2014 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team

2014 Sam Houston State Bearkats football
2014 Sam Houston State Bearkats football
Southland co-champion
FCS Playoffs Semifinals, L 3–35 vs. North Dakota State
Conference	Southland Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 6
FCS Coaches	No. 6
Record	11–5 (7–1 Southland)
Head coach	K. C. Keeler (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Phil Longo (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Air raid
Defensive coordinator	Mike Collins (2nd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Brad Sherrod (1st season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Bowers Stadium
	Seasons ← 2013 2015 →

Last updated January 26, 2025

2014 Southland Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 6 Sam Houston St +^	7	–	1	11	–	5
No. 14 SE Louisiana +^	7	–	1	9	–	4
Lamar	5	–	3	8	–	4
Stephen F. Austin ^	5	–	3	8	–	5
Central Arkansas	5	–	3	6	–	6
McNeese State	4	–	4	6	–	5
Abilene Christian *	4	–	4	6	–	6
Northwestern State	4	–	4	6	–	6
Incarnate Word *	2	–	6	2	–	9
Houston Baptist	1	–	7	2	–	9
Nicholls State	0	–	8	0	–	12

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant * – ineligible for FCS playoffs due to transition from NCAA Division II Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 2014 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by first-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium. They are a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 11–5, 7–1 in Southland play to finish in a share of the Southland Conference title. They received the Southland's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Southeastern Louisiana, Jacksonville State, and Villanova to advance to the Semifinals where they lost to North Dakota State. But, along the way they lost to eventual D-2 Champion CSU-Pueblo.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 23	2:30 pm	at No. 1 Eastern Washington *	No. 17	Roos Field Cheney, WA (FCS Kickoff)	ESPN	L 35–56	10,310
August 30	6:30 pm	Alabama State *	No. 17	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX		W 51–20	7,595
September 6	6:30 pm	at No. 12 (FBS) LSU *	No. 15	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	SECN	L 0–56	100,338
September 13	6:30 pm	No. 2 (D-II) CSU–Pueblo *	No. 15	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	BSN	L 21–47	9,678
September 27	7:00 pm	at Lamar		Provost Umphrey Stadium Beaumont, TX		W 42–10	9,308
October 11	3:00 pm	No. 5 McNeese State		Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	SLCTV	W 38–22	8,418
October 18	3:00 pm	at Northwestern State	No. 24	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	SLCTV	L 27–31	7,895
October 25	3:00 pm	Abilene Christian		Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	BSN	W 38–21	7,073
November 1	3:00 pm	vs. No. 24 Stephen F. Austin		Reliant Stadium Houston, TX (Battle of the Piney Woods)	SLCTV	W 42–28	26,788
November 8	6:00 pm	at Incarnate Word		Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium San Antonio, TX		W 40–19	3,476
November 15	3:00 pm	at Houston Baptist		Husky Stadium Houston, TX	FSSW	W 76–0	3,124
November 22	12:30 pm	Central Arkansas	No. 23	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	SLCTV	W 38–31	5,717
November 29	1:00 pm	No. 11 Southeastern Louisiana *	No. 19	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX (NCAA Division I First Round)	ESPN3	W 21–17	4,758	^[1]
December 6	1:00 pm	at No. 3 Jacksonville State *	No. 19	JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN3	W 37–26	10,832	^[2]
December 13	12:00 pm	at No. 5 Villanova *	No. 19	Villanova Stadium Villanova, PA (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal)	ESPN3	W 34–31	2,333
December 19	7:00 pm	at No. 2 North Dakota State *	No. 19	Fargodome Fargo, ND (NCAA Division I Semifinal)	ESPN2	L 3–35	18,025
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[3]

Game summaries

At Eastern Washington

#14 Sam Houston State at #2 Eastern Washington

	1	2	3	4	Total
#14 Bearkats	0	21	0	14	35
• #2 Eagles	7	14	7	28	56

Date: August 23
Location: Roos Field
Cheney, WA
Game start: 12:35 PM PST
Elapsed time: 3:57
Game attendance: 10,310
Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), Sunny, winds NE at 8mph
Referee: Gregg Wilson
TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Colin Cowherd, & Jessica Mendoza

Sources:^[4]

Alabama State

Alabama State at #14 Sam Houston State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	7	3	10	0	20
•#14 Bearkats	14	24	10	3	51

Date: August 30
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game attendance: 7,595

Sources:

