“No, it couldn’t be that many. Are you sure?” Sam Houston
State University head football coach K.C. Keeler said in a joking manner when
introduced into his 25th season as a head coach in college football and his fifth
season at SHSU. With 18 returning starters, it is easy to see why the Bearkats
were selected as the favorites in the preseason poll to win the Southland
Conference in 2018.
Program Success
Keeler is the No. 3 active head coach in the FCS with an
overall record of 220-85-1. SHSU has been one of the most successful DI football
programs with him at the helm, accumulating 46 wins in the last four years and
competing with some of the best teams in the country.
“46 wins in four years, with only Alabama, North Dakota
State and Clemson as the only ones that have won more games than we have, I
think it’s a cultural thing,” Keeler said. “They understand that when you are
in our culture it’s about certain expectations. There’s accountability. When
things aren’t going our way, we believe that we can get the ship righted.”
A stacked schedule
The 2018 regular season could be tough for the Bearkats. SHSU
will play six of their nine conference games away from Bowers Stadium,
including the annual Battle of the Piney Woods against Stephen F. Austin at the
neutral NRG Stadium in Houston Oct. 6.
Keeler talked about the team’s mentality when looking at the
schedule prior to the beginning of the season.
“It’s kind of interesting when you look at our player manual
and you open up to that schedule, we don’t even have any teams on our
schedule,” Keeler said. “We are leaving that page blank because it’s really
more about us just trying to become the best football team we can. But, when
you do take a step back and look at the schedule you realize ‘Boy, it’s front
loaded’. Our guys face some of the best teams in the league right away.”
SHSU will open the 2018 campaign with two home games against
non-conference opponents—Prairie View A&M and North Dakota. The Kats will
then travel to Thibodaux, La. to face the Nicholls State Colonels.
“It’s going to be a great challenge to go to Nicholls early
in the season to play them at their place,” Keeler said. ”Not only are they
talented, but they also have a lot of confidence. There are going to be some
great games early on in the season for us, no question.”
Southland strong
In the 2017 season, the Bearkats finished second in the
Southland Conference with their only loss coming against the conference
champion Central Arkansas Bears. Keeler addressed the strength and development of
the conference in his four seasons at SHSU.
“This conference has gotten so much better since I’ve gotten
here,” Keeler said. “I remember Abilene Christian, how well they played us
until the end [last season] and how well their players are taught. I see that
there are a lot of good, young coaches that have come into this conference.
There is a lot of change. So, possibly we were voted preseason No. 1 because we
do have a lot of guys coming back and I’ve become one of the old guys in this
conference now.”
Keeler knows how difficult it is now to play the Southland
as opposed to when he first arrived in Huntsville and realizes that no game is
a guarantee win anymore.
“There was a time when you could look at your schedule and
say, ‘here’s three or four that we feel pretty good about,’” Keeler said. “You
don’t have those games anymore. Every game now is a game in where you feel like
you need to have a great week of preparation because if you don’t, we are the
hunted.”
New season, new
offense
The Bearkats are known for their fast-paced play on the
gridiron. In the 2017 season, SHSU snapped the ball on offense over 1,000 times.
Keeler talked about the style and tempo that the system
being brought in by new offensive coordinator Ryan Carty will offer the team.
“Ryan Carty played for me at Delaware and was actually Joe
Flacco’s backup,” Keeler said. “[Carty is a] tremendously bright individual in
a league where those defenses were always better than the talent he had on
offense. He’s used to going up against teams that have better people than he
does. Playing fast is not unusual for him. He has that experience from when he
was with Chip [Kelly]. We won’t give up scheme speed, and that is one of the
things that he and I have talked about. Still play fast, but I think you will
see us a bit more intricate with some of our schemes than we have been in the
past.”
Quarterback battle
Mike Dare is a 6-foot 6-inch transfer from Lackawanna Junior
College. He has spent time at Rutgers University as a redshirt quarterback before
starting nine games for the Lackawanna Falcons. He went 124-215 (57.7 completion
percentage) while throwing for 1,970 yards with 15 touchdowns and eight
interceptions. His pass efficiency rating was 150.2.
Being a transfer to the team, Dare has had to adapt and
learn quickly to the new program.
“Being the new guy here, I’m grasping the offense very
quickly,” Dare said. “Getting to know the stars like Davion and Nate, getting
used to them and getting to throw to them, it’s really easy now especially with
the chemistry.”
Dare is not the Bearkats only threat in the backfield,
however. Ty Brock and Eric Schmid have had an impressive offseason, as well.
“Ty Brock was the No. 1 high school quarterback in the
country coming out for our level,” Keeler said. “Then we went to the Woodlands
and got Eric Schmid, a young man who had 48 touchdowns and four interceptions
his senior year. I think we have three [quarterbacks] that we can win with, and
like I said Mike Dare, that experience of playing in the junior college,
getting a full season in and those game reps really gives him a unique
advantage early on.”
It will be interesting to see who is in the backfield when
SHSU’s season kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m. at Elliot T. Bowers Stadium against
the Prairie View A&M Panthers who the Kats beat 48-34 last year to open up
2017.