1. SHSU (9) 79
2. McNeese (1) 71
3. SF Austin 53
4. Central Ark 46
5. Northwestern 32
6. SE Lousiana 32
7. Nicholls 23
8. Lamar 13
Discuss on Katfans here: http://katfans.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3103
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Darnell Taylor - Week 3 POTW
Darnell Taylor has been named the Katfans.com Player of the Week for Week 3. While the main focus after the game was the Kats’ dominating running tandem of Richard Sincere and Tim Flanders, it was Darnell Taylor’s explosiveness on the defensive side that held the #18 team in the nation to only 10 points. Taylor, a junior from Mesquite, Texas finished the UCA game with 11 tackles, including 1 tackle for loss.
Darnell Taylor isn’t the only play on the roster from Mesquite, Texas. He also isn’t the only player with the last named Taylor on the roster from Mesquite, Texas. Darnell’s brother, Darius Taylor led the linebacking core for the Bearkats with 8 tackles of his own, and a 6 yard sack. The Taylor brothers were the Bearkat’s two leading tacklers this past Saturday.
Darnell Taylor was also awarded the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against UCA. Taylor leads a Bearkat Defense that ranks second in rush defense, seventh in total defense, and third in points allowed.
The Bearkats return to the gridiron on Saturday, September 24, 2011 as they face off against the University of New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque, NM. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 pm (MT), with live updates available from Katfans.com and on Twitter @Katfansdotcom
Darnell Taylor isn’t the only play on the roster from Mesquite, Texas. He also isn’t the only player with the last named Taylor on the roster from Mesquite, Texas. Darnell’s brother, Darius Taylor led the linebacking core for the Bearkats with 8 tackles of his own, and a 6 yard sack. The Taylor brothers were the Bearkat’s two leading tacklers this past Saturday.
Darnell Taylor was also awarded the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against UCA. Taylor leads a Bearkat Defense that ranks second in rush defense, seventh in total defense, and third in points allowed.
The Bearkats return to the gridiron on Saturday, September 24, 2011 as they face off against the University of New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque, NM. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 pm (MT), with live updates available from Katfans.com and on Twitter @Katfansdotcom
Monday, September 19, 2011
Katfans.com Week 3 Power Poll
- SHSU (5) 74
- McNeese (3) 67
- SFA (2) 64
- UCA 50
- Nicholls 34
- Southeastern 29
- Northwestern 29
- Lamar 12
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The Battle in Bohler - Match 3
PULLMAN, Washington - The Kats came out mentally focused in their match against tournament host, WSU, who had gone undefeated so far through the tournament. The team fought hard through all 4 sets, but came up short, losing to the Cougs 25-17, 21-25, 25-20, and 25-18. While Kaylee Hawkins led the Kats with 13 kills, it was the WSU outside hitter, Meagan Ganzer that shined with 21 kills. The Kats saw a great effort by sophomore Tayler Gray, who added 10 digs in the match, while only appearing briefly in serving opportunities.
Throughout the match, the Kats seemed even with the Cougs, until the middle of the sets. At that time, the Cougs tended to slowly pull away from the Kats. In the second set, the Kats were able to reverse roles and take a notch out of the Cougs. During the 4 set match, there were 9 lead changes and 26 tie scores, which shows the Kats fight early on each set.
A big advantage for the Cougs were there size, where they averaged a full 2 inches over the entire team, and especially on the net, where the average advantage was 3 or 4 inches. While the mistakes were limited, the Kats were never able to get a nice string of points lined out, except in their second match.
WSU finished the tournament undefeated, while San Francisco went 2-1, Sam Houston State 1-2, and Manhattan College finshed 0-3. Kelli Stewart and Kaylee Hawkins were selected to the all tournament team, while WSU's Meagan Ganzer pulled our MVP honors. The Kats return to Texas to start playing in the Lumberjack Invitational next weekend.
Throughout the match, the Kats seemed even with the Cougs, until the middle of the sets. At that time, the Cougs tended to slowly pull away from the Kats. In the second set, the Kats were able to reverse roles and take a notch out of the Cougs. During the 4 set match, there were 9 lead changes and 26 tie scores, which shows the Kats fight early on each set.
A big advantage for the Cougs were there size, where they averaged a full 2 inches over the entire team, and especially on the net, where the average advantage was 3 or 4 inches. While the mistakes were limited, the Kats were never able to get a nice string of points lined out, except in their second match.
WSU finished the tournament undefeated, while San Francisco went 2-1, Sam Houston State 1-2, and Manhattan College finshed 0-3. Kelli Stewart and Kaylee Hawkins were selected to the all tournament team, while WSU's Meagan Ganzer pulled our MVP honors. The Kats return to Texas to start playing in the Lumberjack Invitational next weekend.