At LSU

#15 Sam Houston State at #12 (FBS) LSU

	1	2	3	4	Total
#15 Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
•#12 (FBS) Tigers	20	15	7	14	56

Date: September 6
Location: Tiger Stadium
Baton Rouge, LA
Game attendance: 100,338
Television network: SECN

Sources:

CSU-Pueblo

#2 CSU-Pueblo at #15 Sam Houston State

	1	2	3	4	Total
•#2 (D-II) ThunderWolves	14	13	17	3	47
#15 Bearkats	0	0	7	14	21

Date: September 13
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game start: 6:30 PM CST
Game attendance: 9,678
Television network: BSN

Sources:

At Lamar

Sam Houston State at Lamar

	1	2	3	4	Total
•Bearkats	13	6	7	16	42
Cardinals	0	3	7	0	10

Date: September 27
Location: Provost Umphrey Stadium
Beaumont, TX
Game start: 7:00 PM CST
Game attendance: 9,308

Sources:

McNeese State

#5 McNeese State at Sam Houston State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#5 Cowboys	0	7	0	15	22
•Bearkats	14	7	14	3	38

Date: October 11
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game start: 3:00 PM CST
Game attendance: 8,418
Television network: SLCTV

Sources:

At Northwestern State

#24 Sam Houston State at Northwestern State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#24 Bearkats	14	7	0	6	27
•Demons	7	14	0	10	31

Date: October 18
Location: Harry Turpin Stadium
Natchitoches, LA
Game start: 3:00 PM CST
Game attendance: 7,895
Television network: SLCTV

Sources:

Abilene Christian

Abilene Christian at Sam Houston State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	14	0	7	21
•Bearkats	7	17	7	7	38

Date: October 25
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game start: 3:00 PM CST
Game attendance: 7,073
Television network: BSN

Sources:

Stephen F Austin (Reliant Stadium)

Stephen F. Austin vs Sam Houston State (Battle of the Piney Woods)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	7	7	7	28
•Bearkats	7	14	14	7	42

Date: November 1
Location: Reliant Stadium
Houston, TX
Game start: 3:00 PM CST
Game attendance: 26,788
Television network: SLCTV

Sources:

At Incarnate Word

Sam Houston State at Incarnate Word

	1	2	3	4	Total
•Bearkats	23	7	3	7	40
Cardinals	0	16	0	3	19

Date: November 8
Location: Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium
San Antonio, TX
Game start: 6:00 PM CST
Game attendance: 3,476

Sources:

At Houston Baptist

Sam Houston State at Houston Baptist

	1	2	3	4	Total
•Bearkats	35	20	7	14	76
Huskies	0	0	0	0	0

Date: November 15
Location: Husky Stadium
Houston, TX
Game start: 3:00 PM CST
Game attendance: 3,124
Television network: SLCTV

Sources:

Central Arkansas

Central Arkansas at #23 Sam Houston State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	7	14	0	10	31
•#23 Bearkats	14	10	14	0	38

Date: November 22
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game start: 12:30 PM CST
Game attendance: 5,717
Television network: SLCTV

Sources:

FCS Playoffs

Southeastern Louisiana (FCS Playoffs First Round)

#11 Southeastern Louisiana at #19 Sam Houston State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	3	7	0	7	17
•#19 Bearkats	0	0	7	14	21

Date: November 29
Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX
Game start: 1:00 PM CST
Game attendance: 4,758
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

At Jacksonville State (FCS Playoffs Second Round)

#19 Sam Houston State at #3 Jacksonville State

	1	2	3	4	Total
•#19 Bearkats	7	17	13	0	37
#3 Gamecocks	14	12	0	0	26

Date: December 6
Location: JSU Stadium
Jacksonville, AL
Game start: 1:00 PM CST
Game attendance: 10,832
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

At Villanova (FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals)

#19 Sam Houston State at #5 Villanova

	1	2	3	4	Total
•#19 Bearkats	7	10	7	10	34
#5 Wildcats	13	3	8	7	31

Date: December 13
Location: Villanova Stadium
Villanova, PA
Game start: 12:00 PM CST
Game attendance: 2,333
Television network: ESPN3

Sources:

At North Dakota St (FCS Playoffs Semifinal)

#19 Sam Houston State at #2 North Dakota State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#19 Bearkats	0	3	0	0	3
•#2 Bison	7	0	14	14	35

Date: December 19
Location: Fargodome
Fargo, ND
Game start: 7:00 PM CST
Game attendance: 18,025
Television network: ESPN2

Sources:

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
**Legend:**██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final
Sports Network	17	15	15	25	RV	RV	RV	24	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	19	6
Coaches	14	13	15	25	RV	RV	RV	25	RV	—	RV	RV	RV	19	6

Related Research Articles

Kurt Charles Keeler is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Temple University. Keeler has been the head coach at Sam Houston State University from 2014 to 2024; the University of Delaware, his alma mater, from 2002 to 2012; and at Rowan University from 1993 to 2001.

