Sam Houston State vs. Eastern Washington

Transcription

1 Sam Houston State vs. Eastern Washington NCAA Division I Football Championship Semifinals Roos Stadium -Cheney, Washington Saturday, December 15, p.m. (Central) SAM HOUSTON-EASTERN WASHINGTON SEMIFINAL Eastern Washington (ranked No. 4 in the final FCS regular season rankings and seeded No. 2 in the 2012 NCAA playoffs) will play host to Sam Houston State (the nation s No. 5 FCS team) in the NCAA Division I Football Championships semifinals at 3 p.m. (Central time) Saturday, Dec. 15, at Roos Field in Cheny, Washington. BEARKATS NCAA PLAYOFF HISTORY Sam Houston is making its third NCAA Division I semifinals appearance. The Bearkats are in the semifinals for the second year in a row. Sam Houston defeated Montana last year in the semifinals in Huntsville. The victory marked the seventh time a Southland member has reached the NCAA Division I Football championship game. North Dakota State defeated the Bearkats 17-6 in the finals in Frisco. In SHSU s first NCAA semifinals appearance in 2004, the Kats fell to Montana in Missoula Sam Houston is a member of the playoff field for the sixth time (1986, 1991, 2001, 2004, 2011 and 2012). The Bearkats are 6-0 in NCAA playoff games on their home field at Bowers Stadium. SHSU is 2-4 in road playoff encounters. Sam Houston lost its only playoff game at a neutral site in last season s finals in Frisco. SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS Sam Houston earned its second consecutive Southland Conference football championship with a 6-1 league mark in The title is SHSU s fifth as a member of the Southland and ninth overall in 97 years of football. The Bearkats also won Southland titles in 1991, 2001, 2004 and REMATCH OF SHSU S GAME-OF-DECADE Eastern Washington and Sam Houstons only previous football meeting came in the NCAA quarterfinals in 2004, a contest voted as SHSU s Game of the Decade in a 2009 fan poll. Down 20 points (35-14) with 14:59 left on Dec. 4, 2004, in Cheney, SHSU QB Dustin Long led a rally that ended with the winning TD and PAT on the final play of the game. Jason Mathenia caught a school record 13 passes for 226 yards and Long threw for 478 yards and three touchdowns for a SHSU victory over the No. 14 ranked Eagles. Eastern Washington had a chance to put the game away with a field goal with less than a minute to play. Vincent Cartwright, a 6-5 receiver on his first special teams play of the season, blocked the punt. Long took the Bearkats 75 yards in 43 seconds, hitting Mathenia for gains of 12, 19 and 16 yards to move the ball to the EWU seven with two seconds to play. Mathenia caught the tying TD pass on a slant five yards deep in the end zone. Lance Garner kicked the winning PAT with no time left on the clock. Location: Huntsville, Texas Enrollment: 18,500 Stadium: Bowers Capacity: 12,976 / RealGrass Pro Colors: Orange & white Head Coach: Willie Fritz Alma Mater: Pittsburg St., rd year at SHSU, 30-9 record overall record in 19 seasons as head coach Location: Cheney, Wash. Enrollment: 12,130 Stadium: Roos Field Capacity: 8,600/Sprinturf Colors: Red & white Head Coach: Beau Baldwin Alma Mater: Central Washington, 1996 Record at EWU: Overall Record: Sam Houston Bearkats 2012 Schedule (10-3) S. 8 INCARNATE WORD W 54-7 S. 15 at Baylor L S. 22 at Central Arkansas* L S. 27 #Texas Southern W 50-6 O. 6 ^Stephen F. Austin* W O. 13 at Nicholls State* W 41-0 O. 20 McNEESE STATE* W O. 27 at Lamar* W 56-7 N. 3 SOUTHEASTERN LA* W 70-0 N. 10 at Northwestern St.* W N. 17 at Texas A&M L D. 1 CAL POLY W D. 7 at Montana St. W *Southland Conference #BVAA Compass Stadium in Houston ^Reliant Stadium in Houston Eastern Washington Eagles 2012 Schedule (11-1) A. 30 at Idaho W 20-3 S. 8 at Washington St. L S. 22 at Weber St. W S. 29 Montana W O. 6 North Dakota W O. 13 at Montana St. W O. 20 Sacramento St. W O. 27 at Southern Utah L N. 3 Cal Poly W N. 10 Cal Davis W N. 17 at Portland St. W D. 1 Wagner W D. 8 Illinois St. W NCAA Division I National Championships First Round (November 24) Game 1... at South Dakota St. 58, Eastern Illinois 10 Game 2...at Coastal Carolina 24, Bethune-Cookman 14 Game 3... at Stony Brook 20, Villanova 10 Game 4...at Wagner 31, Colgate 20 Second Round (December 1) Game 5... at North Dakota St. 28, South Dakota State 3 Game 6...at Wofford 23, New Hampshire 7 Game 7... at Georgia Southern 24, Central Arkansas 16 Game 8...at Old Dominion 63, Coastal Carolina 35 Game 9...at Montana State 16, Stony Brook 10 Game at Sam Houston State 18, Cal Poly 16 Game 11...Illinois State 38 at Appalachian State 37 (overtime) Game at Eastern Washington 29, Wagner 19 Quarterfinals (December 7 and 8) Quarterfinals 1...Sam Houston State 34 at Montana St. 16 Quarterfinals 2...Georgia Southern49 at Old Dominion 35 Quarterfinals 3...at North Dakota St. 14, Wofford 7 Ouarterfinals 4...at Eastern Washington 51, Illinois St. 35 Semifinals (December 14 or 15) Semifinals... Georgia Southern at North Dakota State Semifinals... Sam Houston at Eastern Washington Finals (January 5) - at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas For more information contact Paul Ridings, Jason Barfield, Kevin Rodriguez -- Sam Houston State University Sports Information Office (936) , Fax (936) Press Box (936) Web site: ridings@shsu.edu - jbarfield@shsu.edu - krodriguez@shsu.edu

