2023 Sam Houston Bearkats football team

2023 Sam Houston Bearkats football
2023 Sam Houston Bearkats football
Conference	Conference USA
Record	0–8 (0–5 C–USA)
Head coach	K. C. Keeler (10th season);
Offensive coordinator	Brad Cornelsen (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Co-defensive coordinator	Clayton Carlin (7th season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Joe Morris (3rd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Bowers Stadium; (capacity: 12,593)

The 2023 Sam Houston Bearkats football team represents Sam Houston State University in Conference USA during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bearkats are led by tenth-year head coach K. C. Keeler. They play their home games at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas. They are ineligible for a bowl game, the conference championship, or the College Football Playoff due to rules governing transitions from FCS to FBS.[1]

2023 Conference USA football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
Liberty y	6	–	0	8	–	0
Jacksonville State*	5	–	1	7	–	2
New Mexico State	4	–	1	6	–	3
Western Kentucky	2	–	2	4	–	4
Louisiana Tech	2	–	3	3	–	6
UTEP	2	–	3	3	–	6
Middle Tennessee	1	–	3	2	–	6
FIU	1	–	5	4	–	5
Sam Houston*	0	–	5	0	–	8
Championship: December 1, 2023
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant * – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules As of October 26, 2023 Rankings from AP Poll

Offseason

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
Kameryn Alexander	CB	UTSA
Erick Conley	DL	None

Incoming

Player	Position	Previous Team
Bobby Duncan	DL	SMU
Grant Gunnell	QB	North Texas
Rhett Larson	OT	SMU
Jaden Phillips	EDGE	New Mexico
Xavier Ward	QB	Washington State
John Gentry	RB	Utah State
Akeem Smith	DL	Georgia State

[2]

Schedule

Sam Houston and Conference USA announced the 2023 football schedule on January 10, 2023.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	9:15 p.m.	at BYU*	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	FS1	L 0–14	59,006
September 9	7:00 p.m.	vs. Air Force*	NRG Stadium Houston, TX	CBSSN	L 3–13	25,121
September 23	6:00 p.m.	at Houston*	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	ESPN+	L 7–38	35,044
September 28	7:00 p.m.	Jacksonville State	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPNU	L 28–35 ^OT	14,566
October 5	6:00 p.m.	at Liberty	Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA	CBSSN	L 16–21	17,100
October 11	8:00 p.m.	at New Mexico State	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, NM	CBSSN	L 13–27	12,812
October 18	6:00 p.m.	FIU	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	CBSSN	L 27–33 ^2OT	7,543
October 25	7:00 p.m.	UTEP	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN2	L 34–37
November 4	12:00 p.m.	Kennesaw State*	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN+
November 11	2:00 p.m.	at Louisiana Tech	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA	ESPN Networks
November 18	2:30 p.m.	at Western Kentucky	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	ESPN Networks
November 25	11:00 a.m.	Middle Tennessee	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN Networks
*Non-conference game All times are in Central time

[3]

Game summaries

At BYU

Sam Houston State Bearkats at BYU Cougars – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Cougars	7	0	0	7	14

at LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, Utah

Date: September 2
Game time: 9:15 p.m. CDT/8:15 p.m. MDT
Game weather: Sunny, 74 °F (23 °C)
Game attendance: 59,006
Referee: Dan Scanlan
TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust and Petros Papadakis
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

BYU – Kedon Slovis 5-yard run (Will Ferrin kick), 10:39. Cougars 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 2:54.

Second quarter

No scoring plays

Third quarter

No scoring plays

Fourth quarter

BYU – Kedon Slovis 1-yard run (Will Ferrin kick), 14:49. Cougars 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 4:56.

