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NCAA DIVISION I-AA PLAYOFF
http://www.shsu.edu/~ath_www/football/gamepreview.html
SAM HOUSTON 54, WESTERN KENTUCKY 24
After 10 minutes of football, there was no doubt who was the better team on the field in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs at Bowers Stadium.
Sam Houston State jumped on Western Kentucky early and never let up in a dominating 54-24 victory over the Hilltoppers on Saturday afternoon. The Bearkats will now travel to Eastern Washington, which was an upset winner over No. 1 seed Southern Illinois, for a quarterfinal matchup.
Right off the bat, the Bearkats took advantage of the first of several WKU miscues. On the second play of the game, running back Lerron Moore was hit by Greg Brown and fumbled the ball. Chadd Oliphant recovered it for the Bearkats at the WKU 24-yard line.
Six plays later, Robert Garmon carried it to the end zone for a two-yard SHSU score.
"We forced that turnover on that first drive and that just gave us confidence," SHSU safety Paul Donelson said. "When we have confidence we can really get it going."
The Hilltoppers bounced right back when quarterback Justin Haddix completed a pass to Maurice Perkins for a 54-yard touchdown to even the score. But it was all Bearkats after that.
SHSU quarterback Dustin Long marched the Bearkats down the field, capping an eight-play drive with a six-yard pass to Vince Cartwright.
On the next WKU possession, SHSU's Robert Herron blocked a punt and D.D. Terry fell on it at the WKU 3. One play later, Garmon reached the end zone for the second time.
Two minutes later, special teams did the trick again. For the second time, SHSU blocked a Western Kentucky punt, this time by Corey Zeno, and the ball rolled out the back of the end zone for a safety.
"Those two punt blocks and the fumble were so big, because it really gave them some momentum early and also gave them great field position," Western Kentucky head coach David Elson said. "I didn't have this football team ready to play today, and that was a big part of the reason the first quarter went the way that it did."
Herron said the Bearkats didn't do anything different on their punt block. He said a hole just opened up and he was able to slip past the block.
"The whole week, coach (Tom) Herman was telling us the left wing was supposed to be their weak point, but we just hit them from both sides," Herron said. "I have been telling everyone since we started the playoffs that special teams was going to be the main key to win throughout the playoffs. We knew the offense and defense were going to do a good job, but we felt like we could change the game."
With a 23-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, the SHSU offense did what it does best - throw the football. Long and running back Jason Godfrey marched the ball downfield after the free kick and capped the drive with a touchdown pass to Garmon, his third score of the day.
Long finished the game completing 31-of-44 passes for 327 yards and five touchdowns. SHSU head coach Ron Randleman said he felt like the offense would have an opportunity for some big numbers against the Hilltoppers.
"We knew they had never seen a passing offense like ours," Randleman said. "So if we could just go out and do what we knew we were capable of, then we were going to be in good shape."
The Bearkats offense scored again at the end of the second quarter on a pass from Long to Jarrod Fuller, giving them a 37-10 lead heading into the break.
Then at the beginning of the second half, the SHSU offense pretty much put a stop to any hopes the Hilltoppers had of a comeback. The Kats marched 80 yards in 10 plays and used 4:08 off the clock, scoring on a 6-yard pass from Long to Corey Roberts for a 44-10 lead.
Long did all his damage in the first three quarters before taking a seat in the fourth. He was also very effective passing in a stiff wind all game.
"You really can't make adjustments, because you never know how hard the wind is going to be blowing," Long said about dealing with the wind. "You just have to give our receivers credit for getting to the ball, because it was never going straight, and was just dancing around."
The final touchdown march of the afternoon for the Bearkats finished off a 95-yard drive, and once again Long finished it off with a scoring strike to Cartwright.
Eight different Kats caught passes Saturday, including little-used Blake Martin, who hauled in four for 49 yards.
The win was just the second in the Division I-AA playoffs for the Bearkats, and they will now advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2001 season.