The Sam Houston Bearkats are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Sam Houston State University, located in Huntsville, Texas. Sam Houston's colors are orange and white. Sam Houston sports teams participate in NCAA Division I in Conference USA (CUSA), having joined that conference on July 1, 2023 after spending 34 years in the Southland Conference and two years in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). SHSU's primary rival is Stephen F. Austin (SFA) and tensions between the two schools can run high before major sporting events that pit one against the other.

The Sam Houston Bearkats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Sam Houston State University located in the U.S. state of Texas. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of the Conference USA. Sam Houston's first football team was fielded in 1912. The team plays its home games at the 14,000-seat Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas. On December 18, 2024, Phil Longo was named the 16th head coach in Sam Houston program history.

The 2011 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by second year head coach Willie Fritz and played their home games at Bowers Stadium. They are a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 14–1, 7–0 in Southland play to win the conference championship. They received the conference's automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs where they advanced to the National Championship Game before falling to North Dakota State 6–17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie Fritz</span> American football player and coach (born 1960)

Willie Fritz is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at the University of Houston. Fritz served as the head football coach at University of Central Missouri from 1997 to 2009, Sam Houston State University from 2010 to 2013, Georgia Southern University from 2014 to 2015, and Tulane University from 2016 to 2023. From 1993 to 1996, he was the head football coach at Blinn College, a junior college in Brenham, Texas, where he led his teams to consecutive NJCAA National Football Championships, in 1995 and 1996.

The 2012 Central Arkansas Bears football team represented the University of Central Arkansas in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bears were led by 13th year head coach Clint Conque and played their home games at Estes Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 9–3, 6–1 in Southland play to share the conference championship with Sam Houston State. Due to their victory over Sam Houston State, the Bears received the Southland's automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs where they lost in the second round to Georgia Southern.

The 2014 Southeastern Louisiana Lions football team represented Southeastern Louisiana University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Lions were led by third-year head coach Ron Roberts and played their home games at Strawberry Stadium. They are a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 9–4 overall, 7–1 in conference play to finish in a share for the Southland title. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they lost in the first round to fellow Southland Conference champion Sam Houston State 21–17.

The 2015 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by second-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 11–4 overall and 7–2 in Southland play to finish in a tie for second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Southern Utah, McNeese State, and Colgate to advance to the Semifinals, where they lost to Jacksonville State. The 2015 season marked the Bearkats' 100th season of football.

The 2015–16 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by sixth year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum and were members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 18–16, 12–6 in Southland play to finish in a tie for third place. They defeated Nicholls State in the quarterfinals of the Southland tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Texas A&M–Corpus Christi. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to Jackson State.

The 2016 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by third-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 12–1 overall and 9–0 in Southland play to win the Southland Conference title. They went undefeated during the regular season with a record of 11–0. They received the Southland's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Chattanooga the second round, only to lose in the quarterfinals to James Madison.

The 2016–17 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by seventh-year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 21–13, 10–8 in Southland play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated Central Arkansas and Houston Baptist to advance to the semifinals of the Southland tournament where they lost to New Orleans. Despite having 21 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

The 2017 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by fourth-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 12–2, 8–1 in Southland play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs where they defeated South Dakota in the first round and Kennesaw State in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to North Dakota State.

The 2017–18 Sam Houston State Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by eighth-year head coach Jason Hooten, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas as members of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 21–15, 12–6 in Southland play to finish in fourth place. They defeated New Orleans in the quarterfinals of the Southland tournament before losing in the semifinals to Southeastern Louisiana. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where, after a first round bye, they defeated Eastern Michigan in the second round and UTSA in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to Northern Colorado.

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The 2019 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by sixth-year head coach K. C. Keeler, the Bearkats compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 6–3 in conference play, tying for third place in the Southland. Sam Houston State played home games at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas.

