The summer has past, the sweat has been shed and the Astroturf is glistening in the hot August sun.
As the preseason wraps up and vital positions are filled, speculations continue in preparation for the start of the 2009 season. Sam Houston State looks to improve on a fairly unsuccessful 2008 season, where they finished 2-5 in the Southland Conference and 4-6 overall; a record that kept them in the cellar of the conference.
The 2009 Bearkats bring in four new assistant coaches with a good deal of experience and success. Scott Stoker, who led Northwestern State as head coach to a top 10 defense, joins the staff as the new Bearkat defensive coordinator. Former Baylor offensive coordinator Lee Hays joins the team as the new offensive line coach. Ben Beasley from Northwestern State will also join the staff as safeties coach, along with Brandon Jones from Texas Tech, who will be in charge of tight ends.
Sam Houston State will begin the season with 12 returning starters from last season, including seven on the offensive side, three on the defensive side, and two on special teams. One of the most difficult challenges facing the Bearkats will be finding a viable replacement for recently-NFL-drafted Rhett Bomar, Sam Houston’s all-time passing and total offense leader.
The man for the job will be Blake Joseph A senior transfer from the University of Houston who recently beat out junior Bryan Randolph for the starting job. In his career at Houston, Joseph completed 120 of his 184 passes for 1581 yards and 10 touchdowns. At 6’1”, 215 pounds, Joseph looks to use his strong arm and athleticism to lead the Bearkats to a successful season on the offensive side of the ball.
The offense will also return James Aston and Chris Poullard at running back. Aston finished the 2008 season ranked fourth in Southland rushing with 886 yards and 11 touchdowns. Poullard had a similar season in 2007, where he also finished fourth in Southland rushing with 1038 yards and 13 touchdowns.
At wide receiver, Chris Lucas, is the only returning starter from last season. Lucas ranked ninth in receptions per game in the Southland Conference last season. Lining up alongside Lucas will be Jason Madkins, who recorded 23 receptions for 319 yards, along with 6 touchdowns as a backup receiver in 2008. Madkins provides the offense with a big target, standing at 6’5″.
The offense will look to utilize his size to make big plays for the offense in 2009.
The Bearkats will be full of new faces on the defensive side. Sam Houston State will bring back three starters on the defense, including All-Southland first team selection DE Chris Brown, All-Southland second team selection LB Luke McCall, and DT Kevin Smith. Even with so many subtractions to the starting unit, the coaches are excited by the speed and intensity of this year’s young defensive unit.
There are several backups from the 2008 season that look to return as starters for the 2009 season. Safety Randy Stewart, cornerbacks Cameron Jenkins and Jarvis Pippins, linebacker Brandon Bruce, and defensive linemen Antonio Cobb and Justin Childs, are all players who can make a big impact on defense and should be watched to make big plays in 2009.
The Sam Houston State Bearkats will kick off the season on September 3rd where they will host the Western Illinois Leathernecks, a run-oriented team from the Missouri Valley Conference. Western Illinois finished as the best running team in the nation last season. The defense looks to be the team’s weak spot, due mainly to inexperience.
The Bearkats will then host the North Dakota State Bison in week two. North Dakota State is another decent Missouri Valley Conference team who finished the 2008 season 4-4 in the division and 6-5 overall, identical to Western Illinois’ record. Like Western Illinois, the defense will be the weakness of the team, due mostly to the lack of depth and experience in the unit.
Following a bye week, the Bearkats will travel to Oklahoma in week four to play the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. Before losing to Houston at the end of last season, Tulsa was ranked 25th in the NCAA. Tulsa is a tough team that has a high-powered offense, elite in the NCAA. The defense takes many risks and can be beaten by avoiding the many blitzes coming from the secondary.
The Bearkats will come home in week five to host the St. Joseph (Indiana) Pumas. St. Joseph’s is a mediocre football team out of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. They finished 1-2 in their conference and finished 5-5 overall. The offense is pretty balanced, but not very dangerous. The same can be said on the defensive side of the ball for St. Joseph’s.
In week six the Bearkats will host divisional foe the Nicholls Colonels for the Homecoming Game. Last season the Bearkats defeated Nicholls 47-37 after taking a 24-0 first quarter lead. The Bearkats have had Nicholls’ number over the years and look to defeat them once again.
Sam Houston State will hit the road in weeks seven and eight to take on divisional rivals Southeastern Louisiana and Stephen F. Austin. The Bearkats lost a heartbreaker to Southeastern Louisiana by a field goal in the second to last game of the year in 2008. The Bearkats outlasted Stephen F. Austin by a three-point margin last year as well. The Bearkats have had Stephen F. Austin’s number as well and look to expand on the win streak between the two rivals.
Week nine takes us to Sam Houston State hosting Northwestern State. The Demons will be a tough opponent and many have them winning the Southland conference this year. Northwestern State defeated Sam Houston State by a narrow eight point margin last season as the Bearkats fell 24-16. The Bearkats will look to upset the tough Northwestern State on Halloween.
In week 10 the Bearkats will hit the road to take on McNeese State. McNeese State defeated the Bearkats last season 28-17 for Sam Houston State’s homecoming game. McNeese State returns with a speedy, balanced offense. The defense will not be as good as in years past, and the Bearkats should look to exploit this in this late season game.
Sam Houston State will host its final home game of the 2009 season against Central Arkansas. Central Arkansas comes in as the defending champs of the Southland conference after finishing 6-1 in the division and 10-2 overall. They have had Sam Houston State’s number in the past and it will take a lot to defeat this Central Arkansas team.
The season finale will send Sam Houston State to San Marcos to play the Texas State Bobcats. Texas State took the season finale last year after a heartbreaking loss in overtime. The Bearkats lost 48-45 after leading the Bobcats 21-0 into the second quarter. This year, Texas State comes in as a favorite for the conference. The good all-around team will a tough opponent for the Bearkats, who look to upset their longtime rival on the road.
According to recent numbers in the Southland Conference preseason polls, the Texas State Bobcats are the popular choice for who will take the conference in the 2009 season. Results from the coaches’ poll place Texas State at the top of the conference, with two first-place votes and 43 points. McNeese State came in second in the poll with one first-place vote and 39 points. The poll also places Northwestern State at third with two first place votes and 38 points, Central Arkansas at fourth with two first place votes and 37 points, and Stephen F. Austin at fifth with one first-place vote and 24 points. Sam Houston State finished sixth with no first-place votes and a total of 17 points, above only Nicholls at seventh with 14 points, and Southeastern Louisiana at eighth with 13 points.
The 2009 season for the Sam Houston State Bearkats promises to be an interesting one. With many new names and faces, this season will be exciting and unpredictable. Sam Houston State should finish in about the middle of the division. The strength of this year’s team will be the explosive defense, as opposed to last year’s offense-heavy team. It may be too soon to claim the Bearkats as the top team of the Southland Conference, but it’s easy to say that they will make some noise and will be exceptionally better than last season.
