2:57 Chattanooga Henrique Ribeiro 43 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 3:42 28–24 3 0:08 Sam Houston State Yedidiah Louis 23 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:49 35–24 4 14:29 Chattanooga Derrick Craine 15 yard run (two-point pass conv. failed), Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:39 35–30 4 9:42 Chattanooga Henrique Ribeiro 37 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 3:46 35–33 4 9:02 Sam Houston State Nathan Stewart 26 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick failed), Drive: 2 plays, 79 yards, 0:34 41–33 4 4:36 Chattanooga Henrique Ribeiro 29 yard field goal, Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:26 41–36

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Quarterfinals–James Madison

Sam Houston State at James Madison

1 2 3 4 Total #1 Bearkats 0 0 0 7 7 • #5 Dukes 21 21 23 0 65 Date: December 9 Location: Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA Game start: 6:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:25 Game attendance: 15,646 Game weather: 26 °F (−3 °C) • Wind 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • Clear and light wind Referee: Jim Crowley Television network: ESPN2 Sources:

Scoring summary 1 10:16 James Madison Khalid Abdullah 14 yard run (Tyler Gray kick), Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:57 0–7 1 5:23 James Madison Bryan Schor 1 yard run (Tyler Gray kick), Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 1:44 0–14 1 3:57 James Madison Rashard Davis 72 yard punt return (Tyler Gray kick), Drive: 5 plays, 16 yards, 1:26 0–21 2 13:15 James Madison Bryce Maginley 20 yard return of blocked punt (Tyler Gray kick), Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:16 0–28 2 10:40 James Madison Jonathan Kloosterman 10 yard pass from Bryan Schor (Tyler Gray kick), Drive: 5 plays, 79 yards, 1:58 0–35 2 0:36 James Madison Khalid Abdullah 1 yard run (Tyler Gray kick), Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 2:59 0–42 3 12:11 James Madison Trai Sharp 20 yard run (Tyler Gray kick), Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:49 0–49 3 6:35 James Madison Team Safety, Drive: 3 plays, -2 yards, 1:04 0–51 3 3:59 James Madison Trai Sharp 4 yard run (Tyler Gray kick), Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 2:36 0–58 3 3:13 James Madison Khalid Abdullah 6 yard run (Tyler Gray kick), Drive: 1 play, 6 yards, 0:08 0–65 4 11:49 Sam Houston State Remus Bulmer 15 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 10 plays, 90 yards, 3:34 7–65

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Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	2	4	3	2	2	2	2	1 (113)	1 (120)	1 (102)	1 (113)	1 (108)	1 (111)	5
Coaches	2	3–T	3	2	2	2	2	1 (21)	1 (23)	1 (22)	1 (22)	1 (21)	1 (22)	5
FCS Playoffs	Not released									2	5	5	Not released

References