2016 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team

2016 Sam Houston State Bearkats football
2016 Sam Houston State Bearkats football
Southland Conference champion
FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals, L 7–65 vs. James Madison
Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 5
FCS Coaches	No. 5
Record	12–1 (9–0 Southland)
Head coach	K. C. Keeler (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Phil Longo (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Air raid
Defensive coordinator	Brad Sherrod (3rd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Bowers Stadium

2016 Southland Conference football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
No. 5 $^	9	–	0	12	–	1
No. 14 Central Arkansas ^	8	–	1	10	–	3
SE Louisiana	7	–	2	7	–	4
McNeese State	5	–	4	6	–	5
Nicholls State	5	–	4	5	–	6
Stephen F. Austin	4	–	5	5	–	6
Houston Baptist	3	–	5	4	–	7
Incarnate Word *	3	–	6	3	–	8
Lamar	3	–	6	3	–	8
Abilene Christian *	2	–	7	2	–	9
Northwestern State	0	–	9	1	–	10

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant * – ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from NCAA Division II Rankings from STATS poll

The 2016 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by third-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 12–1 overall and 9–0 in Southland play to win the Southland Conference title. They went undefeated during the regular season with a record of 11–0. They received the Southland's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Chattanooga the second round, only to lose in the quarterfinals to James Madison.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	6:00 pm	Oklahoma Panhandle State*	No. 2	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	W 59–21	8,609
September 17	7:00 pm	at Lamar	No. 3	Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX	ESPN3	W 44–31	8,343
September 24	7:00 pm	at Houston Baptist	No. 2	Husky Stadium Houston, TX	FCS	W 52–16	3,134
October 1	3:00 pm	vs. Stephen F. Austin	No. 2	NRG Stadium Houston, TX (Battle of the Piney Woods)	ESPN3	W 63–28	27,411
October 8	6:00 pm	at Incarnate Word	No. 2	Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX	ESPN3/UIWtv	W 63–48	5,322
October 15	3:00 pm	Abilene Christian	No. 2	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	W 48–21	8,314
October 22	3:00 pm	at Nicholls State	No. 1	Manning Field at John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	ASN	W 38–21	7,759
October 29	6:00 pm	Texas Southern*	No. 1	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	W 66–17	8,611
November 5	6:00 pm	McNeese State	No. 1	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	W 56–43	8,025
November 12	6:00 pm	at Northwestern State	No. 1	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	ESPN3	W 48–16	6,421
November 19	2:30 pm	No. 11 Central Arkansas	No. 1	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN3	W 59–23	9,182
December 3	2:00 pm	No. 11 Chattanooga*	No. 1	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN3	W 41–36	4,897
December 9	6:00 pm	at No. 5 James Madison*	No. 1	Bridgeforth Stadium Harrisonburg, VA (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal)	ESPN2	L 7–65	15,646
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[1]

Game summaries

Oklahoma Panhandle State

Oklahoma Panhandle State at Sam Houston State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	14	0	0	7	21
• #2 Bearkats	21	17	7	14	59

Date: September 3
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
Elapsed time: 3:30
Game attendance: 8,609
Game weather: 89 °F (32 °C) • Wind NE 4 mph (6.4 km/h) • Mostly cloudy, warm
Referee: Ross Smith
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

@ Lamar

Sam Houston State at Lamar

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• #3 Bearkats	14	16	7	7	44
Cardinals	3	0	14	14	31

Date: September 17
Location: Provost Umphrey Stadium
Beaumont, TX
Game start: 7:00 PM CDT
Elapsed time: 3:40
Game attendance: 8,343
Game weather: 92 °F (33 °C) • Hot and humid
Referee: Marvel July
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

@ Houston Baptist

Sam Houston State at Houston Baptist

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• #2 Bearkats	21	10	7	14	52
Huskies	0	6	10	0	16

Date: September 24
Location: Husky Stadium
Houston, TX
Game start: 7:00 pm CDT
Elapsed time: 3:26
Game attendance: 3,134
Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind ESE 6 mph (9.7 km/h) • Mostly cloudy
Referee: Ross Smith
Television network: FCS

Sources:^[2]

Stephen F. Austin

Battle of the Piney Woods

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• #2 Bearkats	28	14	21	0	63
Lumberjacks	0	7	14	7	28

