Published: November 05, 2006 01:16 am            

Still in the hunt

Scrappy Bearkats erase early deficit, stuff SFA late in game to win 21-17

NACOGDOCHES — With their backs against the wall and the season hanging in the balance, the Bearkats could have easily packed it in when they fell behind 14-0 on Saturday night at Homer Bryce Stadium.

But Sam Houston State persevered thanks to a nearly unstoppable passing game and came up with a big fourth-down stop deep inside its own territory in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to rally past archrival Stephen F. Austin 21-17 in Nacogdoches.

With the Battle of the Piney Woods victory, the Kats (5-4 overall) remain tied atop the Southland Conference with McNeese State at 3-1. The Cowboys beat Southeastern Louisiana 34-13 Saturday.

SFA fell to 2-2 in SLC play and 2-7 on the season.

“I’m just so proud of our seniors, how they hung in there and fought. They have been doing it all season,” Bearkats coach Todd Whitten said. “We didn’t have any turnovers tonight, and that allowed us to move the ball. Our hats are off to SFA. They are a heck of a football team, and this could have gone either way. We are just thankful it fell our way.”

The Bearkats fell behind 14-0 in the first half and struggled to get anything going on offense. But right before halftime, quarterback Brett Hicks was able to find some open seams over the middle to help SHSU move the ball for the first time all night.

He hit Brandon Perry for a 14-yard gain to move the ball around midfield, then Hicks found Michael Malone for 18 more before connecting with Blake Martin for 31 to get the ball down to the SFA 12. Another completion to Perry picked up a first down inside the 3, and running back D.D. Terry eventually found the end zone on fourth and goal from the 1. But a missed extra point by kicker Michael Capparrelli kept SFA up 14-6.

The Bearkats picked up where they left off in the second half, scoring on a 2-yard pass when Perry reeled in a tipped ball by tight end Dustin Dziuk in the right corner of the end zone. The play was set up thanks to a clutch 26-yard catch by Catron Houston on second and long. Terry tied it up with a two-point conversion run.

SFA answered with 26-yard field goal to go back up on the ensuing possession, but thanks to a key 11-yard run on third and 10 by Terry and some big pass plays by Perry and Martin, the Kats went up for good on a 1-yard plunge by Andrew Audelin.

Punter Curtis Parks connected on an extra point to give the Kats a 21-17 lead with just under 13 minutes left in the game.

The Lumberjack defense keyed on Terry, who rushed for a season-low 32 yards, but Hicks was able to open up the offense with 223 yards through the air and a touchdown. Perry finished the night with seven catches for 97 yards, Martin added two grabs for 44 and Michael Malone had two for 24.

“We knew we had to get the passing game going because D.D. is one of the best running backs in the country and the way to stop him is to stack the box,” Hicks said. “They played to stop D.D., and we took advantage of that. We knew we had a good passing game, and the last two weeks have been shaky, but we had some guys out there making plays. It was good to get back on track.”

The SHSU defense picked up the tempo in the second half. After giving up 165 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, the Bearkats held the Lumberjacks to 117 and a field goal in the second.

The Kats put pressure on multi-threat quarterback Danny Southall with sacks by Ed Jackson, Brandon Villanueva and Aaron Ivey. SHSU also controlled the line of scrimmage, coming up with nine tackles for a loss.

Most importantly, the Bearkats made some big plays when the game was on the line, stopping running back Louie Runnels on fourth and one at the Bearkat 8 with two and a half minutes left in the game to seal the victory.

“We knew if we stopped them then we would win the game,” said linebacker Luke McCall, who led the Kats with 10 tackles. “We also knew if we stopped them, then we would still be in the conference race, and if we didn’t, it could be our season. They came up the middle on short yardage, and we just stuffed it.”

The Bearkats now have a tough road ahead of them with a game at Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday before closing out the season at home against Texas State on Nov. 18.

        

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