2 Sam Houston Football - Page 2 ESPNU TELECAST Saturday s Sam Houston vs. Eastern Washington NCAA semifinals matchup will be featured nationally on ESPNU. The telecast will mark the seventh SHSU football game on the ESPN family of networks in the past two years. The telecast also is the Bearkats 19th appearance on national or regional television since the 2011 season began. BEARKAT RADIO KSAM FM will broadcast the semifinals showdown live in the Huntsville area. The broadcast also may be heard anywhere in the world online at THE ROAD TO FRISCO Sam Houston is attempting to become the seventh team in NCAA Division I football championship history to earn finals berths in successive seasons. The Bearkats lost to North Dakota State 17-6 in the championship game in Frisco last year. The Bison are the No. 1 seed in this year s championships and host Georgia Southern next weekend in the other 2012 semifinal. Should both Sam Houston and North Dakota State win, it would mark only the third team since the championships began in 1978 that the same opponents have met in the finals in back-to-back years. Marshall and Youngstown State battled in both the 1991 and 1992 championship games while Marshall and Montana faced off in both the 1995 and 1996 finals. Eastern Kentucky, Georgia Southern, Marshall, Youngstown State, Montana and Appalachian State are the teams with two or more successive appearances in the NCAA finals in the 34-year history of the tournament. SOUTHLAND HISTORY IN DIVISION I PLAYOFFS The Southland Conference schools own a all-time record in the Division I playoffs. Sam Houston s semifinals appearance marks the 14th time a Southland team has reached the NCAA final four. Last year, Sam Houston became the first Southland representative in the championship game since McNeese State in Southland teams have played in seven national title games at the Division I level (1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1997, 2002 and 2011) with the only win coming by former member Louisiana-Monroe against Marshall in BEARKATS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS Sam Houston stood No. 5 in both the Sports Network and NCAA FCS Coaches final regular season polls. The Bearkats have been ranked among the FCS top 25 a total of 23 consecutive weeks since debuting in the national poll on Sept. 9, During an 11-0 regular season in 2011, the Kats rose all the way to No. 1. Sam Houston has been ranked among the FCS top 10 for 19 consecutive polls. SAM HOUSTON AMONG THE NATION S STIATISTICS LEADERS The Bearkat offense stands No. 2 in FCS in scoring (41.69), No. 7 in rushing offense (268.5) and No. 10 in total offense (460.3). The defense s national rankings include No. 3 in rushing defense (87.4) and No. 12 in both scoring defense (18.5) and total defense (310.6). TURF TRIFECTA With Saturday s game on Eastern Washington s red carpet in Cheney, Sam Houston State will become the first team to play on all three colored artificial surfaces in NCAA football. The Bearkats played on Boise State s blue turf in 1995 and on Central Arkansas s purple surface in Conway this season. Sam Houston FCS National Rankings Sports Network 1 North Dakota St Montana St Old Dominion Eastern Washington SAM HOUSTON Georgia Southern Appalachian St CENTRAL ARKANSAS Wofford Stony Brook New Hampshire Cal Poly Lehigh Villanova Towson Illinois St James Madison Richmond South Dakota St Northern Arizona Eastern Kentucky Bethune-Cookman Indiana St Colgate Eastern Illinois NCAA Coaches Poll 1 North Dakota St Montana St Old Dominion Eastern Washington SAM HOUSTON Appalachian St Georgia Southern CENTRAL ARKANSAS Wofford Lehigh Stony Brook Cal Poly New Hampshire Towson Illinois St Eastern Kentucky Richmond Villanova Northern Arizona James Madison South Dakota St Bethune-Cookman Harvard Indiana St Colgate Sam Houston Team Statistics Rankings Offense Total NCAA Southland Defense Total NCAA Southland Rushing th 1st Passing th 6th Total th 2nd Points nd 1st Pass Eff th 1st Rushing rd 1st Passing th 6th Total th 1st Points th 1st Pass Eff st 1st Sam Houston Individual Statistics Rankings Statistic Player Mark NCAA Southland Rushing Tim Flanders rd 1st Pass Eff. Brian Bell th 1st Scoring Tim Flanders th 1st Miguel Antonio th 3rd Punt Returns Trey Diller th 3rd KO Returns Trey Diller th 3rd All-Purpose Trey Diller th 1st OFFENSE Kaleb Hopson OL 47 Timothy Flanders RB 36 Brian Bell QB 36 Richard Sincere WR 32 Riley Smith OL 28 T. J. Jones TE 23 Matt Boyles OL 20 Torrance Williams WR 18 Chris Rogers OL 16 J. D. Standley TE 15 Trey Diller WR 13 Dan Jenkins OL 12 Joey White OL 12 Chance Nelson WR 11 Donald Jackson OL 9 Melvis Pride WR 2 Ryan Wilson RB 1 Brandon Wilkerson RB 1 Ridgeway Frank RB Bearkat Career Starts DEFENSE Defense Darnell Taylor DB 47 Kenneth Jenkins DB 42 J. T. Cleveland DL 39 Bookie Sneed DB 36 Dax Swanson DB 36 Gary Lorance DL 32 Robert Shaw DB 28 Jarrett Brown DE 19 Andrew Weaver DE 15 Darius Taylor LB 14 Preston Sanders DE 13 Jesse Beauchamp LB 11 Forbes Baggett DL 4 Michael Littleton DB 3 Jeremy Jackson LB 2 341

3 Sam Houston Football - Page 3 BEARKATS VS. HEISMAN WINNER While Texas A&M Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns against Sam Houston in the Bearkats regular season finale in College Station Nov. 17, the Kat defense had its moments against Johnny Football. Dax Swanson intercepted a Manziel pass (Swanson s 13th career interception, tying an SHSU school record). Jesse Beauchamp sacked the Heisman winner for a loss of nine yards. Manziel is the third Heisman winner Sam Houston has faced. The Bearkats played against Andre Ware of Houston his freshman in 1987 at the Astrodome and Robert Griffin III of Baylor in Willie Fritz s first game as SHSU coach in Waco in BIG CROWDS VIEWED THE KATS IN 2012 Playing in front of packed stadiums is nothing new for the Bearkats. Sam Houston played in front of 87,101 fans at Texas A&M (second largest crowd ever to see SHSU play football), 44,856 at Baylor, 26,185 at Reliant Stadium in the Battle of the Piney Woods with SFA and 16,417 at Montana State last weekend. WINNINGEST THREE YEARS IN BEARKAT HISTORY