Statistics	SHSU	BYU
First downs	10	12
Total yards	185	257
Rushing yards	38	112
Passing yards	147	145
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	28:27	31:33

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston State	Passing	Keegan Shoemaker	18/33, 147 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	John Gentry	8 rushes, 19 yards
	Receiving	Noah Smith	3 receptions, 44 yards
BYU	Passing	Kedon Slovis	20/33, 145 yards
	Rushing	L. J. Martin	16 rushes, 91 yards
	Receiving	Darius Lassiter	4 receptions, 43 yards

Vs. Air Force

Air Force Falcons vs. Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	3	0	10	13
Bearkats	0	0	3	0	3

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Date: September 9
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
Game attendance: 25,121
TV announcers (CBSSN): Carter Blackburn and Robert Turbin
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays

Second quarter

AF – Matthew Dapore 42-yard field goal, 8:36. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 5:03.

Third quarter

SHSU – Colby Sessums 45-yard field goal, 6:03. Tied 3–3. Drive: 13 plays, 33 yards, 6:49.

Fourth quarter

AFA – Matthew Dapore 42-yard field goal, 13:41. Falcons 6–3. Drive: 13 plays, 45 yards, 7:15.
AFA – Owen Burk 5-yard run (Matthew Dapore kick), 5:14. Falcons 13–3. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 6:20.

Statistics	AFA	SHSU
First downs	18	6
Total yards	258	80
Rushing yards	244	36
Passing yards	14	44
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	36:38	23:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Air Force	Passing	Zac Larrier	1/3, 14 yards
	Rushing	Owen Burk	18 rushes, 75 yards, TD
	Receiving	John Lee Eldridge III	1 reception, 14 yards
Sam Houston State	Passing	Keegan Shoemaker	8/14, 44 yards
	Rushing	Zach Hrbacek	10 rushes, 29 yards
	Receiving	Ife Adeyi	3 receptions, 20 yards

At Houston

Sam Houston State Bearkats at Houston Cougars – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	7	0	0	0	7
Cougars	10	14	7	7	38

at TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas

Date: September 23
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny, 94 °F (34 °C)
Game attendance: 35,044
Referee: Tutashinda Salaam
TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Neely, Ryan Leaf, and Shane Sparks
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

HOU – Jack Martin 23-yard field goal, 9:05. Cougars 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 69 yards, 5:55.
SHSU – Trapper Pannell 2-yard run (Colby Sessums kick), 6:02. Bearkats 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 83 yards, 2:58.
HOU – Parker Jenkins 4-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 1:47. Cougars 10–7. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 4:08.

Second quarter

HOU – Parker Jenkins 1-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 7:22. Cougars 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 4:13.
HOU – Parker Jenkins 2-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 0:49. Cougars 24–7. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 1:17.

Third quarter

HOU – Matthew Golden 6-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 2:59. Cougars 31–7. Drive: 15 plays, 86 yards, 8:42.

Fourth quarter

HOU – Stacy Sneed 58-yard pass from Ui Ale (Jack Martin kick), 10:06. Cougars 38–7. Drive: 1 play, 58 yards, 0:10.

Statistics	SHSU	HOU
First downs	8	27
Total yards	178	538
Rushing yards	52	186
Passing yards	126	352
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	25:05	34:55

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston State	Passing	Grant Gunnell	14/22, 100 yards, INT
	Rushing	Tobias Weaver	6 rushes, 18 yards
	Receiving	John Gentry	5 receptions, 32 yards
Houston	Passing	Donovan Smith	31/40, 294 yards, TD
	Rushing	Parker Jenkins	20 rushes, 105 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Matthew Golden	9 receptions, 92 yards, TD

Jacksonville State

Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Gamecocks	7	0	7	14	7	35
Bearkats	14	7	0	7	0	28

at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas

Date: September 28
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
Game weather: Sunny, 90 °F (32 °C)
Game attendance: 14,566
Referee: John Lehring
TV announcers (ESPNU): Drew Carter and Dustin Fox
Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter

JVST – Malik Jackson 26-yard run (Alen Karajic kick), 9:47. Gamecocks 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 86 yards, 0:51.
SHSU – John Gentry 56-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 8:10. Tied 7–7. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:37.
SHSU – Noah Smith 22-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 1:37. Bearkats 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 38 yards, 1:02.

