TexasTerror
November 13th, 2005, 03:06 PM
Opening up the game thread for this week's game. Keep the smack to the thread in the smack section fellas! Here's the TexasTerror's weekly preview of the SHSU game. I went all out in this one, because to many of us (myself included), we like winning the rivalry game over the Cats more so than the Jacks, especially in recent years, a helluva lot more...
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Texas State Univ - San Marcos
vs. Sam Houston State Bearkats
Saturday, November 18th, 3 PM
Jim Wacker Field @ Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, Texas
An Eye on the Kats: What a difference a week makes. Wade Pate entered as the reigning SLC and KatFans.com Player of the Week. He left the game and had to be replaced after throwing the ball around to just as many NoCo defenders as he did Bearkats. No luck in general with six interceptions in a game that should have been won. This last game of the season will be played with nothing on the line for the Kats except the role of being the spoiler, something many Kat fans would thoroughly enjoy.
An Eye on the Cats: The Cats with a 'C' are having their best season in I-AA and is bringing back the thoughts back to the glory years of Jim Wacker when the Cats won two Div II championships in the early 80s. This team has been built around a solid offense quarterbacked by NFL prospect Barrick Nealy, has recieved great special teams play all season and the defense has answered the call, holding their opponents under 21, seven times this season. A win for the Cats, they clinch atleast a share of their first-ever SLC title. Coupled with a Nicholls loss, they get the outright SLC title. A loss, the Cats are sent home packing thanks to an 8-3 year that included two sub Div I wins, which would not give them the required seven Div I wins, that is, unless Nicholls loses as well, forcing a three-way tie which would send the Cats on.
Keys for the Kats:
1) Make Nealy Miss. No questions about it, Barrick Nealy is going to get a few hundred yards on you whether it on the ground or airing it out. In their one SLC loss against Nicholls, Nealy was 17 of 41 passing for 227 yards and was limited on the ground to 24 yards. The Kats will need to do what they did when 'Hyde' showed his head and have great pass defense, forcing Nealy to run and rushing his passes. This occured in Huntsville last year, but this is 2005, not 2004.
Nealy is a Payton Award nominee and is going to want to put the stamp on his campaign with an impressive SLC-title clinching performance here. Many NFL scouts have brought up his accuracy as an issue, though it has improved vastly this year. If San Marcos is the home to a Nealy Revival of years' past, it will be a long afternoon for the Cats. Problem is, isolating Nealy can only go so far as RB Daniel Jolly (two TDs against SFA) can change the game on his own two feet.
2) Ball Control. Last week, one of the keys was to isolate Northern Colorado's Reed Doughty, one of the top defensive players in the nation from having an impact on defense. Coach Whitten felt the Kats were making some bad decisions with their passes and the Kats must've been looking around for Doughty a little too much as six interceptions was the deciding blow in this one. Whichever QB is on the field whether it Daugherty, Hicks or Pate is going to have to keep the ball out of the hands of guys like Daniel Varvel and Walter Musgrove.
Fumbles were avoided in Colorado, which must be repeated this week. However, for the second straight week, the Bearkats could not top 125 yards rushing. Keeping Nealy off the field will be crucial and these last two weeks of 101 and 89 yards, respectively, are much less than what is needed. Solid running game would keep the passing game honest and perhaps not lead to as many turnovers through the air.
For the record, Doughty finished with 13 tackles, one for loss, two INTs and a pass broken up. There's no reason he is not a finalist for top defensive honors as week-in and week-out, he shows that he has a way to finding the ball.
3) Seniors Go Out with a Bang. There are quite a few seniors who will be playing their last game in Bearkat orange. Some of these individuals earned letters for both the 2001 and 2004 championship teams. For these individuals, this will be their playoff game and they need to let it rub off on all the younger players. Bobcat Stadium will be packed as the 'Cats are playing what amounts to their second elimination game in as many weeks, knowing a loss will more than likely send them home.
Seniors to keep an eye on including the running duo of Stevie Smith (who unless he has a huge game recieving, will miss becoming the first 1000 rushing/1000 returning/1000 recieving player in SHSU history) and perennial All-SLC running back Jason Godfrey. On defense, Jeff Mayhew and John Griffin will be the seniors (along with Marcus Mikulec who missed all year due to injury) that will be missed most. They, along with safety Robert Herron have been huge cogs in the Kats machine this year. All three will need to play major roles if a win against the Cats is desired.
TT's Prediction: There are those of us who have a more intense desire to beat the Cats than even the Jacks. Throughout the year, there seems to be more smack-talking between these two universities than there are of any schools in the SLC. Heck, knowing the Bobcats, we'll even see band members and their alums smack-talking our Bearkat Marching Band all week as well.
I want this game more than any game on the schedule. Smacking the Jacks around Huntsville on regional television was a thing of beauty. I don't think any of us minded winning 52-24, did we? But, I think knocking the Cats out of the playoff hunt would leave an even better feeling that can carry over to next year when I think the Kats will be back in the SLC title hunt. I know the Cat fans out there will give me loads of garbage for this, but I'm going to do what any fan would do (and you can't disagree with that), I'm sticking by my home team in this rivalry game. Tell the folks in San Marcos to play the "Bearkat Boogie" instead of the "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", this one is going to the Kats, 37-31.