Date: October 1
Location: NRG Stadium
Houston, TX
Game start: 3:00 PM CDT
Elapsed time: 3:35
Game attendance: 27,411
Game weather: Indoors • 79 °F (26 °C) outside • Calm wind
Referee: Michael VanderVelde
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

@ Incarnate Word

Sam Houston State at Incarnate Word

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• #2 Bearkats	21	14	21	7	63
Cardinals	7	14	14	13	48

Date: October 8
Location: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium
San Antonio, TX
Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
Elapsed time: 3:30
Game attendance: 5,322
Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind 9 mph (14 km/h) • Mostly Sunny
Referee: Dan Lewis
Television network: ESPN3, UIWtv

Sources: Box Score

Abilene Christian

Abilene Christian at Sam Houston State (homecoming)

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	7	14	21
• #2 Bearkats	7	20	21	0	48

Date: October 15
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game start: 3:00 PM CST
Elapsed time: 3:32
Game attendance: 8,319
Game weather: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind S 9 mph (14 km/h) • Sunny
Referee: Kevin Boutmann
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

@ Nicholls

Sam Houston State at Nicholls

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• #1 Bearkats	10	14	7	7	38
Colonels	0	0	14	7	21

Date: October 22
Location: John L. Guidry Stadium
Thibodaux, LA
Game start: 3:00 PM CDT
Elapsed time: 2:09
Game attendance: 7,759
Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) • Slight wind • Nice
Referee: Michael VanderVelde
Television network: ASN

Sources:

Texas Southern

Texas Southern at Sam Houston State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	10	0	7	17
• #1 Bearkats	28	17	14	7	66

Date: October 29
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
Elapsed time: 3:27
Game attendance: 8,611
Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C) • Wind SSE 6 mph (9.7 km/h) • Clear
Referee: Vidal Jones
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

McNeese State

McNeese State at Sam Houston State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	9	21	13	43
• #1 Bearkats	14	14	21	7	56

Date: November 5
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game start: 6:00 PM CST
Elapsed time: 3:28
Game attendance: 8,025
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind N 4 mph (6.4 km/h) • Overcast
Referee: Marvel July
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

@ Northwestern State

Sam Houston State at Northwestern State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• #1 Bearkats	20	21	0	7	48
Demons	13	0	3	0	16

Date: November 12
Location: Harry Turpin Stadium
Natchitoches, LA
Game start: 6:00 PM CDT
Elapsed time: 3:16
Game attendance: 6,421
Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) • Wind SSE 7 mph (11 km/h) • Calm and cool
Referee: Ross Smith
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

Central Arkansas

Central Arkansas at Sam Houston State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
#11 Bears	0	10	6	7	23
• #1 Bearkats	17	21	14	7	59

Date: November 19
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game start: 2:30 PM CST
Elapsed time: 3:42
Game attendance: 9,182
Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind N 7 mph (11 km/h) • Sunny and clear
Referee: Brad Van Vark
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

FCS Playoffs

Second Round–Chattanooga

Chattanooga at Sam Houston State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
#11 Mocs	0	14	10	12	36
• #1 Bearkats	14	7	14	6	41

Date: December 3
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game start: 2:00 PM CST
Elapsed time: 3:22
Game attendance: 4,897
Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C) • Wind NE 8 mph (13 km/h) • Overcast and drizzly
Referee: Chris La Mange
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

Quarterfinals–James Madison

Sam Houston State at James Madison

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
#1 Bearkats	0	0	0	7	7
• #5 Dukes	21	21	23	0	65

Date: December 9
Location: Bridgeforth Stadium
Harrisonburg, VA
Game start: 6:00 PM CST
Elapsed time: 3:25
Game attendance: 15,646
Game weather: 26 °F (−3 °C) • Wind 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • Clear and light wind
Referee: Jim Crowley
Television network: ESPN2

Sources:

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
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	2	4	3	2	2	2	2	1 (113)	1 (120)	1 (102)	1 (113)	1 (108)	1 (111)	5
Coaches	2	3–T	3	2	2	2	2	1 (21)	1 (23)	1 (22)	1 (22)	1 (21)	1 (22)	5
FCS Playoffs	Not released									2	5	5	Not released

References

^ "Football - 2016 Schedule". Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
^ "Sam Houston State (3–0 , 2–0) -VS- Houston Baptist (2–2 , 1–2)". Houston Baptist University Athletics. Retrieved September 24, 2016.