Sam Houston s victory at Montana State last weekend marked the 30th victory for the Bearkats since Willie Fritz became SHSU head football coach. The 30 victories (six in 2010, 14 in 2011 and 10 so far in 2012) stand as the most by the Kats in any three consecutive years in the 97 seasons of Sam Houston football. Ron Randleman (head coach from 1982 to 2004) put together 25 victories in three seasons in the late 1980s. Willie Fritz was a graduate assistant and later assistant coach for Randleman at SHSU. RUNNING BACK TIMOTHY FLANDERS All-America running back and two-time Southland Conference football Player of the Year Timothy Flanders holds 22 Sam Houston school records. In Friday s victory over Montana State, Flanders 106 yards rushing upped his career total of 100-yard rushing games to 24. The Midwest City, Okla., product broke his own school record with nine 100-yard games during the 2012 season. He posted eight 100-yard games as a sophomore in 2011 and seven as a freshman in Flanders stands as Sam Houston s all-time rushing leader with 705 carries for 3,950 yards and 52 touchdowns. He broke the former school record of 2,688 career yards held by Charles Harris ( ) in the Bearkats season opening victory over Incarnate Word this fall. Flanders ranks as the fourth all-time leading rusher in Southland Conference history. Only Claude Mathis of Southwest Texas (4,694 yards in ), Henry Field of McNeese State (4,358 yards in ) and the Cowboys Buford Jordan (4,106 yards in ) have gained more yardage. With 52 career rushing touchdowns, Flanders is tied with Charles McDaniel of Lamar ( ) for most career rushing TDs by a Southland back. Flanders is No. 2 in Southland total touchdowns with 55 (behind Brent Grimes of Central Arkansas, 59). Flanders has eight touchdown runs of more than 50 yards to his credit. His 71-yard touchdown against Southeastern Louisiana this year is his longest gain. KICKER MIGUEL ANTONIO All-Southland Conference kicker Miguel Antonio upped his streak of successful point after attempts to 62 Friday at Montana State. He also kicked two field goals in the victory. Antonio missed his first PAT attempt of the season against Incarnate Word and is perfect since. The senior from Lovelady ranks as Sam Houston s all-time kick scoring leader with 164 PATs and 48 field goals for 308 points. Only running back Timothy Flanders has scored more points for Sam Houston with 55 touchdowns for 390 points. Sam Houston Post Season History NCAA DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS Year Site Rd. Opponent Result 1986 Jonesboro, Arkansas 1st Arkansas St. L Murfreesboro, Tennessee 1st Middle Tennessee L ot 2001 Huntsville, Texas 1st Northern Arizona W Missoula, Montana QF Montana L Huntsville, Texas 1R Western Kentucky W Cheney, Wash. QF Eastern Washington W Missoula, Montana SF Montana L Huntsville, Texas 2R Stony Brook W Huntsville, Texas QF Montana State W Huntsville, Texas SF Montana W Frisco, Texas F North Dakota St. L Huntsville, Texas 2R Cal Poly W Bozeman, Montana NAIA NATIONAL PLAYOFFS 1964 Findlay, Oh.io SF Findlay College W Augusta, Ga. Finals Concordia (Minn.) T 7-7 POST-SEASON BOWL GAMES 1952 Shrimp Bowl (Galveston, Tex.) Northeast Oklahoma W Refrigerator Bowl (Evansville, Ind.) College of Idaho W Refrigerator Bowl (Evansville, Ind.) Middle Tennessee W Christmas Bowl (Natchitoches, La.) Northwestern St. L Southland Players of the Week Date Award Player Opponent Oct. 6 Offensive Brian Bell Stephen F. Austin Defensive Bookie Sneed Stephen F. Austin Special Teams Matt Foster Stephen F. Austin Oct. 13 Defensive Jesse Beauchamp Nicholls State Oct. 20 Offensive Richard Sincere McNeese State Defensive J. T. Cleveland McNeese State Oct. 27 Offensive Timothy Flanders Lamar SHSU Wins Over Nationally Ranked Opponents 2004 #1 Montana #2 Montana St #3 Western KY #4 Nicholls #4 SFA #5 Montana #7 SFA #7 Montana St #12 Alcorn St #12 NW St #12 SFA #12 Cal Poly #14 Eastern WA #15 Northeast LA #15 Nicholls St #15 NW St #15 Northern AZ #18 NW St #18 Central Arkansas #19 Western IL #19 SFA #21 NW St #21 McNeese St #22 Stony Brook #23 SFA #24 SFA #24 McNeese St #25 Nicholls St Southland Conference Season Standings Team Conference Season Sam Houston State Bearkats Central Arkansas Bears Southeastern Louisiana Lions Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks McNeese St. Cowboys Northwestern St. Demons Lamar Cardinals Nicholls Colonels

4 Sam Houston Football - Page 4 QUARTERBACK BRIAN BELL Brian Bell stands as Sam Houston s all-time winningest quarterback, leading SHSU to 29 victories as a starter the past three seasons. The junior from China Spring stands as Sam Houston s all-time leader in total offense yards. He passed Rhett Bomar (6,160 total yards in ) in the Texas A&M game and has extended his career mark to 6,652 yards. Bell s 50 career touchdown passes also is an SHSU school mark. Bell is No. 2 behind Bomar in career passing with 5,825 yards. Bomar totaled 5,964. SENIOR SAFETY DARNELL TAYLOR Darnell Taylor, two-time Southland Defensive Player of the Year and NCAA All-America selection, stands as the fourth Bearkat defender to chalk up more than 200 career solo stops. Taylor owns the school record with 229, surpassing the old mark of 215 by Stan Blinka ( ) who went on to play five years in the NFL for the Jets. Taylor stands fifth in SHSU total tackles with 330 (229 solo and 101 assists). INTERCEPTION LEADER DAX SWANSON Senior cornerback Dax Swanson has tied the school record for most career interceptions (13). Ronnie Choate ( ) set the Sam Houston career interception record. Swanson s record-tying interception came on a pass from Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel in the Texas A&M game. CORNERBACK BOOKIE SNEED Junior