Published: September 27, 2008 12:48 am      

One last opportunity for Kats

Sam Houston hopes to see where it stands against Gardner-Webb

Sam Houston State has been in this situation before, especially the past two seasons — a long trip to another Football Championship Subdivision opponent and one final tune-up before beginning Southland Conference play.

Two years ago, the Bearkats went to Missouri State and came away with a thrilling 20-17 victory. Last season, Sam Houston went way up north to battle North Dakota State, falling in a heartbreaker 41-38.

Today, the guys in the orange and white will face off with Gardner-Webb at 5 p.m. in Boiling Springs, N.C.

What makes this game important is that it is the Bearkats’ only true test before league action begins. Sam Houston opened the season with a rout of Division II East Central Oklahoma. After Hurricane Ike forced the Kats to cancel their FCS game against Prairie View A&M on Sept. 13, the only other time SHSU has seen the field was a 38-14 loss to Kansas, the 18th-ranked Football Bowl Subdivision team in the country, last weekend.

So this is it, the opportunity to see how the Bearkats stack up on a level playing field.

“When you start off with a D-II it isn’t much of a test because you are supposed to win that game,” SHSU senior wide receiver Justin Wells said. “When you face a team like KU you aren’t expected to win, so it is tough to judge that too. So this is a good test because (Gardner-Webb) is FCS just like us. It should be a good test for our offense and defense.”

Even though the Kats would have loved to get in the game against Prairie View, today’s contest is exactly what they need before the start of conference. Sam Houston hopes to contend for an SLC championship this season, and things are going to be tough from the start.

The Bearkats (1-1) have to open at Central Arkansas on Oct. 11, the longest conference trip of the year, and the Bears have dominated SHSU the past two seasons in Huntsville. That’s what makes today key, a long road trip against an SLC-caliber program in the Bulldogs (2-1) since that will be the scenario in two weeks.

“I like playing on the road early because it is like the road that is going to show up in the Southland Conference and that is a tough trip,” SHSU head coach Todd Whitten said. “I think that this is going to be good for us. I regret that we lost the game against Prairie View, but I like taking tough road trips early. It gives us a chance to fight through them and play well.”

The Sam Houston State offense has proven it can move the ball against a Division II and FBS opponent, averaging 429.5 yards a game in the win over East Central and the loss to Kansas.

Sam Houston also played well defensively. The Bearkats’ starting unit didn’t allow the Tigers to put points on the board (ECU scored two touchdowns against backups) and held the high-powered Jayhawks scoreless for most of the first half.

There have been a few areas of concern for SHSU this season on offense, defense and special teams, but with the chance to play back-to-back games for the first time, the Kats could bring it all together today.

“Traveling on the road is a good test and it keeps everybody together,” SHSU junior linebacker Luke McCall said. “As far as Gardner-Webb, they are a lot like a Southland Conference team. They mix up the pass and run as far as the offense goes. I think it will be a good game for us heading into conference because we will know where we stand going into conference.”