[gobearkats-1] "Football - 2016 Schedule". Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. Retrieved March 6, 2016.

[2] "Sam Houston State (3–0 , 2–0) -VS- Houston Baptist (2–2 , 1–2)". Houston Baptist University Athletics. Retrieved September 24, 2016.

[1]

[2]


1	8:03	Sam Houston State	Yedidiah Louis 23 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 30 yards, 0:31	7–0

1	2:40	Sam Houston State	Deo Hutchinson 32 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 2:53	14–0

1	2:25	Oklahoma Panhandle State	Devyn Williams 90 yard kickoff return (Sterling Claphan kick), Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00	14–7

1	1:17	Sam Houston State	Avery, Corey 15 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 1:08	21–7

1	0:07	Oklahoma Panhandle State	Andrew Hernandez 69 yard pass from Shane Truelove (Sterling Claphan kick), Drive: 3 plays, 78 yards, 1:06	21–14

2	13:15	Sam Houston State	Tre Honshtein 23 yard field goal, Drive: 7 plays, 35 yards, 1:45	24–14

2	11:04	Sam Houston State	Corey Avery 21 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Tre Honshtein kick), Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 0:47	31–14

2	5:05	Sam Houston State	Javin Webb 9 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick), Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 2:48	38–14

3	10:15	Sam Houston State	Jeremiah Briscoe 8 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick), Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 2:55	45–14

4	13:10	Oklahoma Pandle State	Andrew Hernandez 35 yard pass from D.J. Scott (Sterling Claphan kick), Drive: 1 play, 30 yards, 0:10	45–21

4	11:58	Sam Houston State	Coree Compton 23 yard pass from Caleb Griffin (Tre Honshtein kick), Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards, 1:03	52–21

4	4:58	Sam Houston State	Jordan Brown 1 yard run (Tre Honshtein kick), Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 1:38	59–21


1	13:32	Sam Houston State	Corey Avery 9 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:29	7–0

1	3:32	Lamar	Alex Ball 44 yard field goal, Drive: 18 plays, 54 yards, 7:38	7–3

1	2:07	Sam Houston State	Corey Avery 35 yard pass from Briscoe, Jeremi (Swimberghe, Luc kick), Drive: 5 plays, 86 yards, 1:16	14–3

2	5:27	Sam Houston State	P. J. Hall -8 yard safety, Drive: 2 plays, -8 yards, 0:39	16–3

2	4:54	Sam Houston State	Derrick Dick 35 yard pass from Briscoe, Jeremi (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 65 yards, 0:33	23–3

2	1:32	Sam Houston State	Remus Bulmer 4 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:10	30–3

3	13:37	Lamar	Zae Giles 56 yard pass from Andrew Allen (Ball, Alex kick), Drive: 5 plays, 79 yards, 1:19	30–10

3	3:50	Sam Houston State	Tyler Scott 14 yard pass from Briscoe, Jeremi (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 1:38	37–10

3	0:47	Lamar	Brenda Langley 55 yard run (Alex Ball kick), Drive: 6 plays, 74 yards, 2:58	37–17

4	6:00	Lamar	Carson Earp 67 yard run (Alex Ball kick), Drive: 7 plays, 99 yards, 2:56	37–24

4	3:37	Sam Houston State	Javin Webb 2 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 2:22	44–24

4	0:48	Lamar	Kendrick King 34 yard pass from Andrew Allen (Alex Ball kick), Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 2:41	44–31


1	13:04	Sam Houston State	Javin Webb 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 1:56	7–0

1	6:23	Sam Houston State	Yedidiah Louis 48 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 87 yards, 0:58	14–0

1	2:42	Sam Houston State	Javin Webb 13 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 2:01	21–0

2	13:06	Sam Houston State	Nathan Stewart 8 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 3 plays, 51 yards, 0:41	28–0

2	10:07	Houston Baptist	Alec Chadwick 21 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 2:59	28–3

2	7:20	Sam Houston State	Luc Swimberghe 29 yard field goal, Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 2:41	31–3