cornerback Bookie Sneed snapped a Sam Houston record that had stood since 1968 with his 92-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter of the SFA victory. Paul Wenzel returned an interception 90 yards against Sul Ross for the Kat mark that stood for 44 years. Sneed has picked off four interceptions this year and eight in his career. SAM HOUSTON AND THE BIG SKY The Bearkats are 10-7 against the current members of the Big Sky Conference: Cal Poly (1-0), Eastern Washington (1-0), Montana (2-3), Montana State (4-2), Northern Arizona (1-1) and Northern Colorado (1-1). The Bearkats are 5-2 against the Big Sky in the playoffs. They beat Northern Arizona in the first round of the 2002 playoffs and Eastern Washington in the quarterfinals in Sam Houston has a fourgame win streak against the Big Sky, having beaten both Montana State and Montana in last year s run to the national championship game, and Cal Poly and Montana State this year. SOUTHLAND HOST FOR DIVISION I TITLE GAME The Southland Conference, in conjunction with the City of Frisco and Hunt Sports Group, is the host of the 2013 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, Jan. 5, 2013 at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas, which has been home to the league since This marks the third year for the game to be played in Frisco. Last year, North Dakota State defeated Southland entrant Sam Houston State 17-6, while Eastern Washington came from behind to score three times in the final 17 minutes on its way to a win over Delaware. Both winners in Frisco have been first-time champions. FRITZ REGIONAL COACH OF YEAR HONOR Sam Houston head coach Willie Fritz is a repeat winner of the American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach-of the-year honor. Fritz received the award in 2011 after a 14-1 season that saw the Bearkats reach the national championship game. EXPERIENCED BEARKATS Experience has been a key for the 2012 Kats. Thirty-four players have started at least one game in their SHSU career. The group of 34 have combined for 674 starts (333 offense, 341 defense). WIDE RECEIVER TREY DILLER One of Sam Houston s top goals at the start of the 2012 season was to improve its passing performance without dampening the offense s rushing ability. Wide receiver Trey Diller has been a key element in achieving that goal. In both 2010 and 2011, the top Bearkat receivers had 35 catches or less (Seth Patterson 35 for 370 in 2010 and Timothy Flanders 34 for 414 in 2011). As a senior, Diller leads SHSU receiving going into the semifinal game with 56 catches for 865 yards. Diller also has been effective as a return specialist, ranking third in the Southland in both punt returns (11.3) and kickoffs (23.8). He leads the league in all-purpose yards (1,684 for a per game average). Diller is the first Sam Houston player to receive All-Southland Conference honors at both wide receiver and return specialist. FRESHMAN WIDE RECEIVER CHANCE NELSON Wide receiver Chance Nelson, a transfer from Texas A&M, has become a mainstay in the Bearkat offense. Nelson has caught 33 passes for 662 yards and nine TDs. He caught a 61-yard touchdown in the Texas Southern victory and a 70-yard strike against Southeastern La. Last week in Bozeman, Nelson scored on passes of 16 and 45 yards. BLOCK PARTY RETURNS A Bearkat tradition established by head coach Willie Fritz when he was an assistant at Sam Houston in the early 1990s has returned. The SHSU Block Party has produced six blocks in each of the past two seasons. After Fritz started the Block Party in 1991, Sam Houston blocked 80 punts, field goals and extra points in the next 14 seasons. This year Preston Sanders leads the Block Party with both a field goal and PAT block. Sanders stands in fourth place in SHSU career blocks with five. Four of the five blocks have been field goals. LEADS AT INTERMISSION Only in the Bearkats loss to FBS No. 8 Texas A&M in the regular season finale has Sam Houston trailed at halftime this year. In SHSU s other two losses, the Kats led Baylor and Central Arkansas 10-7 at intermission. In Sam Houston s 10 victories, the Bearkats have out-scored their foes in the first half. Down 34-0 at halftime at Texas A&M, the Bearkats came back to score 28 second half points in a loss. The SHSU offense rolled up 41 minutes of possession time at A&M. In the second half, as the Bearkats outscored the Aggies 28-13, Sam Houston had 27:19 minutes possession time to A&M s 3:41. The SHSU offense had eight third down conversions to the Aggies three and was 2-of-2 on fourth downs. SOUTHLAND PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Sam Houston players have received weekly Southland Conference Player of the Week honors seven times this year. Running back Timothy Flanders won the offensive award after running for 131 yards and four TDs in a 56-7 victory over Lamar. WildKat back Richard Sincere and defensive tackle J. T. Cleveland were the league s offensive and defensive selections, respectively, after the win over No. 21 McNeese. Sincere produced 155 all-purpose yards and scored two rushing TDs while Cleveland posted seven tackles including three for losses. Linebacker Jesse Beauchamp won the defensive honor after a 41-0 shutout at Nicholls State. Beauchamp recovered two fumbles, both of which set up SHSU touchdowns, and totaled seven tackles including two for losses. Sam Houston State swept the weekly Southland Conference football player of the week honors after its win over SFA. Junior quarterback Brian Bell was the offensive player of the week, junior cornerback Bookie Sneed won defensive honors and senior punter Matt Foster was the special teams player of the week after the Kats win over rival Stephen F. Austin Oct. 6.

