Sam Houston State Bearkats
Southland Conference
Sam Houston State was expected to have a strong season under second year coach Willie Fritz. Last season the Bearkats improved dramatically as the season progressed, except for a three game losing streak when the going got tough. But that was a young team that was still learning the system. Heading into 2011, the Bearkats knew the system and returned a ton of experienced players. While it was supposed to be a promising year for SHSU, few expected them to go undefeated and beat teams like New Mexico.
2011 Record: 11-0, 7-0
Last Playoff Appearance: 2004
Coach: Willie Fritz (17-5 at Sam Houston State, 114-52 overall)
Big Wins: 9/17 Central Arkansas (31-10), 9/24 at New Mexico (48-45)
Bad Losses: none
Strengths:
Sam Houston State gets the job done on the ground. Running back Tim Flanders is the star of the unit. He rushed for 1,095 yards and 20 touchdowns during the regular season and added 27 receptions for 404 yards and two more trips to the end zone. Flanders will make the most of the big plays, but fellow backs Richard Sincere, Keyshawn Hill and Ryan Wilson are all capable backs. Coach Fritz has plenty of options in the backfield no matter what the situation. The defense is just as good on the ground as the offense. Strong safety Darnell Taylor, the team’s best tackler, will often come up and help out with the rush defense, but the front four does a great job pushing the line back. The line may not tally a ton of sacks, but they certainly make their presence felt and force the opposing quarterback to make bad decisions. SHSU intercepted an amazing 19 passes in their 11 regular season games. They also recovered 17 fumbles. Cornerback Dax Swanson is the biggest ballhawk on the team, intercepting seven passes and breaking up eight more.
Weaknesses:
The secondary will pick off a ton of passes, but they also give up quite a few yards through the air. It is often a result of SHSU blowing away the competition so they have no choice but to throw the ball, but if this defense has a weakness, it is through the air. The lack of a consistent pass rush does not help the secondary, but they tend to make up for it with big plays. The offensive weakness is also in the passing game. Quarterback Brian Bell has turned into a great game manager who makes good decisions and avoids interceptions. Bell stepped into a starting role as a true freshman just a couple games into the 2010 season. His second year under center has been much more efficient and this is an offense that can throw the ball…they just have not needed to much so far this season. That will change in the playoffs and the Bearkats and Bell better be ready to just in case they fall behind and do not have enough time to rely on Flanders running the ball.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Tim Flanders, RB, 1,095 yards
Passing: Brian Bell, QB, 1,607 yards
Receiving: Tim Flanders, RB, 404 yards
Tackles: Darnell Taylor, S, 95
Sacks: Jarrett Brown, DE, 4.0; Gary Lorance, DT, 4.0
Interceptions: Dax Swanson, CB, 7
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 250.09 (7th in nation, 1st in conference)
Passing Offense: 164.73 (95, 7)
Total Offense: 414.82 (26, 2)
Scoring Offense: 39.45 (2, 1)
Rushing Defense: 59.00 (1, 1)
Pass Defense: 200.91 (49, 3)
Total Defense: 259.91 (2, 1)
Scoring Defense: 12.64 (1, 1)
Turnover Margin: 2.18 (2, 1)
Sacks: 2.27 (36, 3)
Sacks Allowed:.73 (7, 2)
