Sam Houston State at McNeese State - Game Thread

[TexasTerror]

Sam Houston State Bearkats vs. McNeese State University
October 22, 2011 · 7 p.m · Cowboy Stadium · Lake Charles, LA
Homecoming 2011 - The Cowboy Brand

Following the Game
Online Stream - McNeese State Cowboy Insider (http://www.mcneesesports.com/showcase)
Radio - Gator 99.5 (http://gator995.com/)
Radio - KSAM (http://www.ksam1017.com)

Game Day Weather Information (courtesy of Weather Underground) -
Cowboy Stadium (http://www.wunderground.com/sports/CFB/hometeam/McNeese_State:Cowboys.html?st=1319313600)

Game Notes
McNeese - Not Available at Time of Posting
SHSU - Not Available at Time of Posting

Twitter Feeds
@McNeeseSports (http://twitter.com/McNeeseSports)
@BearkatSports (http://twitter.com/BearkatSports)


Team Web Sites
McNeese (http://mcneesesports.com/index.aspx?path=football)
SHSU (http://www.gobearkats.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=19900&KEY=&SPID=11345&SPSID=92955)


Other Helpful Links
The American Press (http://www.americanpress.com/indexTrue.shtml/)
Huntsville Item (http://www.itemonline.com)
Houstonian Online (http://www.houstonianonline.com/sports) (SHSU student newspaper)


Team Fan Sites

Geaux Cowboys Delphi (http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/main.asp?webtag=geauxcowboys&nav=start&prettyurl=%2Fgeauxcowboys%2Fstart)
SHSU KatFans.com (http://www.katfans.com/)

[chattownmocs]

Here is a hint, Play Janzen Jackson ALWAYS

[BEAR]

Here's another hint. Cover the ends..i.e. watch for swing passes and #22 or #25 running to the outside...oh and tackle. LOL

[McNeese75]

We just need some productivity out of our offense. The defense will take care of itself.

[TexasTerror]

We just need some productivity out of our offense. The defense will take care of itself.

The SHSU defense has been very efficient the last three games - dating back to UTSA. Allowed less than 10 points each time and it was the 2nd/3rd stringers that allowed the late TD to Nicholls with about a minute left. SHSU is ranked No. 2 in rush defense, No. 3 in in scoring defense, No. 4 in total defense, No. 8 in pass efficiency defense and No. 8 in punting.

With both teams looking more towards their offenses to change this game, SHSU has the more well-tuned and efficient offense of the group. I anticipate a somewhat low scoring game, maybe 20-10 type of score...

Should be interesting... good luck Pokes!

[McNeese75]

The SHSU defense has been very efficient the last three games - dating back to UTSA. Allowed less than 10 points each time and it was the 2nd/3rd stringers that allowed the late TD to Nicholls with about a minute left. SHSU is ranked No. 2 in rush defense, No. 3 in in scoring defense, No. 4 in total defense, No. 8 in pass efficiency defense and No. 8 in punting.

With both teams looking more towards their offenses to change this game, SHSU has the more well-tuned and efficient offense of the group. I anticipate a somewhat low scoring game, maybe 20-10 type of score...

Should be interesting... good luck Pokes!

I suspect this game will be determined by the passing game. If the Kat DB's can lock down the Poke recievers long enough to allow the rush to get to Stroud then it will go their way. But if the Cowboys receivers slip the man to man coverage, the race is on. I think both teams will plod in the rushing game. Yards will be gained but not to the extent SHSU has been enjoying so far this season.

That said, SHSU could win by 3 TDs if McNeese does not step up.

[TexasTerror]

I suspect this game will be determined by the passing game. If the Kat DB's can lock down the Poke recievers long enough to allow the rush to get to Stroud then it will go their way. But if the Cowboys receivers slip the man to man coverage, the race is on. I think both teams will plod in the rushing game. Yards will be gained but not to the extent SHSU has been enjoying so far this season.

As our head coach said a few weeks ago, SHSU's style sets it up for such things as pass interference calls.

As it relates to the passing game, the passing game is opened up by a VERY stellar ground attack. SHSU has said that the pass can open up the run, but more times than not, SHSU is still focusing on running the ball at the onset of the game... and of course if SHSU gets ahead, that running game being effective will seal the deal.

For Bearkat fans, we have been very excited about the progress down the depth chart of our running backs, namely Keyshawn Hill's emergence the last two weeks late in the game.

[McNeese75]

SHSU's success will pivot on the running game. They have lived by it all year and they will not change that game plan this week. All McNeese has to do is stop it, lol

[blackfordpu]

SHSU's success will pivot on the running game. They have lived by it all year and they will not change that game plan this week. All McNeese has to do is stop it, lol

Don't underestimate Bell, he's better than you think.

[TexasTerror]

Don't underestimate Bell, he's better than you think.