5 Sam Houston Football - Page 5 Bell picked up 22nd career victory as starting quarterback for Sam Houston against SFA, directing the offense to 51 points. Sneed returned an interception 92 yards for touchdown that put SHSU in the lead, 20-14, with 5:55 remaining in 2nd quarter.. Foster helped Sam Houston win the field position battle with a 45.1 average, including long of 61 yards. The senior from Melbourne, Australia, landed three punts inside the 20. TWENTY ONE ALL-SOUTHLAND BEARKATS Sam Houston State s 2012 Southland Conference championship team produced 21 players who have earned spots on the all-league honor squad. Those awards include both Player of the Year recognition for running back Timothy Flanders and Defensive Player of the Year Darnell Taylor. Darnell and his twin brother Darius also become the first pair of twins at Sam Houston to earn all-conference recognition together. The Bearkats list of All-Southland players after an 8-3 overall regular season and 6-1 march to a second consecutive league title include 10 first team selections, six second team honorees and six honorable mention players. First team offense All-Southland players from Sam Houston include Flanders, tight end T. J. Jones, offensive linemen Kaleb Hopson and Chris Rogers and all-purpose back Richard Sincere. First team defense Bearkats are defensive lineman J. T. Cleveland, linebacker Darius Taylor, defensive backs Darnell Taylor and Dax Swanson and punter Matt Foster. Second team all-conference Kats include quarterback Brian Bell, wide receiver Trey Diller, defensive lineman Gary Lorance and defensive backs Kenneth Jenkins and Bookie Sneed. Diller also received second team recognition as kick return specialist. Receiving All-Southland honorable mention were running back Keshawn Hill, offensive linemen Donald Jackson and Riley Smith, defensive lineman Jarrett Brown, linebacker Jesse Beauchamp, defensive back Robert Shaw and place kicker Miguel Antonio. Flanders and Darnell Taylor both earned their Player of the Year recognition for the second consecutive seasons. Flanders, Jenkins and Cleveland are three-time All-Southland selections. Darnell Taylor, Hopson, Sincere, Swanson, Foster, Bell and Sneed each are in their second consecutive year as All-Southland honorees. A LONG WAY FROM SPRING TRAINING 2010 In his first season as head coach at Sam Houston in 2010, Willie Fritz fielded one of the youngest Southland Conference football squads ever. Only 29 returning lettermen and six seniors dotted the 90-man roster that fall. But the youngsters meshed together into a squad that won six of its final nine games in 2010, went 14-1 to reach the national championship game in 2011 and are 8-3 this season, repeating as league titlists. Seventeen of the Bearkats 21 seniors this year have lettered on all three of the past Sam Houston teams. LAST YEAR S 14-1 BEARKAT RECORD The Bearkats rolled up 14 consecutive wins to earn the program s first No. 1 national ranking and a berth in the NCAA division I national championship game in Frisco. North Dakota State defeated SHSU 17-6 in the finals before a sellout crowd of 22,000 at FC Dallas Stadium. Sam Houston was the only squad out of 126 FCS teams to finish the regular season Sam Houston ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation in nine NCAA statistics categories, standing No. 1 in rushing defense, No. 2 in scoring defense and turnover margin and No. 3 in total defense. The 14 victories, the most ever in one season by the Bearkats, included a perfect 7-0 Southland Conference record as SHSU earned its first undisputed Southland football championship. Sam Houston posted wins over five nationally-ranked opponents and went 9-0 at home at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium, one of 26 school records set during the 2011 campaign. Seven Sam Houston players received All-America honors. Fifteen Bearkats earned All-Southland Conference honors with Flanders, Sincere and Taylor sweeping league honors as Player-of-the-Year, Offensive Player-of-the-Year and Defensive Player-of-the-Year, respectively. Flanders rushed for 1,644 yards and 22 TDs and was named to six All-America squads in Taylor led SHSU with 128 tackles and was selected All-America on five honor teams. Other All-America honorees included Sincere, offensive linemen Travis Watson and Chris Crockett, defensive back Dax Swanson and defensive lineman J. T. Cleveland. The Kats were tops in the classroom as well. Sam Houston led the Southland Conference with seven selections on the 2011 academic all-league squad. Watson, a senior political science major, was named Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year and was a finalist for the National Football Coaches Association Scholar Athlete of the Year post-graduate scholarship award. Sam Houston head coach Willie Fritz received football s top coaching honor as American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Coach of the Year. After directing the Kats to their best two-year record in 96 seasons of football (20-6), Fritz also was voted as Southland Conference, AFCA Regional and American Football Monthly Coach of the Year. SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY A Great Name in Texas Education, Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and stands today as the third-oldest public university in Texas. Created to train school teachers, today s Sam Houston State University offers a broad range of academic programs leading to bachelor s master s and doctoral degrees. The University boasts a record Fall 2011 enrollment of 17,618 and looks for growth to 20,000 by The University is named for General Sam Houston, the only man in United State history to be governor of two states (Tennessee and Texas). He led Texas to independence with the victory over Santa Anna at the battle of San Jacinto in 1836, He was the first president of the Republic of Texas, senator from the State of Texas as well as the state s governor. He is buried in Huntsville not far from the campus of the University named in his honor. SAM HOUSTON INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS Sam Houston State University is the only league member to win the Southland Conference Commissioner s Cup all-sports trophy three consecutive years (2005, 2006 and 2007). The Bearkats also won the Southland Men s All-Sports Cup in 2000 and The Bearkats have won 28 Southland team championships with 19 of those league trophies earned in the past decade. SHSU studentathletes have combined to produce a department grade point average (GPA) of 2.87 or above each of the last 11 consecutive semesters, a mark higher than the university s overall student population.