"It was an honor to be one of 16 and it is a real thrill being one of eight," Randleman said. "The thing about I-AA and the rankings is there is really not much play out of the league, so you really don't know what to expect."
http://www.shsu.edu/~ath_www/football/gamepreview.html
SAM HOUSTON 54, WESTERN KENTUCKY 24
After 10 minutes of football, there was no doubt who was the better team on the field in the first round of the Division I-AA playoffs at Bowers Stadium.
Sam Houston State jumped on Western Kentucky early and never let up in a dominating 54-24 victory over the Hilltoppers on Saturday afternoon. The Bearkats will now travel to Eastern Washington, which was an upset winner over No. 1 seed Southern Illinois, for a quarterfinal matchup.
Right off the bat, the Bearkats took advantage of the first of several WKU miscues. On the second play of the game, running back Lerron Moore was hit by Greg Brown and fumbled the ball. Chadd Oliphant recovered it for the Bearkats at the WKU 24-yard line.
Six plays later, Robert Garmon carried it to the end zone for a two-yard SHSU score.
"We forced that turnover on that first drive and that just gave us confidence," SHSU safety Paul Donelson said. "When we have confidence we can really get it going."
The Hilltoppers bounced right back when quarterback Justin Haddix completed a pass to Maurice Perkins for a 54-yard touchdown to even the score. But it was all Bearkats after that.
SHSU quarterback Dustin Long marched the Bearkats down the field, capping an eight-play drive with a six-yard pass to Vince Cartwright.
On the next WKU possession, SHSU's Robert Herron blocked a punt and D.D. Terry fell on it at the WKU 3. One play later, Garmon reached the end zone for the second time.
Two minutes later, special teams did the trick again. For the second time, SHSU blocked a Western Kentucky punt, this time by Corey Zeno, and the ball rolled out the back of the end zone for a safety.
"Those two punt blocks and the fumble were so big, because it really gave them some momentum early and also gave them great field position," Western Kentucky head coach David Elson said. "I didn't have this football team ready to play today, and that was a big part of the reason the first quarter went the way that it did."
Herron said the Bearkats didn't do anything different on their punt block. He said a hole just opened up and he was able to slip past the block.
"The whole week, coach (Tom) Herman was telling us the left wing was supposed to be their weak point, but we just hit them from both sides," Herron said. "I have been telling everyone since we started the playoffs that special teams was going to be the main key to win throughout the playoffs. We knew the offense and defense were going to do a good job, but we felt like we could change the game."
With a 23-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, the SHSU offense did what it does best - throw the football. Long and running back Jason Godfrey marched the ball downfield after the free kick and capped the drive with a touchdown pass to Garmon, his third score of the day.
Long finished the game completing 31-of-44 passes for 327 yards and five touchdowns. SHSU head coach Ron Randleman said he felt like the offense would have an opportunity for some big numbers against the Hilltoppers.
"We knew they had never seen a passing offense like ours," Randleman said. "So if we could just go out and do what we knew we were capable of, then we were going to be in good shape."
The Bearkats offense scored again at the end of the second quarter on a pass from Long to Jarrod Fuller, giving them a 37-10 lead heading into the break.
Then at the beginning of the second half, the SHSU offense pretty much put a stop to any hopes the Hilltoppers had of a comeback. The Kats marched 80 yards in 10 plays and used 4:08 off the clock, scoring on a 6-yard pass from Long to Corey Roberts for a 44-10 lead.
Long did all his damage in the first three quarters before taking a seat in the fourth. He was also very effective passing in a stiff wind all game.
"You really can't make adjustments, because you never know how hard the wind is going to be blowing," Long said about dealing with the wind. "You just have to give our receivers credit for getting to the ball, because it was never going straight, and was just dancing around."
The final touchdown march of the afternoon for the Bearkats finished off a 95-yard drive, and once again Long finished it off with a scoring strike to Cartwright.
Eight different Kats caught passes Saturday, including little-used Blake Martin, who hauled in four for 49 yards.
The win was just the second in the Division I-AA playoffs for the Bearkats, and they will now advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2001 season.
"It was an honor to be one of 16 and it is a real thrill being one of eight," Randleman said. "The thing about I-AA and the rankings is there is really not much play out of the league, so you really don't know what to expect."