Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
American college football season
The 2023 Sam Houston Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in Conference USA during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bearkats were led by tenth-year head coach K. C. Keeler. They played their home games at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas. They were ineligible for a bowl game, the conference championship, or the College Football Playoff due to rules governing transitions from FCS to FBS.[1]
Offseason
Transfers
Outgoing
Player
|
Position
|
Destination
|
Kam Alexander
|
CB
|
UTSA
|
Erick Conley
|
DL
|
None
|
Incoming
[2]
Preseason
Conference USA media poll
|
Predicted finish
|
Team
|
Votes (1st place)
|
1 |
Western Kentucky |
(18)
|
2 |
Liberty |
(4)
|
3 |
Middle Tennessee |
|
4 |
Louisiana Tech |
|
5 |
New Mexico State |
|
6 |
UTEP |
|
7 |
Jacksonville State |
|
T8 |
FIU |
|
Sam Houston |
|
- Source:[3]
Schedule
Sam Houston and Conference USA announced the 2023 football schedule on January 10, 2023.
Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
---|
September 2 | 9:15 p.m. | at BYU* | | FS1 | L 0–14 | 59,006 |
September 9 | 7:00 p.m. | vs. Air Force* | | CBSSN | L 3–13 | 25,121 |
September 23 | 6:00 p.m. | at Houston* | | ESPN+ | L 7–38 | 35,044 |
| 7:00 p.m. | Jacksonville State | | ESPNU | L 28–35 OT | 14,566 |
| 6:00 p.m. | at Liberty | | CBSSN | L 16–21 | 17,100 |
| 8:00 p.m. | at New Mexico State | | CBSSN | L 13–27 | 12,812 |
| 6:00 p.m. | FIU | - Bowers Stadium
- Huntsville, TX
| CBSSN | L 27–33 2OT | 7,543 |
| 7:00 p.m. | UTEP | - Bowers Stadium
- Huntsville, TX
| ESPN2 | L 34–37 | 6,889 |
November 4 | 12:00 p.m. | Kennesaw State*![dagger](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Dagger-14-plain.png) | - Bowers Stadium
- Huntsville, TX
| ESPN+ | W 24–21 | 7,143 |
November 11 | 2:00 p.m. | at Louisiana Tech | | ESPN+ | W 42–27 | 15,080 |
November 18 | 2:30 p.m. | at Western Kentucky | | ESPN+ | L 23–28 | 11,041 |
November 25 | 11:00 a.m. | Middle Tennessee | - Bowers Stadium
- Huntsville, TX
| ESPN+ | W 23–20 | 5,349 |
|
[4]
Game summaries
At BYU
Game information
|
First quarter
- BYU – Kedon Slovis 5-yard run (Will Ferrin kick), 10:39. Cougars 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 2:54.
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
- BYU – Kedon Slovis 1-yard run (Will Ferrin kick), 14:49. Cougars 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 4:56.
|
Statistics |
SHSU |
BYU
|
First downs |
10 |
12
|
Total yards |
185 |
257
|
Rushing yards |
38 |
112
|
Passing yards |
147 |
145
|
Turnovers |
3 |
0
|
Time of possession |
28:27 |
31:33
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
Keegan Shoemaker |
18/33, 147 yards, 3 INT
|
Rushing |
John Gentry |
8 rushes, 19 yards
|
Receiving |
Noah Smith |
3 receptions, 44 yards
|
BYU |
Passing |
Kedon Slovis |
20/33, 145 yards
|
Rushing |
L. J. Martin |
16 rushes, 91 yards
|
Receiving |
Darius Lassiter |
4 receptions, 43 yards
|
Vs. Air Force
Air Force Falcons vs. Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary
Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Falcons |
0 |
3 |
0 | 10 | 13 |
Bearkats |
0 |
0 |
3 | 0 | 3 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information
|
First quarter
Second quarter
- AF – Matthew Dapore 42-yard field goal, 8:36. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 5:03.
Third quarter
- SHSU – Colby Sessums 45-yard field goal, 6:03. Tied 3–3. Drive: 13 plays, 33 yards, 6:49.
Fourth quarter
- AFA – Matthew Dapore 42-yard field goal, 13:41. Falcons 6–3. Drive: 13 plays, 45 yards, 7:15.