Wait.. same Brian Bell that is #9 in FCS and #1 in the SLC pass efficiency? Same one that has seven touchdowns to zero interceptions?

Bell may not be flashy, but he sure as heck knows how to manage a game and get the job done. That speaks volumes in my opinion.

[TheRevSFA]

Wait.. same Brian Bell that is #9 in FCS and #1 in the SLC pass efficiency? Same one that has seven touchdowns to zero interceptions?

Bell may not be flashy, but he sure as heck knows how to manage a game and get the job done. That speaks volumes in my opinion.

Dude..of course he should be efficient..he throws like 10 times a game...hell if he only completes one pass he still will lead in efficiency.

[blackfordpu]

Dude..of course he should be efficient..he throws like 10 times a game...hell if he only completes one pass he still will lead in efficiency.

Are you telling me you wouldn't trade Bell's numbers for Attaway's?

[McNeese75]

Are you telling me you wouldn't trade Bell's numbers for Attaway's?

To heck with Bell, its all about the o-line. That is where the glory belongs along with the running game. If the line was not there and as slight of frame as Bell is he would probably already be on the injured reserve list.

[TheRevSFA]

Are you telling me you wouldn't trade Bell's numbers for Attaway's?

Apples to oranges as bells numbers would be different with a pass first offense. If we were the navy or Nevada of FCS, then yes I would

[Bearkat-Backer]

SHSU's success will pivot on the running game. They have lived by it all year and they will not change that game plan this week. All McNeese has to do is stop it, lol

If it was only that easy!

[TexasTerror]

Analysis from Roaming Poke on GeauxCowboys.com (http://forums.delphiforums.com/geauxcowboys/messages/?msg=12782.1)...


Sam Houston Bearkats

Sam Houston St. is 6-0.


Their opposition's overall record is 10-29 for a .256 winning percentage. To put it in perspective, the Houston Astros had the worst record in baseball and had a winning percentage of .346 (59-106).

SHSU averages about 69 plays/ 5.8 per play a game and holds the ball for 35 minutes. Of that amount, Tim Flanders has about 100 net yards per game or 25% of the total offense. Stopping Tim Flanders should be our first goal.

On the other side of the ball, the Kats only allow 62 plays or 4.6 yards per play. They are very tough to run on and only yield 14.2 pts per game. Take out the New Mexico game and they only yield 8.0 pts/game. OUCH!!!

The Bearkats average 36 pts. per game. Flanders, Sincere, Bell, and Williams are the big reasons why.

McNeese State Cowboys

McNeese St. is 3-3.

Their oppositions record is 18-20 for a .474 winning percentage.

McNeese averages about 73 plays per game / 5.43 yards per play and holds the ball for 33 minutes.

On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys allow 63 plays or 5.0 yards per play. The Cowboys have a good secondary but give up 24 points per game. Take out the Kansas game and we give up 21 points per game.

McNeese averages 25.5 points per game.



Overall, both teams are evenly matched. McNeese is more balanced on offense with run/pass. We have played a little tougher schedule but Sam Houston is very tough to score on. I expect a low scoring game like 17-14 either way.

McNeese's chance hinges on keeping the chains moving and the ball out of Tim Flanders hands.

Stopping 25% of their offense (aka Flanders) will keep us in the game.

If it is a high scoring game it's to Sam's advantage.

We need to win the kicking game and time of possession to pull this one out. If we do we will win.

[TexasTerror]

If you missed it...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fW4gwBImIc

http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?97148-Football-Gameplan-s-AGS-Game-of-the-Week-Preview-Video-Sam-Houston-St.-vs-McNeese-St

[blackfordpu]

Terror, you making this game?

[TexasTerror]

Terror, you making this game?

Nope - have an event at 2 p.m. here in NOLA and getting to Lake Chuck would be a difficult proposition. Wife and I are going to the contest at Southeastern though...

[BEAR]

Hey Cowboys....HOLD ON TO THE BALL!

6 fumbles and 2 picks vs. the Bears and if you do that vs. the Kats that games gonna get away QUICK! xlolx

[msusig]

Hey Cowboys....HOLD ON TO THE BALL!

6 fumbles and 2 picks vs. the Bears and if you do that vs. the Kats that games gonna get away QUICK! xlolx

Doesn't take a genius to figure that out.

[DG Cowboy]

So this is it. Either win or get ready for next year to make a playoff appearance. Just like last year for the Pokes after the SFA loss. Every week is win or go home, except the UTSA week.

UCABear, must have been some good fumble-forcing tackling going on last Saturday as well.

[TexasTerror]

McNeese advance...


McNeese State celebrates its 68th Homecoming on Saturday, hosting undefeated Sam Houston State in a key Southland Conference football game.

Kickoff is 7 p.m. in Cowboy Stadium and upwards of 15,000 fans are expected for the game.