6 Sam Houston Football - Page 6 SAM HOUSTON STATE FOOTBALL CAREER HIGHLIGHTS SCHOOL RECORDS (22) TIMOTHY FLANDERS SINGLE GAME (4) Touchdowns 5 New Mexico, 2011 Rushing TDs 5 New Mexico, 2011 Points 30 New Mexico, 2011 Yards Rushing 287 Montana, 2011 SINGLE SEASON (12) Touchdowns Rushing TDs Points Yards Rushing 1, Rushing Attempts All-Purpose Yards 2, Yd Games Frosh Rushing Yds Soph Rushing Yds 1, Frosh 100 Yd Games Soph 100 Yd Games Jr 100 Yd Games CAREER (6) Touchdowns Rushing TDs Points Yd Games Yards Rushing 3, Rushing Attempts FLANDERS CAREER RUSHING Year GP Att. Yards TD Frosh (2010) Soph (2011) Jr (2012) Career SHSU CAREER CARRIES LEADERS Player Years Rush Tim Flanders Charles Harris James Oliphant SHSU CAREER SCORING LEADERS Player Years TDs Pts. Timothy Flanders Miguel Antonio Billy Hayes McNeil Moore FLANDERS TOP SINGLE GAMES Opponent Year Att. Yards TD Montana New Mexico McNeese St Career total 100-yard rushing games: 24 FLANDERS LONGEST RUNS Opponent Date Run SE La 11/3/12 71 TD Montana 12/16/11 69 TD at New Mexico 9/24/11 61 TD at Lamar 10/27/12 59 TD Career total: 8 TD runs more than 50 yards SOUTHLAND CAREER RUSHING LEADERS Player Years Att Yds Claude Mathis, SWT ,694 Henry Field, McN ,358 Buford Jordan, McN ,106 Tim Flanders, SHSU ,950 Leonard Harris, SFA ,771 Tony Taylor, NW St ,720 Tony Citizen, McN ,284 SOUTHLAND CAREER RUSHING TD LEADERS Player Team Years TD Charles McDaniel Lamar Tim Flanders SHSU Brent Grimes UCA Jordan Buford McN Claude Mathis SWT SOUTHLAND CAREER TOUCHDOWN LEADERS Player Team Years TD Brent Grimes UCA Tim Flanders SHSU Charles McDaniel Lamar Claude Mathis SWT FLANDERS CAREER ALL-PURPOSE YARDS Year Rush Rec Total Freshman (2010) Sophomore (2011) Junior (2012) Career Total SHSU CAREER ALL-PURPOSE LEADERS Player Years Yards Tony January Tim Flanders Stevie Smith Matt Dominguez RICHARD SINCERE RICHARD SINCERE CAREER RUSHING Year GP Att. Yds TD Freshman (2010) Sophomore (2011) Junior (2012) Career Total RICHARD SINCERE CAREER RECEIVING Year GP No. Yds TD Freshman (2010) Sophomore (2011) Junior (2012) Career Total SINCERE S TOP RUSHING GAMES Opponent Year Rushs Yards TD Montana St Southeastern La Career total 100-yard rushing games: 5 SINCERE S TOP RECEIVING GAME Opponent Year Att. Yards TD Northwestern St SINCERE LONGEST PLAYS Opponent Date Play Lamar 10/29/11 77 TD catch McNeese St. 11/6/10 67 TD run McNeese St. 10/20/12 65 TD run NW St. 11/12/11 62 TD catch Gardner Webb 9/25/11 60 TD catch Career total: 7 TD plays more than 50 yards BRIAN BELL SHSU WINNINGEST QUARTERBACKS Player Years Wins Brian Bell Ronnie Choate Reggie Lewis Stan Keithley Ashley Van Meter BRIAN BELL CAREER PASSING Year Com Att Yards TD Freshman (2010) Sophomore (2011) Junior (2012) Career Total SHSU CAREER TD PASS LEADERS Player Years TD Brian Bell Dustin Long Rhett Bomar Arthur Louis Don Gottlob SHSU CAREER PASSING YARDS LEADERS Player Years Com. Att. Yards Rhett Bomar Brian Bell Arthur Louis Dustin Long Reggie Lewis SHSU CAREER TOTAL OFFENSE LEADERS Player Years Rush Pass Yards Brian Bell ,825 6,652 Rhett Bomar ,564 6,160 Arthur Louis ,902 4,933 Reggie Lewis ,269 4,740 Dustin Long ,588 4,576 Don Gottlob ,832 4,200 BRIAN BELL TOP PASSING GAMES Opponent Year Com Att Yds McNeese St Baylor Montana St BRIAN BELL LONGEST PASSES Opponent Date Play Stony Brook 12/3/11 80 TD Trey Diller Lamar 10/29/11 77 TD Richard Sincere SE Louisiana 11/3/12 70 TD Chance Nelson McNeese St 11/6/10 64 TD Melvis Pride NW St. 11/12/11 62 TD Richard Sincere Career total: 9 TD passes more than 50 yards OTHER SHSU CAREER TACKLE LEADERS Player Years Solo Ast Total Stan Blinka Lish Adams Pete Garner Keith Davis Dedrick Manigo Darnell Taylor Darryl Harrison Marcus Mikulec Michael Bankston SHSU CAREER INTERCEPTION LEADERS Player Years Int Ronnie Choate Dax Swanson Gary Kimble Mark Hughes Bobby Coleman Charles Boyce Charles Stanley Bookie Sneed SHSU CAREER KICK SCORING LEADERS Player Years PAT FG Points Miquel Antonio Billy Hayes Marcus Hajdik