The 2020 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Southland Conference. The Bearkats were led by seventh-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium.

The 2010 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Willie Fritz, the Bearkats compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 4–3 in conference play, and finished tied for third in the Southland.

The 2009 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Todd Whitten, the Bearkats compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 3–4 in conference play, and finished fifth in the Southland.

The 2008 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Todd Whitten, the Bearkats compiled an overall record of 4–6 with a mark of 2–5 in conference play, and finished tied for sixth in the Southland.

The 2006 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Todd Whitten, the Bearkats compiled an overall record of 6–5 with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, and finished tied for second in the Southland.

References

↑ Lenz, John (November 29, 2014). "Sam Knocks Lions Out of Postseason". Daily Star (Hammond) . p. 1B. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
↑ "Kats advance with 37-26 win at Jax State". Sam Houston State University. December 6, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
↑ "Football - Schedule". Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
↑ "#14 Sam Houston State at #2 Eastern Washington". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved August 23, 2014.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[1] Lenz, John (November 29, 2014). "Sam Knocks Lions Out of Postseason". Daily Star (Hammond) . p. 1B. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.

[2] "Kats advance with 37-26 win at Jax State". Sam Houston State University. December 6, 2014. Retrieved December 6, 2014.

[gobearkats-3] "Football - Schedule". Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. Retrieved April 28, 2014.

[shsugamestats-4] "#14 Sam Houston State at #2 Eastern Washington". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved August 23, 2014.

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[2]

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v t e Sam Houston Bearkats football
Venues	Pritchett Field (1912–1985) Bowers Stadium (1986–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games 2024 New Orleans Bowl Stephen F. Austin: Battle of the Piney Woods Texas State
Culture & lore	Sammy Bearkat "Bearkat Fight Song" Bearkat Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Southland Conference football champions
College Division	Lamar Tech (1964) Lamar Tech (1965) Arlington State & Lamar Tech (1966) UT Arlington (1967) Arkansas State (1968) Arkansas State (1969) Arkansas State (1970) Lamar, Louisiana Tech, & Trinity (1971) Louisiana Tech (1972)
Division II	Louisiana Tech (1973) Louisiana Tech (1974)
Division I	Arkansas State (1975) McNeese State (1976) Louisiana Tech (1977)
Division I-A	Arkansas State & Louisiana Tech (1978) McNeese State (1979) McNeese State (1980) UT Arlington (1981)
Division I-AA/FCS	Louisiana Tech (1982) North Texas State & Northeast Louisiana (1983) Louisiana Tech (1984) Arkansas State (1985) Arkansas State (1986) Northeast Louisiana (1987) Northwestern State (1988) Stephen F. Austin (1989) Northeast Louisiana (1990) McNeese State & Sam Houston State (1991) Northeast Louisiana (1992) McNeese State (1993) North Texas (1994) McNeese State (1995) Troy State (1996) McNeese State & Northwestern State (1997) Northwestern State (1998) Stephen F. Austin & Troy State (1999) Troy State (2000) McNeese State & Sam Houston State (2001) McNeese State (2002) McNeese State (2003) Northwestern State & Sam Houston State (2004) Nicholls State & Texas State (2005) McNeese State (2006) McNeese State (2007) Central Arkansas (2008) McNeese State & Stephen F. Austin (2009) Stephen F. Austin (2010) Sam Houston State (2011) Central Arkansas & Sam Houston State (2012) Southeastern Louisiana (2013) Sam Houston State & Southeastern Louisiana (2014) McNeese State (2015) Sam Houston State (2016) Central Arkansas (2017) Incarnate Word & Nicholls (2018) Central Arkansas & Nicholls (2019) Sam Houston State (2020) Incarnate Word (2021) Incarnate Word & Southeastern Louisiana (2022) Nicholls (2023) Incarnate Word (2024)
National championships in bold

2014 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team

Contents

Schedule

Game summaries

At Eastern Washington

Alabama State

At LSU

CSU-Pueblo

At Lamar

McNeese State

At Northwestern State

Abilene Christian

Stephen F Austin (Reliant Stadium)

At Incarnate Word

At Houston Baptist

Central Arkansas

FCS Playoffs

Southeastern Louisiana (FCS Playoffs First Round)

At Jacksonville State (FCS Playoffs Second Round)

At Villanova (FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals)

At North Dakota St (FCS Playoffs Semifinal)

Ranking movements

Related Research Articles

References