| 2023Sam Houston Bearkats football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Conference USA |
| Record | 3–9 (2–6 C–USA) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Brad Cornelsen (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Co-defensive coordinators |
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| Base defense | 4–2–5 |
| Home stadium | Bowers Stadium |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25Liberty y$ | 8 | – | 0 | 13 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico State y | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jacksonville State* | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee | 3 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sam Houston* | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Louisiana Tech | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIU | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship:Liberty 49, New Mexico State 35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2023 Sam Houston Bearkats football team representedSam Houston State University inConference USA during the2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bearkats were led by tenth-year head coachK. C. Keeler. They played their home games atBowers Stadium inHuntsville, Texas. They were ineligible for abowl game,the conference championship, or theCollege Football Playoff due to rules governing transitions fromFCS toFBS.[1] The Sam Houston Bearkats football team drew an average home attendance of 8,298 in 2023.[2]
| Player | Position | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Kam Alexander | CB | UTSA |
| Erick Conley | DL | None |
| Player | Position | Previous Team |
|---|---|---|
| Bobby Duncum | DL | SMU |
| Grant Gunnell | QB | North Texas |
| Rhett Larson | OT | SMU |
| Jaden Phillips | EDGE | New Mexico |
| Xavier Ward | QB | Washington State |
| John Gentry | RB | Utah State |
| Akeem Smith | DL | Georgia State |
| 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 | ||
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. | atBYU* | 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. | atHouston* |
| ESPN+ | L 7–38 | 35,044 |
| September 28 | 7:00 p.m. | Jacksonville State | ESPNU | L 28–35OT | 14,566 | |
| October 5 | 6:00 p.m. | atLiberty | CBSSN | L 16–21 | 17,100 | |
| October 11 | 8:00 p.m. | atNew Mexico State | CBSSN | L 13–27 | 12,812 | |
| October 18 | 6:00 p.m. | FIU |
| CBSSN | L 27–332OT | 7,543 |
| October 25 | 7:00 p.m. | UTEP |
| ESPN2 | L 34–37 | 6,889 |
| November 4 | 12:00 p.m. | Kennesaw State*![]() |
| ESPN+ | W 24–21 | 7,143 |
| November 11 | 2:00 p.m. | atLouisiana Tech | ESPN+ | W 42–27 | 15,080 | |
| November 18 | 2:30 p.m. | atWestern Kentucky | ESPN+ | L 23–28 | 11,041 | |
| November 25 | 11:00 a.m. | Middle Tennessee |
| ESPN+ | W 23–20 | 5,349 |
| ||||||
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bearkats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cougars | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
atLaVell Edwards Stadium •Provo, Utah
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | SHSU | BYU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 11 | 12 |
| Plays–yards | 57–185 | 67–257 |
| Rushes–yards | 23–38 | 33–112 |
| Passing yards | 147 | 145 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–33–3 | 20–33–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:27 | 31:33 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston | 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 | LJ Martin | 16 rushes, 91 yards | |
| Receiving | Darius Lassiter | 4 receptions, 43 yards |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| Bearkats | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
| 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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bearkats | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Cougars | 10 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
atTDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
| 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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamecocks | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Bearkats | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
atBowers Stadium,Huntsville, Texas
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Overtime
|
| 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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bearkats | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
| Flames | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
atWilliams Stadium,Lynchburg, Virginia
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bearkats | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Aggies | 14 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
atAggie Memorial Stadium,Las Cruces, New Mexico
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
| 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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bearkats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
| 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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miners | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bearkats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
| 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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owls | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Bearkats | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
| Game information |
|---|
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
|
| 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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bearkats | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
| Bulldogs | 3 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 27 |
atJoe Aillet Stadium,Ruston, Louisiana
| 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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bearkats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
atHouchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium,Bowling Green, 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 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Raiders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bearkats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
| 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 |