Battle in Bohler - Match 2
PULLMAN, Washington - The Kats headed back to the court for the night game against Manhattan College, who gave WSU a tough match in their afternoon game. Manhattan College is coached by a former WSU graduate assistant, so his eye was on a successful homecoming. The match would be close the entire time, but the Kats pulled ahead late in each match secure a 3 set victory. Led by Kaylee Hawkins, the Kats defeated the Jaspars 26-24, 25-20, and 25-23.
Hawkins led all Kats with 17 kills in the match, and netted 10 digs to finish the night. Kym Loving, a fifth year senior from Cypress Springs set up 38 assists for the night. The most noticeable change from the first match against the University of San Francisco was the disappearance of freshman Deveny Wells-Gibson, as well as Kelli Stewart, who had a very limited role in the second match. While Wells-Gibson was out of the starting line-up, the Kats opted for Jamie Haas at libero, and she didn't disappoint, coming up big on numerous occasions.
This match showed the Kats resilience, and their ability to bounce back after a loss earlier in the afternoon. The Kats face tournament host WSU in the final game tomorrow at Bohler Gym. WSU handed Manhattan College a thorough defeat, only needing 3 matches to finish the game.
Hawkins led all Kats with 17 kills in the match, and netted 10 digs to finish the night. Kym Loving, a fifth year senior from Cypress Springs set up 38 assists for the night. The most noticeable change from the first match against the University of San Francisco was the disappearance of freshman Deveny Wells-Gibson, as well as Kelli Stewart, who had a very limited role in the second match. While Wells-Gibson was out of the starting line-up, the Kats opted for Jamie Haas at libero, and she didn't disappoint, coming up big on numerous occasions.
This match showed the Kats resilience, and their ability to bounce back after a loss earlier in the afternoon. The Kats face tournament host WSU in the final game tomorrow at Bohler Gym. WSU handed Manhattan College a thorough defeat, only needing 3 matches to finish the game.
The Battle in Bohler - Match 1
The Battle in Bohler
Match 1 vs. San Francisco
25-15 25-17 27-25
PULLMAN Whether it was the time zone change or the quick turnaround from their previous tournament, the Kats came out looking a little flat. Pullman is known for it’s dry air, higher elevation, and a gym that’s designed specifically for volleyball matches. While the marginal Cougar might wonder, who are the Bearkats, the San Francisco team looked poised to upset the Bearkats.
The match started off slow; with SF handing the Kats a solid first set beating. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, but rather a lack of solid mental preparedness. Athletically, the Kats should have won, but they were riddled with mistakes early on. A miscommunication here, a missed assignment there. It wasn’t that the Kats were unprepared; they just weren’t where they needed to be when they needed to be there.
Noticably absent from play was Carli Kolbe, who was reported injured earlier this week. Also sidelined was Courtny Laskowski who dawned the warmups. The one Kat that saw considerably playing time through all three sets was Fr outside hitter, Deveny Wells-Gibson. It was only in the third set that she took some time out and the Kats started a late set rally. The Kats ended the third setting battling back from a 24-18 advantage to SF. They fought down and tied the match up, but couldn’t pull it through.
Match 2 pits Sam Houston against Manhattan College, who gave WSU all they could handle in the first 2 sets of their first match of the tournament. Match time is set for 4:30 PST (6:30 for those back home). Tomorrow’s matchup pits host WSU vs. SHSU in the primetime spot at 6:30. That match is available online through the WSUCougars.com athletic site.
Match 1 vs. San Francisco
25-15 25-17 27-25
PULLMAN Whether it was the time zone change or the quick turnaround from their previous tournament, the Kats came out looking a little flat. Pullman is known for it’s dry air, higher elevation, and a gym that’s designed specifically for volleyball matches. While the marginal Cougar might wonder, who are the Bearkats, the San Francisco team looked poised to upset the Bearkats.
The match started off slow; with SF handing the Kats a solid first set beating. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, but rather a lack of solid mental preparedness. Athletically, the Kats should have won, but they were riddled with mistakes early on. A miscommunication here, a missed assignment there. It wasn’t that the Kats were unprepared; they just weren’t where they needed to be when they needed to be there.
Noticably absent from play was Carli Kolbe, who was reported injured earlier this week. Also sidelined was Courtny Laskowski who dawned the warmups. The one Kat that saw considerably playing time through all three sets was Fr outside hitter, Deveny Wells-Gibson. It was only in the third set that she took some time out and the Kats started a late set rally. The Kats ended the third setting battling back from a 24-18 advantage to SF. They fought down and tied the match up, but couldn’t pull it through.
