2018 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team

The 2018 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by fifth-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 6–5, 5–4 in Southland play to finish in a four-way tie for fourth place.

2018 Sam Houston State Bearkats football
Conference	Southland Conference
2018 record	6–5 (5–4 Southland)
Head coach	K. C. Keeler (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ryan Carty (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Clayton Carlin (2nd season as DC, 3rd overall season)
Home stadium	Bowers Stadium (Capacity: 12,593)

2018 Southland Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 14 Nicholls +^		7	–	2					9	–	4
Incarnate Word +^		6	–	2					6	–	5
Lamar ^		6	–	3					7	–	5
Abilene Christian		5	–	4					6	–	5
Central Arkansas		5	–	4					6	–	5
McNeese State		5	–	4					6	–	5
Sam Houston State		5	–	4					6	–	5
Northwestern State		4	–	5					5	–	6
Southeastern Louisiana		4	–	5					4	–	7
Stephen F. Austin		2	–	7					2	–	8
Houston Baptist		0	–	9					1	–	10
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS FCS Poll

Previous season

The Bearkats finished the 2017 season 12–2, 8–1 in Southland play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs where they defeated South Dakota in the first round and Kennesaw State in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to North Dakota State.

Preseason

Preseason All-Conference Teams

On July 12, 2018, the Southland announced their Preseason All-Conference Teams, with the Bearkats having seven players at nine positions selected.[1]

Offense 1st team Davion Davis – Sr. WR Nathan Stewart – Jr. WR Mitchell Watanabe – Sr. OL Eric David – Jr. OL Tristan Wendt – Sr. OL Davion Davis – Sr. all purpose player

Defense 1st team Davion Davis – Sr. PR 2nd team Chris Stewart – Sr. DL Zyon McCollum – So. DB

Preseason Poll

On July 19, 2018, the Southland announced their preseason poll, with the Bearkats selected as the favorites to win the conference.[2]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Sam Houston State	187 (10)
2	Nicholls State	173 (6)
3	Central Arkansas	170 (5)
4	McNeese State	159 (1)
5	Southeastern Louisiana	119
6	Stephen F. Austin	90
7	Abilene Christian	89
8	Northwestern State	86
9	Incarnate Word	53
10	Lamar	52
11	Houston Baptist	32

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year
Walter Payton Award[3]	Davion Davis	WR	SR
	Nathan Steward	WR	JR
Buck Buchanan Award[4]	Chris Stewart	DE	SR

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 8	6:00 p.m.	Prairie View A&M*	No. 4	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN+	W 41–32	9,571
September 15	6:00 p.m.	North Dakota*	No. 5	Bowers Stadium Huntville, TX	ESPN3	L 23–24	5,373
September 22	3:00 p.m.	at No. 18 Nicholls State	No. 11	John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	ESPN+	L 7–27	5,025
September 29	3:00 p.m.	No. 13 Central Arkansas	No. 21	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	W 34–31 ^OT	7,598
October 6	1:00 p.m.	vs. Stephen F. Austin	No. 17	NRG Stadium Houston, TX (Battle of the Piney Woods)	ESPN3	W 54–21	26,548
October 13	6:00 p.m.	at Northwestern State	No. 15	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	CST/ESPN3	W 42–28	5,125
October 20	3:00 p.m.	at Lamar	No. 14	Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX	ESPN+	L 23–41	7,227
October 27	1:00 p.m.	Southeastern Louisiana	No. 23	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ELVN	W 28–25	10,098
November 3	2:00 p.m.	at Incarnate Word	No. 21	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX	ESPN3	L 26–43	5,643
November 10	2:30 pm	Abilene Christian		Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ELVN/SLC Digital	L 10–17	6,914
November 17	2:00 p.m.	at Houston Baptist		Husky Stadium Houston, TX	SLC Digital	W 42–20	2,002
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Source:[5][6][7]

Game summaries

Prairie View A&M

Prairie View A&M at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 Total Panthers 9 14 0 9 32 • No. 4 Bearkats 10 17 7 7 41 Date: September 8 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 6:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:35 Game attendance: 9,571 Game weather: Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Overcast • Wind: SW 2 Referee: Eddie Kelley TV announcers (ESPN+): Randy McIlvoy, Shea Walker, Matt Pedersen Sources:[8][9][10]

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North Dakota

North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 Total • Fighting Hawks 7 10 0 7 24 No. 5 Bearkats 7 3 13 0 23 Date: September 15 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 6:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:07 Game attendance: 5,373 Game weather: Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: ESE 4 Referee: Kevin Boitmann TV announcers (ESPN3): Randy McIlvoy, Shea Walker, Sarah Merrifield Sources:[11][12][13]

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at Nicholls State

Sam Houston State at Nicholls State

1 2 3 4 Total No. 11 Bearkats 7 0 0 0 7 • No. 18 Colonels 3 7 3 14 27 Date: September 22 Location: John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA Game start: 6:24 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 2:52 Game attendance: 5,025 Game weather: Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Rainy, Overcast • Wind: SE 6 Referee: M. Vandervelde TV announcers (ESPN+): Kooter Roberson, E.P. Garth, Brian Adams Sources:[14][15][16]

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Central Arkansas

Central Arkansas at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 OT Total No. 13 Bears 3 7 7 14 0 31 • No. 21 Bearkats 0 14 14 3 3 34 Date: September 29 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 3:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:52 Game attendance: 7,598 Game weather: Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C) • Weather: Drizzly & Overcast • Wind: ESE 4 Referee: Mike Defee TV announcers (ESPN3): Randy McIlvoy, Shea Walker Sources:[17][18][19]