- AFA – Owen Burk 5-yard run (Matthew Dapore kick), 5:14. Falcons 13–3. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 6:20.
|
Statistics |
AFA |
SHSU
|
First downs |
18 |
6
|
Total yards |
258 |
80
|
Rushing yards |
244 |
36
|
Passing yards |
14 |
44
|
Turnovers |
1 |
0
|
Time of possession |
36:38 |
23:22
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Air Force |
Passing |
Zac Larrier |
1/3, 14 yards
|
Rushing |
Owen Burk |
18 rushes, 75 yards, TD
|
Receiving |
John Lee Eldridge III |
1 reception, 14 yards
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
Keegan Shoemaker |
8/14, 44 yards
|
Rushing |
Zach Hrbacek |
10 rushes, 29 yards
|
Receiving |
Ife Adeyi |
3 receptions, 20 yards
|
At Houston
Sam Houston State Bearkats at Houston Cougars – Game summary
Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Bearkats |
7 |
0 |
0 | 0 | 7 |
Cougars |
10 |
14 |
7 | 7 | 38 |
at TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information
|
First quarter
- HOU – Jack Martin 23-yard field goal, 9:05. Cougars 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 69 yards, 5:55.
- SHSU – Trapper Pannell 2-yard run (Colby Sessums kick), 6:02. Bearkats 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 83 yards, 2:58.
- HOU – Parker Jenkins 4-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 1:47. Cougars 10–7. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 4:08.
Second quarter
- HOU – Parker Jenkins 1-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 7:22. Cougars 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 4:13.
- HOU – Parker Jenkins 2-yard run (Jack Martin kick), 0:49. Cougars 24–7. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 1:17.
Third quarter
- HOU – Matthew Golden 6-yard pass from Donovan Smith (Jack Martin kick), 2:59. Cougars 31–7. Drive: 15 plays, 86 yards, 8:42.
Fourth quarter
- HOU – Stacy Sneed 58-yard pass from Ui Ale (Jack Martin kick), 10:06. Cougars 38–7. Drive: 1 play, 58 yards, 0:10.
|
Statistics |
SHSU |
HOU
|
First downs |
8 |
27
|
Total yards |
178 |
538
|
Rushing yards |
52 |
186
|
Passing yards |
126 |
352
|
Turnovers |
2 |
0
|
Time of possession |
25:05 |
34:55
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
Grant Gunnell |
14/22, 100 yards, INT
|
Rushing |
Tobias Weaver |
6 rushes, 18 yards
|
Receiving |
John Gentry |
5 receptions, 32 yards
|
Houston |
Passing |
Donovan Smith |
31/40, 294 yards, TD
|
Rushing |
Parker Jenkins |
20 rushes, 105 yards, 3 TD
|
Receiving |
Matthew Golden |
9 receptions, 92 yards, TD
|
Jacksonville State
Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary
Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | OT | Total |
Gamecocks |
7 |
0 |
7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
Bearkats |
14 |
7 |
0 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
Game information
|
First quarter
- JVST – Malik Jackson 26-yard run (Alen Karajic kick), 9:47. Gamecocks 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 86 yards, 0:51.
- SHSU – John Gentry 56-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 8:10. Tied 7–7. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:37.
- SHSU – Noah Smith 22-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 1:37. Bearkats 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 38 yards, 1:02.
Second quarter
- SHSU – Trapper Pannell 3-yard run (Colby Sessums kick), 10:20. Bearkats 21–7. Drive: 11 plays, 89 yards, 5:02.
Third quarter
- JVST – Michael Pettway 31-yard pass from Logan Smothers (Alen Karajic kick), 8:32. Bearkats 21–14. Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 1:46.
Fourth quarter
- JVST – Logan Smothers 16-yard run (kick failed), 8:44. Bearkats 21–20. Drive: 3 plays, 31 yards, 0:57.
- SHSU – Trapper Pannell 1-yard run (Colby Sessums kick), 1:11. Bearkats 28–20. Drive: 7 plays, 20 yards, 0:46.
- JVST – Perry Carter 28-yard pass from Logan Smothers (Logan Smothers pass to Quinton Lane), 0:13. Tied 28–28. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 0:58.
Overtime
- JVST – Sean Brown 24-yard pass from Logan Smothers (Colby Sessums kick). Gamecocks 35–28. Drive: 2 plays, 25 yards.
|
Statistics |
JVST |
SHSU
|
First downs |
20 |
25
|
Total yards |
393 |
435
|
Rushing yards |
196 |
136
|
Passing yards |
197 |
299
|
Turnovers |
3 |
1
|
Time of possession |
17:36 |
42:24
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Jacksonville State |
Passing |
Logan Smothers |
16/28, 197 yards, 3 TD
|
Rushing |
Malik Jackson |
13 rushes, 129 yards, TD
|
Receiving |
Michael Pettway |
3 receptions, 74 yards, TD
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
Keegan Shoemaker |
22/38, 285 yards, 2 TD, INT
|
Rushing |
John Gentry |
30 rushes, 97 yards
|
Receiving |
Noah Smith |
10 receptions, 97 yards, TD
|
At Liberty
Sam Houston State Bearkats at Liberty Flames – Game summary
Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Bearkats |
10 |
0 |
6 | 0 | 16 |
Flames |
7 |
14 |
0 | 0 | 21 |
at Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, Virginia
- Date:
- Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT/7:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy, 68 °F (20 °C)
- Game attendance: 17,100
- Referee: Rory Brenard
- TV announcers (CBSSN): Chick Hernandez and Robert Turbin
- Box score, Recap
Game information
|
First quarter
- LIB - Kaidon Salter 10-yard run (Nick Brown kick), 12:52. Flames 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 2:02.