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Texas State Univ - San Marcos
vs. Sam Houston State Bearkats
Saturday, November 18th, 3 PM
Jim Wacker Field @ Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, Texas
An Eye on the Kats: What a difference a week makes. Wade Pate entered as the reigning SLC and KatFans.com Player of the Week. He left the game and had to be replaced after throwing the ball around to just as many NoCo defenders as he did Bearkats. No luck in general with six interceptions in a game that should have been won. This last game of the season will be played with nothing on the line for the Kats except the role of being the spoiler, something many Kat fans would thoroughly enjoy.
An Eye on the Cats: The Cats with a 'C' are having their best season in I-AA and is bringing back the thoughts back to the glory years of Jim Wacker when the Cats won two Div II championships in the early 80s. This team has been built around a solid offense quarterbacked by NFL prospect Barrick Nealy, has recieved great special teams play all season and the defense has answered the call, holding their opponents under 21, seven times this season. A win for the Cats, they clinch atleast a share of their first-ever SLC title. Coupled with a Nicholls loss, they get the outright SLC title. A loss, the Cats are sent home packing thanks to an 8-3 year that included two sub Div I wins, which would not give them the required seven Div I wins, that is, unless Nicholls loses as well, forcing a three-way tie which would send the Cats on.
Keys for the Kats:
1) Make Nealy Miss. No questions about it, Barrick Nealy is going to get a few hundred yards on you whether it on the ground or airing it out. In their one SLC loss against Nicholls, Nealy was 17 of 41 passing for 227 yards and was limited on the ground to 24 yards. The Kats will need to do what they did when 'Hyde' showed his head and have great pass defense, forcing Nealy to run and rushing his passes. This occured in Huntsville last year, but this is 2005, not 2004.
Nealy is a Payton Award nominee and is going to want to put the stamp on his campaign with an impressive SLC-title clinching performance here. Many NFL scouts have brought up his accuracy as an issue, though it has improved vastly this year. If San Marcos is the home to a Nealy Revival of years' past, it will be a long afternoon for the Cats. Problem is, isolating Nealy can only go so far as RB Daniel Jolly (two TDs against SFA) can change the game on his own two feet.
2) Ball Control. Last week, one of the keys was to isolate Northern Colorado's Reed Doughty, one of the top defensive players in the nation from having an impact on defense. Coach Whitten felt the Kats were making some bad decisions with their passes and the Kats must've been looking around for Doughty a little too much as six interceptions was the deciding blow in this one. Whichever QB is on the field whether it Daugherty, Hicks or Pate is going to have to keep the ball out of the hands of guys like Daniel Varvel and Walter Musgrove.
Fumbles were avoided in Colorado, which must be repeated this week. However, for the second straight week, the Bearkats could not top 125 yards rushing. Keeping Nealy off the field will be crucial and these last two weeks of 101 and 89 yards, respectively, are much less than what is needed. Solid running game would keep the passing game honest and perhaps not lead to as many turnovers through the air.
For the record, Doughty finished with 13 tackles, one for loss, two INTs and a pass broken up. There's no reason he is not a finalist for top defensive honors as week-in and week-out, he shows that he has a way to finding the ball.
3) Seniors Go Out with a Bang. There are quite a few seniors who will be playing their last game in Bearkat orange. Some of these individuals earned letters for both the 2001 and 2004 championship teams. For these individuals, this will be their playoff game and they need to let it rub off on all the younger players. Bobcat Stadium will be packed as the 'Cats are playing what amounts to their second elimination game in as many weeks, knowing a loss will more than likely send them home.
Seniors to keep an eye on including the running duo of Stevie Smith (who unless he has a huge game recieving, will miss becoming the first 1000 rushing/1000 returning/1000 recieving player in SHSU history) and perennial All-SLC running back Jason Godfrey. On defense, Jeff Mayhew and John Griffin will be the seniors (along with Marcus Mikulec who missed all year due to injury) that will be missed most. They, along with safety Robert Herron have been huge cogs in the Kats machine this year. All three will need to play major roles if a win against the Cats is desired.
TT's Prediction: There are those of us who have a more intense desire to beat the Cats than even the Jacks. Throughout the year, there seems to be more smack-talking between these two universities than there are of any schools in the SLC. Heck, knowing the Bobcats, we'll even see band members and their alums smack-talking our Bearkat Marching Band all week as well.
I want this game more than any game on the schedule. Smacking the Jacks around Huntsville on regional television was a thing of beauty. I don't think any of us minded winning 52-24, did we? But, I think knocking the Cats out of the playoff hunt would leave an even better feeling that can carry over to next year when I think the Kats will be back in the SLC title hunt. I know the Cat fans out there will give me loads of garbage for this, but I'm going to do what any fan would do (and you can't disagree with that), I'm sticking by my home team in this rivalry game. Tell the folks in San Marcos to play the "Bearkat Boogie" instead of the "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", this one is going to the Kats, 37-31.