Know the Opponent | Sam Houston State - BleedTechBlue: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Football & Basketball Recruiting

Sam Houston had one of the more successful programs in the FCS before moving up to the FBS. How important was it to the university to move up? What were the thoughts around the program when CUSA became the destination?

I think it was important to make the move because of the ever changing landscape of college football and the massive success the team had at the FCS level. You never know when the invite might come again and the requirements to move up have continued to change even recently with the $5M fee implemented to move up. The team had also finally accomplished its goal of an FCS title and had gotten everything out of the FCS that they could. The appeal of playing on national TV and earning revenue from media deals was also a big appeal that wasn’t available to schools at the FCS level.

Obviously there’s going to be a transition period when moving up from FCS to FBS, what were the expectations for the 2023 season? How have the four 1-score losses impacted the locker room?

My expectations were a 4 or 5 win season this year. That was definitely obtainable as we have seen the team compete in every single CUSA game but now it appears 2 or 3 wins would be a big success after the injuries and close losses the team has had.As much as you would think losing would tear apart the locker it has actually remained in tact. Being around the team I can still see that they play for each other and KC Keeler has repeatedly said this team shows up to work every single day.

The Bearkats offense is averaging only 16 points per game. What has prevented them from having more success thus far?

I think it has been a combination of a few things. 3rd OC in the last three years. An extremely difficult schedule to start the year. A plethora of injuries which includes losing two of your top 3 receivers and 6 running backs.

I believe it is trending in the right direction though as some young players step up and the team begins to find a rhythm. Since conference play started they are averaging close to 24 PPG.

Defensively, Sam Houston State has been pretty solid throughout the year. When this unit is playing well, what are they doing right?

This defense is performing at its best when it stops the run game and makes an offense one dimensional. Some of its best defensive performances have come when they force the offense to throw it more than they would like to such as when they played BYU, Air Force, Liberty and NMSU. Stopping the run begins with guys up front most notably Meatball Smith, Chris Scott, Markel Perry and Issiah Nixon.

For the Bearkats to win on Saturday afternoon, what must KC Keeler’s club do?

I think the biggest key is to start fast. This team has fallen behind by 2+ scores early against Liberty, NMSU, FIU and Kennesaw State and in all but one of those games the final result was a close loss. This team does not have the offensive firepower to play from behind and needs to start quickly to build momentum and allow the offense to have a chance to find its footing and score points.

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