Story by
The Huntsville Item, Texas
Bearkats fall in final midweek CUSA contest
- Story byThe Huntsville Item, Texas
- Bearkats fall in final midweek CUSA contest
SPRINGFIELD, MO — For the second consecutive year, Sam Houston will fall short of bowl eligibility.
The Bearkats have dropped four straight Conference USA games after opening the season 0-3.
The lone win for Sam Houston (1-7, 0-4 CUSA) was against FCS Nicholls, who are 3-5 overall and 2-3 in Southland play.
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This time, the Bearkats fell 24-3 to Missouri State after starting quarterback Landyn Locke was unable to play after an injury last week.
With Locke sidelined, Sam Houston turned to Brett Holloway for one drive before giving the keys to DJ Bailey. Outside of the opening drive, Bailey took the rest of the snaps and never really got anything going.
Bailey's first drive under center went 58 yards on eight plays, resulting in a field goal from Sam Carpenter. That was the last time Sam Houston sniffed points until late in the fourth quarter.
Sam Houston attempted a 57-yard field goal from Carpenter, which was fielded by Missouri State in the end zone before the half.
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As a whole, Sam Houston managed 284 yards, the most against an FBS opponent since a 269-yard outing against Texas Tech. In the previous three games, Sam Houston failed to cross the 250-yard mark in its previous three games.
After deferring the ball until the second half, Sam Houston's defense opened things up strong. Missouri State (3-5, 2-2 CUSA) was held to a seven-play, 39-yard drive that saw coach Casey Woods trot out Yousef Obeid for a 50-yard attempt.
Obeid's kick went right and kept the game scoreless.
Holloway then entered as the field general for Sam Houston. Under his direction, the offense went three-and-out where the offense netted zero yards after Holloway was taken down for a loss of five.
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The defense wouldn't be so lucky on the second drive. Sam Houston left Isaiah Myers wide open for a 32-yard score. That play was the only offense either team had in the first half, as Sam Houston saw a 68-yard play from Bailey to Jerrian Parker nullified by a hold.
Bailey did get the Bearkats in field goal range on that drive.
As the offense continues to struggle, it doesn't get any help with penalty flags. For the second straight week, Sam Houston was flagged over 10 times. It was the first time that happened since the 2017 season.
The offense was flagged five times for 30 yards, with the hold being the most critical. The defense was flagged the other five times for 54 yards. This is coming off a performance that saw 13 flags for 138 yards.
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Heading into the eighth game, Sam Houston ranked 125th in the nation in penalty yards per game, something they can't afford to lose.
Despite that, Sam Houston was still in the game until the closing minutes. The final nail was a muffed punt by Tim Burns Jr. that set the Bears up with a fresh set of downs on Sam Houston's 18-yard line. With the 14-point lead, they had an opportunity to shave the clock to 3:46 before taking a 21-point lead.
Connor Lair added the final score on the ground, with Henry Belvin IV tossing for two scores.
Bailey's 258-yard air game was the most for the Kats since the Nicholls game, and the first time doing so against an FBS opponent since the second week against Troy.
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The ground game was once again neglected as Sam Houston ran the ball a total of 16 times, with running backs for 65 yards. If you include the five Missouri State sacks, the Bearkat run game accounted for 26 yards.
Sam Houston's questions continue to mount, and that will only amplify over the next 11 days. Sam Houston won't return to action until Nov. 7th when it travels to Jax State.
Until then, the offense will remain with several questions to be answered as the season is officially lost.