7 HEAD COACH WILLIE FRITZ Pittsburgh State, 1983 Third season at Sam Houston Won 30, Lost 9 20th season as head coach Won 166, Lost 61, Tied 1 Willie Fritz has directed Sam Houston State to a 29-9 record in his first two seasons as Bearkat head football coach. The 28 wins rank as Sam Houston s most victories in a three-year span. Fritz earned Southland Conference Coach of the Year and American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year honors after Sam Houston State ran off 14 consecutive victories to earn the Southland Conference championship and a berth in NCAA Division I National Championship game. The 14 victories stand as the most in one season in Sam Houston s 96 years of football. Combined with a pair of wins at the end of the 2010 schedule, the Bearkats 16-game winning streak is the longest in school history and was the longest current streak in FCS play going into the national championship final. Fritz, who has produced an overall record of 162 victories, 59 losses and one tied as a head coach, became the 14th head football coach at Sam Houston State University on December 18, In his two seasons, he has taken a program that went 5-6 the year before his hiring to a 14-1 mark, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division I playoffs and a No. 2 final national ranking in Sam Houston s 14 victories included a perfect 7-0 Southland record to give the Bearkats their first undisputed Southland title. During his 30-year career, Fritz has been part of programs both as a head coach and an assistant that have rolled up an overall record of 240 wins, 84 losses and five ties. The record includes nine appearances in post-season play (bowl games or playoff appearances) and 10 conference titles. Fritz came to Huntsville from the University of Central Missouri were he ranked as the winningest coach in the Mules 113-year football history. Fritz rolled up a record in 13 seasons as Central Missouri head coach. In 11 of those seasons, Central Missouri posted winning records. He is the only Central Missouri head coach to produce eight consecutive seasons of seven or more wins. Fritz served as a graduate assistant for Bearkat squads that went 16-6 in and won the 1985 Gulf Star Conference championship He was the secondary and special teams coach for the Bearkats in 1991 and 1992, helping lead Sam Houston to a Southland Conference championship and starting a special teams success tradition that lasted more than a decade. The block party saw Kat special teams block 80 punts, field goals and extra points in the 14 seasons from 1991 to From 1993 to 1996, Fritz was head coach at Blinn College where turned around a program that had gone in its three previous seasons. In just a short time, he produced a record and two national junior college championships. For his efforts at Blinn, Fritz has been inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. As head coach at Central Missouri, Fritz led the Mules to their first post-season berth in 32 years when they defeated Minnesota-Duluth in the 2001 Mineral Water Bowl. A year later, Central Missouri earned its first NCAA Division II playoff berth after winning the Mid-America Athletic Association (MIAA) championship. Fritz coached 152 All-MIAA performers including 41 first team selections and 24 All-Americans. Fritz ranks No. 15 among active NCAA Division II head coach in victories. In his 13 years at UCM, the Mules enjoyed an 84 percent graduation rate with three Academic All-Americans, 14 Academic All-Region and 144 MIAA Commissioner s Academic Honor Roll selections. Fritz was the second member of his family to coach at Central Missouri. His father, the late Harry Fritz, was the Mules head football coach in 1952 and later become executive director of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Fritz played college football at Pittsburg State University where he was a four-year starter as a defensive back and played on two conference championship teams. He was a student assistant coach for the Gorillas in 1982 and was an assistant football coach at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in Kansas in 1983 and at Willis High School in Texas in 1986 and was defensive coordinator at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas from 1987 to Fritz and his wife Susan have three children, Wesley, Elaine and Brooke. Sam Houston Football - Page 7 AS HEAD COACH - Won 166, Lost 61, Tied 1 Blinn Junior College (39-5-1) Mineral Water Bowl National Champions National Champions Central Missouri (97-47) Mineral Water Bowl NCAA Division II Playoffs MIAA Champions Sam Houston State (30-9) Southland Champions NCAA Division I Finalists AS ASSISTANT COACH - Won 84, Lost 26, Tied 4 Pittsburg State Student assistant Conference champions Shawnee Mission NW HS Assistant coach Sam Houston Graduate assistant Gulf Star champions Willis High School Assistant coach Coffeyville C. C. Defensive coordinator Jayhawk Bowl Jayhawk Bowl National Champions Sam Houston Secondary/special teams Southland Champions SAM HOUSTON STATE ASSISTANT COACHES Doug Ruse (Northwest Missouri St. 1986)...Offensive Coordinator Scott Stoker (Northwestern St. 1990)...Defensive Coordinator Ben Beasley (McNeese St. 2002)...Secondary Johnny Jernigan (Stephen F. Austin 1994)...Defensive Line Anthony Johnson (Texas 2005)...Running Backs Bart Tatum (Austin College 1991)...Offensive Line Matt Barrett (North Carolina St. 1999)...Wide Receivers Robby Discher... Special Teams Assistant Kyle Segler...Tight Ends Weston Glaser... Defensive Assistant

