SHSU 63 LU 27

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HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Sam Houston State scored just 13 seconds into the game and never looked back defeating Lamar University, 63-27, Saturday afternoon at Bowers Stadium. The Bearkat score was one of three in the opening 15 minutes as Sam Houston jumped out to a 16-0 first half lead.

The Red and White finished the day with 527 yards of total offense behind senior quarterback Andrew Allen who recorded his first start of the season.  The seventh-ranked Bearkats recorded 643 yards of offense.

Allen, who was coming off an impressive second half at Incarnate Word last week, continued his impressive play Saturday. He finished the day completing 17 passes for 228 yards. He also carried the ball 12 times for 54 yards and two touchdowns.

Allen connected with eight different Cardinals on the afternoon. Sophomore, and 2016 quarterback, Case Robinson hauled in four passes for a career-high 72 yards. Freshman Kirkland Banks led the Red and White with six receptions for 37 yards, and also carried the ball seven times for a team-high 73 yards. The Cardinals finished the day with 286 yards on the ground.

Big Red’s defense was led by sophomore Tariq Gordon‘s 10 tackles, while junior Nate Jones picked off two passes in the contest. The team leader with three interceptions on the season, Jones also recorded three solo stops and broke up six passes Saturday.

Sam Houston State’s quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe, the reigning Walter Payton Award winner, completed 17 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns. He connected with Nathan Stewart five times for 147 yards and two touchdowns. The Bearkats’ Remus Bulmer added 103 yards and a score on eight carries.

“All the credit goes to Sam Houston State,” said LU head coach Mike Schultz. “They’re a great football team. They’ve got every aspect of the game covered. They’re good on offense, good on defense and special teams. In addition to that, Coach Keeler and his staff always do a great job of getting their team ready to play.”

After playing near error free football the past three weeks, the Cardinals were hurt by penalties. After averaging fewer than five penalties per game over the course of the past three weeks, the Cardinals were flagged 12 times for 82 yards, while Sam Houston State was penalized just four times.

“We made too many mistakes today,” said Schultz. “We can’t make those mistakes and hope to win, especially not against a talented team like Sam Houston. Those were silly mistakes, and it really hurts. Those were mistakes we have not been making in the past couple games. In addition to that, we have to tackle better.”

Similar to last week, the Cardinals found themselves trying to dig their way out of an early hole. Sam Houston scored on its first three drives of the game, opening the contest on a 16-0 run, including a score on the first play of the game. SHSU was also aided by six first quarter penalties against the Red and White.

The Cardinals cracked the scoreboard with just over two minutes remaining in the opening quarter. Allen guided the Cardinals on a seven-play, 81-yard drive that ended with a two-yard run for the score from the senior quarterback. The drive took less than two minutes off the clock.

The momentum didn’t last long as Sam Houston answered right back on the opening play of the second quarter. Briscoe hit Stewart from 30 yards out to give the Bearkats a 23-7 advantage.

The Bearkats built their lead to 23 points before LU went back on the attack. After giving up a score, the Cardinals marched down the field on a 15-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a six-yard TD scamper from Allen (30-14). The drive consisted of eight plays of at least five yards, and four of at least 10.

Following a Bearkat field goal, the Cardinals went back on the march. Allen guided the Cardinals on a four-play, 75-yard drive that took less than 1:20 off the clock. Allen opened the drive with an 18-yard completion to Robinson, and followed that up with a 37-yard run from Banks. After a four-yard run from sophomore Derrion Randle, he got the call again on the very next play and carried up the middle for 16 yards and the score. The point after was blocked but the scoring drive pulled LU within 13 points, 33-20.

LU defense held on the next series but the Cardinals had a dropped pass on third down forcing LU to punt the ball away. Davion Davis fielded the punt on the LU 46 and weaved his way through traffic for a touchdown. The Bearkats got the ball back before halftime and tacked on another score with 21 seconds remaining to take a 47-20 lead into the locker room.

The Cardinals racked up 348 yards of total offense, including 203 on the ground, in the opening half but SHSU finished the first 30 minutes with 431 yards, including nearly 300 through the air. The Cardinals finished the half with nine penalties for 52 yards, while the Bearkats were penalized just once in the first 30 minutes of action.

The second half started much the same way as the first as the Bearkats scored on their first two possessions before Big Red was able to answer. The Cardinals first score of the second half came on a nine-yard run from Randle. The score capped a six-play, 80-yard drive that took 3:27 off the clock, and it would be Big Red’s only score of the half. The Bearkats closed out the scoring with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinals return to action Saturday when it hosts rival Stephen F. Austin. The game against the Lumberjacks will kick at 6 p.m. from Provost Umphrey Stadium, and will serve as the first meeting between the two schools since the 2013 season.

 

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