The Cowboys, ranked No. 24 nationally, are 3-3 on the season and 2-1 in league play while the Bearkats, No. 7 on the national scene, stand 6-0 overall and are 3-0 in the SLC.

Having dropped its last two games, McNeese is in need of a win, which will kept the Cowboys in the race for the league title as well as in the running for a post season playoff berth.

http://www.mcneesesports.com/news/2011/10/20/FB_1020110416.aspx

[TexasTerror]

McNeese game notes...

http://www.mcneesesports.com/documents/2011/10/17/2011footballnews_Oct_17.pdf

[TexasTerror]

SHSU game notes and video preview...

http://www.gobearkats.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205319547&DB_OEM_ID=19900

[BEAR]

So this is it. Either win or get ready for next year to make a playoff appearance. Just like last year for the Pokes after the SFA loss. Every week is win or go home, except the UTSA week.

UCABear, must have been some good fumble-forcing tackling going on last Saturday as well.

I don't know about that. xlolx UCA wasn't exactly leading in that category up to that point. Actually we've been lucky to tackle guys at all. LOL. That was one weird game. I expected a couple of turnovers but NOTHING like that. I saw several Cowboys slip on the new turf when they went to the corners. Just bad luck all around for McNeese that game. I'm cheering you on to beat xtroublex SHSU though. xprayx

It's the SLC...EVERY GAME COUNTS! xnodx

[blackfordpu]

I don't know about that. xlolx UCA wasn't exactly leading in that category up to that point. Actually we've been lucky to tackle guys at all. LOL. That was one weird game. I expected a couple of turnovers but NOTHING like that. I saw several Cowboys slip on the new turf when they went to the corners. Just bad luck all around for McNeese that game. I'm cheering you on to beat xtroublex SHSU though. xprayx

It's the SLC...EVERY GAME COUNTS! xnodx

Hey, what did we ever do to you?.....oh wait....;)

[McNeese72]

Hey, what did we ever do to you?.....oh wait....;)

You hurt their Dick......uh........Nathan Dick. ;)

Doc

[BEAR]

You hurt their Dick......uh........Nathan Dick. ;)

Doc

Hey that was a cheap shot....save those for Sam Houston..where do you think we learned how to do them? xchinscratchx xlolx

Sorry, had to "slide" that one in there. xcoolx (Look at me..there's another one)

[TexasTerror]

Bryan Eagle write-up...


There may be no shortcut to success, but Sam Houston State football coach Willie Fritz seems to have found a way to get to the top quicker.

Climb two steps at a time.

After an average year at 6-5 last season, Fritz asked his Bearkats if they were ready to make a big leap.

"Usually, the next progression is to be a good team," Fritz said. "The following year, a great team. [But] if we want to skip a rung in that ladder, here are the things we've got to do."

http://www.brazossports.com/football/Sam-Houston-State-running-wild-at-6-0--6727877

[TexasTerror]

Huntsville Item pre-game write-up...


HUNTSVILLE — There’s a good reason that McNeese State’s football stadium is nicknamed “The Hole.” Not only is the field at Cowboy Stadium nestled between a pair of hills below ground level, but oftentimes opposing teams seem to have trouble finding their way out with a win in hand.

In one of the Southland Conference’s most difficult environments, the seventh-ranked Bearkats square off against McNeese State tonight as they try to stay perched atop the conference standings.

“It’s a rowdy crowd. They’ve got the cowbells and the night, I guess, makes their team come alive,” Kats senior linebacker Will Henry said of the Cowboys following Thursday’s practice.

http://itemonline.com/sports/x553408224/Another-big-challenge

[TexasTerror]

Lake Charles American-Press write-up from earlier in the week...


LAKE CHARLES, La. -- McNeese State’s homecoming goal will be to avoid staying home for the playoffs.

Homecoming is typically a time for celebration that culminates with a win over some patsy. This season, it will be a fight for survival for McNeese (3-3, 2-1 Southland), which must beat undefeated No. 7 Sam Houston State (6-0, 3-0) to have anything better than a snowball’s chance at making the postseason.

“We need to win,” said McNeese head coach Matt Viator. “There’s no secret there.”

Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/10/19/3518656/mcneese-state-has-no-margin-for.html#ixzz1bViGiSsq

[blackfordpu]

We leave in about four hours for the game. EAT'EM UP KATS!

[McNeese75]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s320x320/299821_2272706895629_1187366324_32222236_206813727 0_n.jpg

[Bearkats94]

Its going to take more than bells to take out the Bearkats.xnodx

[TexasTerror]

Its going to take more than bells to take out the Bearkats.xnodx

And there's just one BRIAN BELL that can help the Bearkats ring the bell of the Pokes!

Looking forward to this game, guys!

[McNeese75]

And there's just one BRIAN BELL that can help the Bearkats ring the bell of the Pokes!