Match 2 pits Sam Houston against Manhattan College, who gave WSU all they could handle in the first 2 sets of their first match of the tournament. Match time is set for 4:30 PST (6:30 for those back home). Tomorrow’s matchup pits host WSU vs. SHSU in the primetime spot at 6:30. That match is available online through the WSUCougars.com athletic site.
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Week 1 SHSU Football
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - Week 1 SHSU Football
Mike Silva - KatFans.com Writer
It's always good for a team to pick up where it left off. If they left last season on a good note, that is.
Luckily, for the Bearkats, the season ended with another 100-yard rushing performance from Southland Newcomer of the Year, Timothy Flanders, and most importantly, a victory.
Sam Houston State met a familiar foe in Western illinois Thursday night, avenging last year's brutal, 56-14 beatdown, by opening the season with a 20-6 win over the Leathernecks.
Starting the season 1-0 is always better than starting 0-1, but how a team notches that first "W" is telling of how the team will play for the season.
A win is a win is a win, but as with any game--and this 14-point victory was no exception--there's always a healthy mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
THE GOOD
Perhaps the most striking number of SHSU's first win was the number "6." That's exactly how many points the Kats' defense surrendered.
Down the 2010 stretch, the Bearkats defensive unit persevered with each game, climbing from one of the SLC's worst units to a stingy, run stuffing squad intent on shutting down opponents with tenacity. That continued Thursday.
The SHSU pass rush was in full effect, bringing down WIU's quarterback tandem of Josh Hudson and Will Lunt a total of five times. But the front line didn't only smother the pocket in the passing game, the Leatherneck run game had little breathing room, as well.
WIU carried the rock 28 times for a measly 37 yards, a mere 1.3 yards per carry. SHSU recorded a total of 12 tackles for a loss, held the Leathernecks to just four third-down conversions out of 13 attempts, and forced an interception along the way. To say the defense looked "good" is an understatement.
Another good site for SHSU fans was seeing Flanders add yet another 100-yard game to his resume, giving him eight for his Bearkat career.
Flanders, who finished with 948 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, both conference highs, missed the majority of three games last season with an ankle injury. To see him carry the ball 24 times to open the season is a sure sign that he's ready to go in 2011. The potential for a full season with Flanders in the backfield gives the Kats a strong chance to win in the Southland.
The final thing that stood out in Thursday's win was efficient ball movement on offense.
Sophomore Brian Bell (16-22, 198 yards, 2 TDs) connected with seven difference receivers throughout the night, getting just about everyone involved. Last year saw a majority of Richard Sincere and Seth Patterson reeling in catches. To see a wider array of players getting touches on the O speaks to the versatility of the unit and Bell's maturation under center.
THE BAD
All three of SHSU's conference losses last season came consecutively, and each one was within one score of going the other way.
In fact, all three L's came by a combined 11 points. One of the culprits was the field-goal-kicking unit.
Kicker Miguel Antonio nailed just 14 of 23 attempts, a tame 61 percent. One of the field goals he missed was a potential game-winner at Northwestern State.
Though the three points left on the table last night didn't determine the game, Antonio missed a 40-yarder, finishing two for three in the win.
If the Kats want to claim the SLC crown, they'll have to win the close ones, where executing on special teams is crucial.
Another concern for SHSU should be in pass protection.
Though Bell completed a high percentage of his passes (73 percent), he might have done even better had he been given more time in the pocket. The Leathernecks sacked Bell three times last night, and forced him to fumble.
Protecting Bell and keeping him comfortable will result in wins.
THE UGLY
By far, the ugliest sight of the night was the Leathernecks' attempt at a run game.
Their leading rusher, Caulton Ray, had 14 carries for 48 yards. 19 of those yards came on one carry, meaning outside of that one burst, he ran the ball 13 times for 29 yards. Take that run away, the team finishes with 28 yards on 27 carries. Ouch. "Look out! Only 72 more carries away from reaching Flanders' total!"
But WIU's run game wasn't the only ugly site of the season opener. The Kats don't walk away clean here.
Leatherneck receiver Terriun Crump reeled in five catches for 127 yards and a 92-yard score.
SHSU's achilles heel last season was the secondary, in particular, the team's inability to stop big plays.
It would take all the fingers of at least two, maybe three hands, to count all the big plays SHSU surrendered in 2010. To put it into perspective, Nicholls' longest play against the Kats in last season's meeting was 33 yards. Of all the game-high plays against SHSU, that one was the shortest.
On the bright side, this once young and inexperienced defense has grown up together, and with another year under head coach Willie Fritz and defensive coordinator Scott Stoker, it should only continue to improve.
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