8 Sam Houston Football - Page 8 SAM HOUSTON STATE 2012 FOOTBALL STATISTICS RUSHING GP Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G Timothy Flanders Richard Sincere Keshawn Hill Brian Bell Ryan Wilson Ridgeway Frank Chris Grett Torrance Williams Trey Diller Cody Morgan Brandon Wilkerson Stephen Williams Terrance Robinson Chance Nelson Rickey Smith TEAM Total Opponents PASSING G Cmp-Att-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G Brian Bell Chris Grett Richard Sincere Total Opponents RECEIVING G No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G Trey Diller Chance Nelson Terrance Robinson Richard Sincere Tim Flanders Brandon Wilkerson T. J. Jones Torrance Williams Rickey Smith K. J. Williams Melvis Pride Stephen Williams Keshawn Hill Shane Young J. D. Standley Ridgeway Frank Ryan Wilson Brian Bell Total Opponents FIELD GOALS M-A Pct Lg Blk Miguel Antonio PATs SCORING TD FGs Kick Rush Rcv Pass DXP Saf Points Miguel Antonio Tim Flanders Chance Nelson Keshawn Hill Trey Diller Chris Grett Brian Bell Richard Sincere Ridgeway Frank K. J. Williams Bookie Sneed Torrance Williams Kenneth Jenkins Ryan Wilson Brandon Wilkerson T. J. Jones Melvis Pride Stephen Williams J. D. Standley Cody Morgan Terrance Robinson James French Total Opponents RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL ALL GAMES CONFERENCE DATE OPPONENT SCORE ATT. 9/8 Incarnate Word ,016 9/15 at Baylor ,856 9/22 at Central Arkansas ,157 9/27 at Texas Southern ,443 10/6 Stephen F. Austin ,185 10/13 at Nicholls /20 McNeese State ,151 10/27 at Lamar ,256 11/3, Southesatern Louisiana ,844 11/9 at Northwestern State ,256 11/17 at Texas A&M /1 Cal Poly ,076 12/7 at Montana State TEAM STATISTICS SHSU FOES SCORING Points Per Game FIRST DOWNS Rushing Passing Penalty RUSHING YARDAGE Yards gained rushing Yards lost rushing Rushing Attempts Average Per Rush Average Per Game TDs Rushing 42 7 PASSING YARDAGE Comp-Att-Int Average Per Pass Average Per Catch Average Per Game TDs Passing TOTAL OFFENSE Total Plays Average Per Play Average Per Game KICK RETURNS: #-Yards PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards INT RETURNS: #-Yards KICK RETURN AVERAGE PUNT RETURN AVERAGE INT RETURN AVERAGE FUMBLES-LOST PENALTIES-Yards Average Per Game PUNTS-Yards Average Per Punt Net punt average KICKOFFS-Yards Average Per Kick Net kick average TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 33:40 26:20 3RD-DOWN Conversions 85/187 55/189 3rd-Down Pct 45% 29% 4TH-DOWN Conversions 9/16 11/24 4th-Down Pct 56% 46% SACKS BY-Yards MISC YARDS TOUCHDOWNS SCORED FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS ON-SIDE KICKS RED-ZONE SCORES (54-58) 93% (24-31) 77% RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS (39-58) 67% (17-31) 55% PAT-ATTEMPTS (67-69) 97% (26-30) 87% SCORE BY QUARTERS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total Sam Houston State Opponents

9 Sam Houston Football - Page 9 INTERCEPTIONS No. Yds Avg TD Long Bookie Sneed Dax Swanson Darnell Taylor Robert Shaw Jarrett Brown Kenneth Jenkins J. T. Cleveland Desmond Fite Total Opponents PUNTING No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 Blkd Matt Foster Brian Bell Total Opponents PUNT RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long Trey Diller Terrance Robinson Vincent Dotson Torrance Williams Total Opponents KICK RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD Long Trey Diller Terrance Robinson Keshawn Hill J. D. Standley Total Opponents ALL PURPOSE G Rush Rec PR KOR Tot Avg/G Trey Diller Tim Flanders Keshawn Hill Chance Nelson Richard Sincere Total Opponents TOTAL OFFENSE G Plays Rush Pass Total Avg/G Brian Bell Tim Flanders Richard Sincere Keshawn Hill Chris Grett Total Opponents BLOCKED KICKS Opponent Player Kick Baylor Preston Sanders FG TSU Preston Sanders PAT Vincent Dotson Punt SFA Dax Swanson FG SE La Robert Shaw FG Cal Poly Vincent Dotson Punt SAM HOUSTON STATE 2012 DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Tackles Sacks- ---Pass Def--- -Fumbles- Blkd DEFENSIVE LEADERS GP Solo Ast Total TFL/Yds No-Yards Int-Yds BrUp QBH Rcv-Yds FF Kick Saf Darnell Taylor Jesse Beauchamp Kenneth Jenkins Darius Taylor Robert Shaw Bookie Sneed Mike Littleton J. T. Cleveland Dax Swanson Gary Lorance Jeremy Jackson Jarrett Brown Andrew Weaver Michael Wade Preston Sanders Shelby Davis Cory Hamlett Forbes Baggett Desmond Fite Vincent Dotson Eche, Tristan Casey Devries Diamond Wheeler Jyvante Williams Kevin Jackson Total Opponents