Second quarter

SHSU – Trapper Pannell 3-yard run (Colby Sessums kick), 10:20. Bearkats 21–7. Drive: 11 plays, 89 yards, 5:02.

Third quarter

JVST – Michael Pettway 31-yard pass from Logan Smothers (Alen Karajic kick), 8:32. Bearkats 21–14. Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 1:46.

Fourth quarter

JVST – Logan Smothers 16-yard run (kick failed), 8:44. Bearkats 21–20. Drive: 3 plays, 31 yards, 0:57.
SHSU – Trapper Pannell 1-yard run (Colby Sessums kick), 1:11. Bearkats 28–20. Drive: 7 plays, 20 yards, 0:46.
JVST – Perry Carter 28-yard pass from Logan Smothers (Logan Smothers pass to Quinton Lane), 0:13. Tied 28–28. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 0:58.

Overtime

JVST – Sean Brown 24-yard pass from Logan Smothers (Colby Sessums kick). Gamecocks 35–28. Drive: 2 plays, 25 yards.

Statistics	JVST	SHSU
First downs	20	25
Total yards	393	435
Rushing yards	196	136
Passing yards	197	299
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	17:36	42:24

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Jacksonville State	Passing	Logan Smothers	16/28, 197 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Malik Jackson	13 rushes, 129 yards, TD
	Receiving	Michael Pettway	3 receptions, 74 yards, TD
Sam Houston State	Passing	Keegan Shoemaker	22/38, 285 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	John Gentry	30 rushes, 97 yards
	Receiving	Noah Smith	10 receptions, 97 yards, TD

At Liberty

Sam Houston State Bearkats at Liberty Flames – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Flames	0	0	0	0	0

at Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, Virginia

Date: October 5
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT/7:00 p.m. EDT
TV: CBSSN

Statistics	SHSU	LU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Liberty	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At New Mexico State

Sam Houston State Bearkats at New Mexico State Aggies – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Aggies	0	0	0	0	0

at Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, New Mexico

Date: October 11
Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT/7:00 p.m. MDT
TV: CBSSN

Statistics	SHSU	NMS
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
New Mexico State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

FIU

FIU Panthers at Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	0	0	0	0
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0

at Bowers Stadium

Date: October 18
Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
TV: CBSSN

Statistics	FIU	SHSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
FIU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sam Houston State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

UTEP

UTEP Miners at Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Miners	0	0	0	0	0
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0

at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas

Date: October 25
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
TV: ESPN2

Statistics	UTEP	SHSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UTEP	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sam Houston State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Kennesaw State

Kennesaw State Owls at Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	0	0	0	0	0
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0

at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas

Date: November 4
Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT

Statistics	KSU	SHSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kennesaw State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sam Houston State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Louisiana Tech

Sam Houston State Bearkats at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0

at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, Louisiana

Date: November 11
Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST

Statistics	SHSU	LT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Louisiana Tech	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Western Kentucky

Sam Houston State Bearkats at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
Hilltoppers	0	0	0	0	0

at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Kentucky

Date: November 18
Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST

Statistics	SHSU	WKU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Middle Tennessee

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Raiders	0	0	0	0	0
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0

at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas

Date: November 25
Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST

Statistics	MTSU	SHSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Middle Tennessee	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Sam Houston State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

Becton, Stan (October 24, 2022). "Making sense of FCS conference realignment". NCAA.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
"2023 Sam Houston State Bearkats Football Transfers". on3.com. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
"2023 Sam Houston Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Becton, Stan (October 24, 2022). "Making sense of FCS conference realignment". NCAA.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

[2] "2023 Sam Houston State Bearkats Football Transfers". on3.com. Retrieved March 2, 2023.

[3] "2023 Sam Houston Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 24, 2022.

Sam Houston Bearkats football
Venues	Pritchett Field (1912–1985) Bowers Stadium (1986–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Stephen F. Austin: Battle of the Piney Woods
Culture & lore	Sammy Bearkat "Bearkat Fight Song" Bearkat Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
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