FCS PLAYOFFS
Sam Houston State opens the postseason vs. South Dakota.
Records: Series history: Key players:
No. 5 Sam Houston State 10-1, South Dakota 8-4. First meeting. Sam Houston – QB Jeremiah Briscoe, RB Corey Avery, S Josh Price; South Dakota – QB Chris Streveler, WR Brandt Van Roekel, LB Phillip Powell.
Who has the edge
Offense — Sam Houston State. The Bearkats receive only a slight advantage in a matchup of the top two FCS offenses. They average 544.6 yards per game and the Coyotes produce 514.2. The Coyotes have fewer turnovers this season, and they’re slightly better on the ground, but the Bearkats have three more TDs (62-59) in one less game. Briscoe is 258of-456 passing for 3,893 yards, 37 TDs and 11 INTs.
Defense — South Dakota. Again, give the Coyotes an edge here, but it’s tight. They’re surrendering 27.4 fewer yards per contest but they both average 1.8 takeaways per game and the Bearkats are better on third-down defense, with opponents going 56-of-186 (30.1 percent). LB Justin Johnson leads Sam Houston with 77 tackles, with 7.5 for loss, four sacks, one INT and one forced fumble. LB Jim Litrenta paces South Dakota with 78 tackles.
Special teams — Sam Houston
State. The Bearkats boast four return TDs. South Dakota has zero. Davion Davis returned two punts for scores, Justin Gil recovered a blocked punt in the end zone against Richmond, and Jaylen Harris has 631 yards and one TD on 26 kickoff returns. Sam Houston’s also more likely to trot out its kicker, with Tre Honshtein going 9-of-11 in the last five games. South Dakota K Ryan Weese is 4-for-5 in his last five.
Notable: Davis, a junior receiver, was named Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year last week. It’s the third straight season a Bearkats player earned the league’s top offensive honor. Yedidiah Louis was the SLC Offensive Player of the Year last year. Davis leads the team
with 133.4 all-purpose yards per game, 17 total TDs (14 receiving, two PRs, one rushing) and 61 receptions for 990 yards.
About Sam Houston State: The fifth-ranked Bearkats earned a top-eight seed for the FCS playoffs, at No. 6, giving them a first-round bye last week. Now they open with a favorable matchup that promises to be a shootout, something the Bearkats know a thing or two about. In addition to Davis and Briscoe, WR Nathan Stewart (57-1,305, 14 TDs receiving) and Avery (139839, 11 TDs rushing) are big-time weapons waiting to erupt.
About South Dakota: The Coyotes clipped No. 22 Nicholls State 38-31 in the first round of the playoffs (Sam Houston beat Nicholls 66-17 on Sept. 23). Van Roekel supplied the game-winning score on a 10-yard pass from Streveler with 5:57 remaining. The Coyotes finished the regular season on a threegame losing streak in Missouri Valley Conference play, falling to Northern Iowa (34-29), North Dakota State (49-14) and South Dakota State (31-28).