Bearkats rout Cardinals to stay unbeaten
HUNTSVILLE — On a day quarterback Eric Schmid wasn’t at his best, it was the defense that contributed the most in top-ranked Sam Houston extending its winning streak to 16 games and picking up its 150th victory at Bowers Stadium.
The Bearkats constantly stuffed the run, harassed Lamar quarterbacks and, to put it simply, made things miserable for the Cardinals’ offense in a 41-7 beatdown.
“My concern is that you almost take winning for granted. We can’t do that,” Bearkats coach K.C. Keeler said. “It’s hard coming off an emotional, physical game we had last week.”
Two years ago at Bowers, Lamar outlasted Sam Houston 20-17 in triple overtime. Keeler called this a potential trap game after Sam Houston rallied to beat Stephen F. Austin 21-20 last week at NRG Stadium. Less stress was in play on Saturday.
An enthusiastic crowd of 9,836 saw complete dominance by Sam Houston, which limited the Cardinals to 23 rushing yards, good for 0.6 yards per run. Sam Houston (5-0) outgained Lamar (2-3) 438-158 in the Western Athletic Conference matchup.
“A good victory. Defense played lights out, kept us in the game,” Keeler said. “Eric probably played his worst game since he became a Bearkat. He didn’t play well and sometimes you’re going to have that.”
Schmid completed only 13 of 31 passes and was intercepted twice.
Taking up the offensive slack was backup running back Noah Smith, whose career-best 119 yards was part of the Bearkats’ 267 yards on the ground. One of Smith’s 14 carries went for a 49-yard score off a direct snap.
“I knew I had to step up because Ramon ( Jefferson) was aching; he wasn’t going to come out after the half,” Smith said. “I knew Coach was going to lean on me. We talked about it at halftime.”
The Bearkats led 20-7 at the break and continued to build on a comfortable lead, scoring the final 21 points to run their record to 5-0 entering a muchneeded open date.
Running the ball became a staple for the Kats. Jefferson scored from 5 yards in the first quarter, and Kyran Jackson scored from 4 yards in the final quarter.
Schmid sat out last week, healing from a season’s worth of pounding. On Saturday, he showed signs of rust from the inactivity, but the senior was steady, passing for 159 yards and leading the Bearkats to five scoring drives.
Schmid threw a pair of touchdown passes — 34 yards to Cody Chrest and 9 yards to Chandler Harvin.
Keegan Shoemaker, Schmid’s backup, threw a 12-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to Tony Williams.
Stymied in trying to run against linemen Jahari Kay, Joseph Wallace and Trace Mascorro, and linebackers Trey Fields and Markel Perry, Lamar was more effective in throwing the ball. A healthy portion of its 135 passing yards came on sneak routes out of the backfield or tight end crosses from backup quarterback Michael Chandler, who completed 11 of 18 passes.
Lamar starting quarterback Jalen Dummett was ineffective and was pulled after his third series. Dummett threw interceptions to Kameryn Alexander and Braiden Clopton and was 0-for-2 passing.
But Chandler was at a disadvantage. All of the Cardinals’ offensive linemen are freshmen, and Sam Houston’s defense feasted at the situation. Mascorro and Wallace had 1½ sacks each. Reserve lineman Kamren Washington came in late and managed to pick up four tackles — three solo — and a sack.
“We knew what we were dealing with,” Mascorro said. “But, at the same time, we’re not going to be complacent with teams we’re playing. We’re still going to try our best, and that showed today.
“It’s a great feeling when you can rely on the defense. Keep the emotion going.”