From the press box: Sam Houston State vs. SFA

Courtesy of Sam Houston Football

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HOUSTON – Sam Houston State (4-0) overcame a 20-6 deficit in the fourth quarter and the absence of starting quarterback Eric Schmid to win its 10th straight Battle of the Piney Woods in a 21-20 win over Stephen F. Austin.

It was the 95th meeting between the two rivals, and the first since both programs moved to the WAC. The win moves Sam Houston’s overall winning streak to 15 games. Sophomore Keegan Shoemaker replaced Schmid, and the sophomore proved a gamer in the fourth quarter despite a few mistakes in the first 45 minutes of game action. 

SFA was up 13-0 at one point in the first half and 20-6 after a touchdown pass from Trae Self to Lawton RiKel. Sam Houston showed the maturity and confidence that comes with being the defending FCS champs over the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter by outscoring SFA 14-0 down the stretch.

Three things I know: 

Sam Houston stole one: The Bearkats had no business winning this game, but championship teams figure out a way to win even when things aren’t going right. Sam Houston was stopped on fourth down twice in the first quarter. Shoemaker threw an interception in the first half that led to a touchdown and coughed up a fumble in the third quarter that also led to an SFA touchdown. Sam Houston never panicked and never threw in the towel. 

SFA will feel crushed: The Lumberjacks outplayed Sam Houston for the first 50 minutes of game action on Saturday. Unfortunately for SFA, a college football game last 60 minutes. SFA was up 13-0 until 1:32 left in the first half and 20-6 until 9:08 in the fourth quarter. The inability of the Lumberjacks to close either half, especially the fourth quarter, exposed the next step needed for the SFA program: Composure in big moments. Winning rivalry games is never easy, and SFA learned that the hard way…again. 

Colby Carthel has SFA moving in the right direction: SFA was 6-15 in the two seasons prior to Carthel’s hiring in December of 2018. The Jacks went 9-24 in 2019 and opted out of the spring season offered to FCS programs in 2021 due to the pandemic. While Sam Houston was winning a championship, Carthel was instilling a new culture into his locker room. The proof is in the banana pudding. SFA is 3-2 and there are six more games on the regular season schedule. The only losses for SFA were a six-point loss at Tech and the one-point loss to Sam Houston. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, even if the loss will sting for a whole calendar year.  

Three things I think I know: 

Sam Houston isn’t the same without quarterback Eric Schmid: Schmid, a junior, piloted Sam Houston to an FCS championship in the spring and to a 14-game winning streak entering the 95th Battle of the Piney Woods. He was a late scratch. Sam Houston turned to sophomore Keegan Shoemaker and the drop off was noticeable. Shoemaker is a talented player with a bright upside, but he made a few mistakes that it is hard to imagine the experienced Schmid would make in such an important game. The Bearkats need a healthy Schmid to defend its national championship in 2021.

The SFA defense is legit: Sam Houston entered the game undefeated and averaging 46.3 points per game through three contests in the fall of 2021. The Lumberjacks defense made life difficult throughout the game and set the tone in the first quarter when it turned Sam Houston over on downs twice and recorded one interception by the end of the first quarter. The SFA offense continued to put the defense in bad positions and eventually the Jacks wore down defensively. 

Sam Houston can repeat: It’ll require a healthy Schmid, but Sam Houston possesses enough talent and moxxy to repeat as FCS national champions in 2021. The Bearkats played poorly for most of the game and still emerged victorious against a quality opponent in a rivalry game. That wasn’t the ideal performance by K.C. Keeler’s bunch, but it provided plenty of teachable moments, allowed the backup quarterback to get some experience and notched a 10th consecutive win in the Battle of the Piney Woods. The players won’t be looking forward to the next film session, but ugly wins are necessary in pursuit of greatness. 

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