- SHSU - Al'Vonte Woodard 7-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 6:46. Tied 7-7. Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 6:00.
- SHSU - Colby Sessums 33-yard field goal, 4:27. Bearkats 10-7. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:32.
Second quarter
- LIB - Quinton Cooley 1-yard run (Nick Brown kick), 14:54. Flames 14-10. Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 4:26.
- LIB - CJ Daniels 51-yard pass from Kaidon Salter (Nick Brown kick), 2:21. Flames 21-10. Drive: 4 plays, 62 yards, 1:15.
Third quarter
- SHSU - Al'Vonte Woodard 20 yard-pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Keegan Shoemaker pass incomplete), 4:36. Flames 21-16. Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:48.
Fourth quarter
|
Statistics |
SHSU |
LU
|
First downs |
19 |
19
|
Total yards |
327 |
448
|
Rushing yards |
72 |
191
|
Passing yards |
255 |
257
|
Turnovers |
1 |
1
|
Time of possession |
27:24 |
32:36
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
Keegan Shoemaker |
27/41, 255 yards, 2 TD, INT
|
Rushing |
Keegan Shoemaker |
7 rushes, 52 yards
|
Receiving |
Noah Smith |
13 receptions, 97 yards
|
Liberty |
Passing |
Kaidon Salter |
11/19, 257 yards, TD, INT
|
Rushing |
Quinton Cooley |
17 rushes, 106 yards, TD
|
Receiving |
CJ Daniels |
5 receptions, 157 yards, TD
|
At New Mexico State
Game information
|
First quarter
- NMSU – Diego Pavia 22-yard run (Ethan Albertson kick), 4:46. Aggies 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 87 yards, 6:39.
- NMSU – Trent Hudson 78-yard pass from Diego Pavia (Ethan Albertson kick), 1:42. Aggies 14–0. Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:52.
Second quarter
- NMSU – Ethan Albertson 22-yard field goal, 10:39. Aggies 17–0. Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 4:07.
- NMSU – Ethan Albertson 39-yard field goal, 4:18. Aggies 20–0. Drive: 7 plays, 31 yards, 2:29.
- NMSU – Trent Hudson 12-yard pass from Diego Pavia (Ethan Albertson kick), 0:27. Aggies 27–0. Drive: 11 plays, 89 yards, 1:42.
Third quarter
- SHSU – Noah Smith 16-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (pass failed), 5:55. Aggies 27–6. Drive: 2 plays, 18 yards, 0:34.
Fourth quarter
- SHSU – Noah Smith 6-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 12:01. Aggies 27–13. Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 2:44.
|
Statistics |
SHSU |
NMS
|
First downs |
19 |
20
|
Total yards |
367 |
458
|
Rushing yards |
82 |
172
|
Passing yards |
285 |
286
|
Turnovers |
0 |
0
|
Time of possession |
27:50 |
32:10
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
Keegan Shoemaker |
32/48, 285 yards, 2 TD
|
Rushing |
Keegan Shoemaker |
7 rushes, 42 yards
|
Receiving |
Malik Phillips |
10 receptions, 118 yards
|
New Mexico State |
Passing |
Diego Pavia |
20/36, 286 yards, 2 TD
|
Rushing |
Diego Pavia |
15 rushes, 115 yards, TD
|
Receiving |
Trent Hudson |
3 receptions, 122 yards, 2 TD
|
FIU
FIU Panthers at Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary
Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Panthers |
0 |
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
Bearkats |
0 |
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
- Date:
- Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
- Game attendance: 7,543
- TV: CBSSN
Statistics |
FIU |
SHSU
|
First downs |
|
|
Total yards |
|
|
Rushing yards |
|
|
Passing yards |
|
|
Turnovers |
|
|
Time of possession |
|
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
FIU |
Passing |
|
|
Rushing |
|
|
Receiving |
|
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
|
|
Rushing |
|
|
Receiving |
|
|
UTEP
UTEP Miners at Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary
Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Miners |
0 |
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
Bearkats |
0 |
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
- Date:
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
- TV: ESPN2
Statistics |
UTEP |
SHSU
|
First downs |
|
|
Total yards |
|
|
Rushing yards |
|
|
Passing yards |
|
|
Turnovers |
|
|
Time of possession |
|
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
UTEP |
Passing |
|
|
Rushing |
|
|
Receiving |
|
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
|
|
Rushing |
|
|
Receiving |
|
|
Kennesaw State
Kennesaw State Owls at Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary
Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Owls |
14 |
7 |
0 | 0 | 21 |
Bearkats |
0 |
7 |
7 | 10 | 24 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
- Date: November 4
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 7,143
- Referee: Joe Lehring
- TV: ESPN+
- Box score, Recap
Game information
|
First quarter
- KENN - Michael Benefield 75-yard run (Conor Cummins kick), 11:00. Owls 0-7. Drive: 3 plays, 83 yards, 1:03.