Looking forward to this game, guys!

You just better home the Poke D does not get to Bell, he is not exactly made to take a lot of punishment xlolx

[blackfordpu]

Put "Brian" in place of "cow" and it would be perfect.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4royOLtvmQ

[TexasTerror]

You just better home the Poke D does not get to Bell, he is not exactly made to take a lot of punishment xlolx

SHSU has only allowed four sacks all season... making sure the (Brian) Bell is not rung!

[TexasTerror]

SHSU 14
McNeese 7
1:14 2Q

SHSU has missed two FGs...

[TexasTerror]

End of first half...

SHSU leads McNeese 14-7...

[TexasTerror]

Flanders... 13 carries, 106 yards and a touchdown in first half...

Brian Bell... 2 for 4 through the air for 45 yards...

[TexasTerror]

TIM FLANDERS...

55 yard touchdown run on SHSU's first offensive play of the second half after forcing a 3-and-out...

Back-up kicker in and he delivers... SHSU 21-7 12:54 3Q

[TexasTerror]

McNeese has 11 penalties with a quarter and a half to go... most of them are false start penalties.

[TexasTerror]

SHSU blocks the punt and return it to the House...

Alaniz kick is good... SHSU 28-7, 5:34 3Q

Robert Shaw with the TD...

[TexasTerror]

McNeese offense is going nowhere...

And Brian Bell hits Trey Diller... TOUCHDOWN

SHSU 35-7 McNeese, 3:51 3Q

[TexasTerror]

Flanders picks up 50 yards on a shovel pass... gets to the McNeese 2 yard line...

Pokes' fans were talking about stopping Flanders. Haven't been able to do it...

13 minutes left... 35-7...

[TexasTerror]

Alaniz... 33 yard attempt.... GOOD

SHSU 38-7...

[TexasTerror]

McNeese gets first score of second half...

SHSU leads 38-14. 9:56 4Q

[TexasTerror]

SHSU wins ninth in a row and improves to 7-0 with a victory over McNeese...

38-14 FINAL

[McNeese75]

Congrats to the BearKats. The game was not as close as the score indicates. They have a very solid team and are built for success.

Good Luck in the future!!

[TexasTerror]

Congrats to the BearKats. The game was not as close as the score indicates. They have a very solid team and are built for success.

Young squad with plenty of sophomores and juniors holding the substantial amount of spots on the two-deep.

The success this year will certainly help with the recruiting haul as well, so hopefully Willie Fritz can build a sustainable program, something we haven't had before. I like what they have done and hope to build on it.

Thanks for the compliment. Good luck the rest of the season!

[blackfordpu]

Had a great time at the game with the guys. The Cowboys have a great stadium and first class fans (except for Thing 1 that was dancing in front of us). The Kats played their style of football and it eventually wore down the Cowboys, I we nervous the first quarter and a half.

Good luck the rest of the way Cowboys. Now on to Lamar.

[blackfordpu]

SHSU blocks the punt and return it to the House...

Alaniz kick is good... SHSU 28-7, 5:34 3Q

Robert Shaw with the TD...

That was a weird play, they block it on the two yard line and the ball bounced straight into the hands of one of the Kats that came in for the block. His momentum carried him into the endzone for the TD.

[TexasTerror]

These Guys are Good


LAKE CHARLES, La. — The Bearkats left no doubt.

In a place where Sam Houston has endured far more agony than jubilation over the years, the seventh-ranked Kats took it to McNeese State and walked out of “The Hole” with yet another dominant performance from start to finish.

Sam Houston, which had previously won only one once (1999) in Lake Charles, La. in 12 tries, beat up the Cowboys and never relented, cruising to a 38-14 blowout Saturday night.

http://itemonline.com/sports/x250782719/These-guys-are-good

[TexasTerror]

Lake Charles American-Press recap...


In the biggest game of the season, McNeese State laid one of the biggest eggs in its homecoming history.

A game that started off poorly for the Cowboys only got worse as No. 7 Sam Houston State handed out a 38-14 pounding that represents the third-worst loss in McNeese homecoming history. The loss all but destroyed any chances of a McNeese (3-4, 2-2 Southland) conference title and a berth in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

McNeese has lost three straight for the first time since 2004.

“We’ll approach this week like any other week,” said Cowboys head coach Matt Viator. “We need to try to win a game. We’re not doing things well right now.”

http://www.americanpress.com/sports/Sam-Houston-State-at-McNeese-Story#

[McNeese75]

Had a great time at the game with the guys. The Cowboys have a great stadium and first class fans (except for Thing 1 that was dancing in front of us). The Kats played their style of football and it eventually wore down the Cowboys, I we nervous the first quarter and a half.

Good luck the rest of the way Cowboys. Now on to Lamar.

LOL, obviously you were sitting near us because we were awfully close to the big bird dance as well. Well we all have em xbangx