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vs Stephen F. Austin

Battle of the Piney Woods

1 2 3 4 Total Lumberjacks 14 0 0 7 21 • No. 17 Bearkats 21 23 10 0 54 Date: October 6 Location: NRG Stadium Houston, TX TV announcers (ESPN3): Ted Emrich, Shea Walker, Julie Dobbs Sources:

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at Northwestern State

Sam Houston State at Northwestern State

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 15 Bearkats 14 9 11 8 42 Demons 0 28 0 0 28 Date: October 13 Location: Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA Game start: 6:00 pm CDT Game attendance: 5,125 Game weather: Rainy Television network: CST/ESPN3 Sources:

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at Lamar

Sam Houston State at Lamar

1 2 3 4 Total No. 14 Bearkats 13 0 10 0 23 • Cardinals 10 7 17 7 41 Date: October 20 Location: Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:14 Game attendance: 7,227 Game weather: Overcast Temp: 74 Wind 9 mph Referee: Ed Bourgeois Television network: ESPN+ Sources:[20][21]

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Southeastern Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana at Sam Houston State (Homecoming)

1 2 3 4 Total Lions 0 10 0 15 25 • No. 23 Bearkats 14 0 7 7 28 Date: October 27 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 1:05 pm CDT Elapsed time: 3:23 Game attendance: 10,098 Game weather: Clear Temp: 76 Wind: WSW 8mph Referee: Dan Lewis Television network: ELVN Sources:[22]

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at Incarnate Word

Sam Houston State at Incarnate Word

1 2 Total No. 21 Bearkats 0 Cardinals 0 Date: November 3 Location: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX Game start: 2:00 p.m. CDT Television network: ESPN3 Sources:

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Abilene Christian

Abilene Christian at Sam Houston State

1 2 3 4 Total • Wildcats 7 0 7 3 17 Bearkats 0 3 7 0 10 Date: November 10 Location: Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX Game start: 2:30 pm CST Television network: ELVN/SLC Digital Sources:

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at Houston Baptist

Sam Houston State at Houston Baptist

1 2 3 4 Total • Bearkats 7 21 14 0 42 Lions 3 7 3 7 20 Date: November 17 Location: Husky Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 2:00 p.m. CST Television network: SLC Digital Sources:

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Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	4	4	5	11	21	17	15	14	23	21	RV	RV	RV
Coaches	4	4	4	11	19	16	14	10	22	22	RV	NR	NR

References

1. "Southland Announces 2018 Preseason All-Conference Football Teams". southland.org. Southland Conference. July 12, 2018.
2. "Sam Houston State Voted To Top Spot In 2018 Football Preseason Poll". southland.org. Southland Conference. July 19, 2018.
3. "FCS football: 2018 Walter Payton Award watch list". August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
4. "FCS football: 2018 Buck Buchanan Award watch list announced". August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
5. "Football – 2018 Schedule". Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
6. "Southland Announces Week 9 TV Selections". Southland Conference. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
7. "SOUTHLAND ANNOUNCES WEEK 10 TV SELECTIONS". Southland Conference. October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
8. "Prairie View vs Sam Houston State (Sep 08, 2018)". gobearkats.com. Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
9. "Kats take down Panthers, 41–32 - GoBearkats.com - Sam Houston State Athletics". gobearkats.com. Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
10. "Prairie View A&M vs. Sam Houston State - Game Summary - September 8, 2018 - ESPN". espn.com. ESPN. September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
11. "North Dakota vs Sam Houston State (Sep 15, 2018)". gobearkats.com. Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. September 15, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
12. "UND Snaps Kats' Home Win Streak - GoBearkats.com - Sam Houston State Athletics". gobearkats.com. Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. September 15, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
13. "North Dakota vs. Sam Houston State - Game Summary - September 15, 2018 - ESPN". espn.com. ESPN. September 15, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
14. "Sam Houston State vs Nicholls State (Sep 22, 2018)". gobearkats.com. Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. September 22, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
15. "Kats Fall At Nicholls - GoBearkats.com - Sam Houston State Athletics". gobearkats.com. Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. September 22, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
16. "Sam Houston State vs. Nicholls State - Game Summary - September 22, 2018 - ESPN". espn.com. ESPN. September 22, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
17. "Central Arkansas vs Sam Houston State (Sep 29, 2018)". gobearkats.com. Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. September 29, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
18. "Kats Outlast Bears In 34–31 Overtime Victory - GoBearkats.com - Sam Houston State Athletics". gobearkats.com. Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. September 29, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
19. "Central Arkansas vs. Sam Houston State - Game Summary - September 29, 2018 - ESPN". espn.com. ESPN. September 29, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
20. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2018 Sam Houston State Bearkat Football Sam Houston State vs Lamar (Oct 20, 2018 at Beaumont, Texas)". Sam Houston State University. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
21. "Lamar rolls on the ground to upset Sam Houston St. 41-23". ESPN. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
22. "Scoring Summary (Final) 2018 Sam Houston State Bearkat Football Southeastern La. vs #23 Sam Houston State (Oct 27, 2018 at Huntsville, Texas) Southeastern La. (3-6,3-4) vs. Sam Houston State (5-3,4-2)". Sam Houston State Athletics. Retrieved October 28, 2018.