- KENN - Micheal Benefield 3-yard run (Conor Cummins kick), 2:13. Owls 0-14. Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 1:57.
Second quarter
- SHSU - Noah Smith 24-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 7:18. Owls 7-14. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:35.
- KENN - Jonathan Murphy 57-yard run (Conor Cummins kick), 4:58. Owls 21-7. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:20.
Third quarter
- SHSU - Elijah Sohn 5-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 0:33. Owls 14-21. Drive: 13 plays, 74 yards, 5:08.
Fourth quarter
- SHSU - Jay Rockwell 2-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Colby Sessums kick), 3:49. Tied 21-21. Drive: 16 plays, 80 yards, 9:24.
- SHSU - Colby Sessums 35-yard field goal, 0:00. Bearkats 24-21. Drive: 9 plays, 36 yards, 2:59.
|
Statistics |
KSU |
SHSU
|
First downs |
9 |
27
|
Total yards |
291 |
347
|
Rushing yards |
247 |
105
|
Passing yards |
44 |
242
|
Turnovers |
1 |
3
|
Time of possession |
24:06 |
35:54
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Kennesaw State |
Passing |
Johnathan Murphy |
8/14, 44 yards, INT
|
Rushing |
Micheal Benefield |
11 rushes, 108 yards, 2 TD
|
Receiving |
Rowan Darnell |
2 receptions, 18 yards
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
Keegan Shoemaker |
30/38, 242 yards, 3 TD, INT
|
Rushing |
Zach Hrbacek |
18 rushes, 50 yards
|
Receiving |
Noah Smith |
7 receptions, 78 yards, TD
|
At Louisiana Tech
Sam Houston State Bearkats at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs – Game summary
Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Bearkats |
7 |
7 |
14 | 14 | 42 |
Bulldogs |
3 |
3 |
14 | 7 | 27 |
at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, Louisiana
- Date: November 11
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Cloudy, 62 °F (17 °C), SW 8 mph
- Game attendance: 15,080
- Referee: Garrett Dickerson
- TV: ESPN+
Statistics |
SHSU |
LT
|
First downs |
19 |
20
|
Total yards |
413 |
524
|
Rushing yards |
144 |
105
|
Passing yards |
269 |
419
|
Turnovers |
0 |
4
|
Time of possession |
28:37 |
31:23
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
Keegan Shoemaker |
18/28, 269 yards, TD
|
Rushing |
Adrian Murdaugh |
9 carries, 67 yards, TD
|
Receiving |
Noah Smith |
6 receptions, 115 yards
|
Louisiana Tech |
Passing |
Hank Bachmeier |
29/42, 384 yards, 2 INT
|
Rushing |
Charvis Thornton |
2 carries, 48 yards
|
Receiving |
Cyrus Allen |
7 receptions, 170 yards, TD
|
At Western Kentucky
Statistics |
SHSU |
WKU
|
First downs |
|
|
Total yards |
|
|
Rushing yards |
|
|
Passing yards |
|
|
Turnovers |
|
|
Time of possession |
|
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
|
|
Rushing |
|
|
Receiving |
|
|
Western Kentucky |
Passing |
|
|
Rushing |
|
|
Receiving |
|
|
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Sam Houston State Bearkats – Game summary
Quarter |
1 |
2 |
3 | 4 | Total |
Blue Raiders |
0 |
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
Bearkats |
0 |
0 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
- Date: November 25
- Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
Statistics |
MTSU |
SHSU
|
First downs |
|
|
Total yards |
|
|
Rushing yards |
|
|
Passing yards |
|
|
Turnovers |
|
|
Time of possession |
|
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Middle Tennessee |
Passing |
|
|
Rushing |
|
|
Receiving |
|
|
Sam Houston State |
Passing |
|
|
Rushing |
|
|
Receiving |
|
|
References
|
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Venues | |
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Bowls & rivalries | |
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Culture & lore | |
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People | |
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Seasons | |
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National championship seasons in bold |