2	2:13	Houston Baptist	Alec Chadwick 46 yard field goal, Drive: 11 plays, 51 yards, 5:00	31–6

3	12:16	Houston Baptist	Alec Chadwick 24 yard field goal, Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 2:44	31–9

3	5:46	Houston Baptist	Mev Ajdin 12 yard pass from Tony Dawson (Alec Chadwick kick), Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:38	31–16

3	3:25	Sam Houston State	Davion Davis 17 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 45 yards, 0:22	38–16

4	14:16	Sam Houston State	Remus Bulmer 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 2:31	45–16

4	9:26	Sam Houston State	Remus Bulmer 13 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:23	52–16


1	9:20	Sam Houston State	Yedidiah Louis 37 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 53 yards, 0:44	7–0

1	6:48	Sam Houston State	Davion Davis 57 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 57 yards, 0:40	14–0

1	5:28	Sam Houston State	Corey Avery 7 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 3 plays, 18 yards, 1:16	21–0

1	2:39	Sam Houston State	Nathan Stewart 73 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 79 yards, 0:39	28–0

2	12:13	Sam Houston State	Nathan Stewart 39 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 2:00	35–0

2	10:23	Stephen F. Austin	Jabralon Allen 18 yard pass from Zach Conque (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 1:50	35–7

2	7:29	Sam Houston State	Yedidiah Louis 17 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 2:54	42–7

3	12:05	Stephen F. Austin	Justice Liggins 1 yard pass from Zach Conque (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 2:55	42–14

3	10:22	Sam Houston State	Collin Rison 16 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:43	49–14

3	7:56	Sam Houston State	Corey Avery 21 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 1:42	56–14

3	6:45	Stephen F. Austin	Tamrick Pace 34 yard pass from Hunter Taylor (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:11	56–21

3	1:55	Sam Houston State	Deon Hutchinson 2 yard pass from Jeremiah Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 4:50	63–21

4	7:53	Stephen F. Austin	Loren Easly 7 yard run (Storm Ruiz kick), Drive: 13 plays, 57 yards, 3:54	63–28


1	13:54	Sam Houston State	Davion Davis 12 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 1:06	7–0

1	11:06	Sam Houston State	Corey Avery 54 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 1 play, 54 yards, 0:09	14–0

1	4:08	Incarnate Word	Kody Edwards 13 yard pass from Trent Brittain (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 15 plays, 86 yards, 6:51	14–7

1	3:23	Sam Houston State	Davion Davis 80 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 2 plays, 83 yards, 0:33	21–7

2	11:45	Incarnate Word	Kody Edwards 44 yard pass from Trent Brittain (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 2:18	21–14

2	3:47	Incarnate Word	Trent Brittain 2 yard run (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 5:24	21–21

2	2:08	Sam Houston State	Remus Bulmer 4 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 1:35	28–21

2	0:30	Sam Houston State	Nathan Steward 12 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 0:26	35–21

3	10:54	Incarnate Word	Jamari Gilbert 26 yard pass from Trent Brittain (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 4:06	35–28

3	8:13	Sam Houston State	Corey Avery 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 2:33	42–28

3	6:18	Incarnate Word	Broderick Reeves 25 yard run (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 1:45	42–35

3	4:17	Sam Houston State	Corey Avery 1 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 67 yards, 1:53	49–35

3	0:00	Sam Houston State	Corey Avery 56 yard run (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 78 yards, 1:54	56–35

4	10:48	Sam Houston State	Tyler Scott 5 yard pass from Jeremi Briscoe (Luc Swimberghe kick), Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 2:03	63–35

4	6:13	Incarnate Word	Kody Edwards 43 yard pass from Trent Brittain (Cyril Clarke rush failed), Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:35	63–41

4	0:48	Incarnate Word	Daryl Brooks 36 yard pass from Taylor Laird (Cody Seidel kick), Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:53	63–48

Sam Houston Bearkats football
Venues	Pritchett Field (1912–1985) Bowers Stadium (1986–2024, 2026-) Shell Energy Stadium (2025)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games 2024 New Orleans Bowl Stephen F. Austin: Battle of the Piney Woods Texas State
Culture & lore	Sammy Bearkat "Bearkat Fight Song" Bearkat Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold