Box Score Oct. 29, 2011
Box Score
HUNTSVILLE - No. 6-ranked Sam Houston State scored on six of its nine first half possessions and held Lamar University scoreless for the first time this season as the Bearkats coasted to a 66-0 win Saturday afternoon at Bowers Stadium.
Lamar, who has lost four straight games, falls to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in Southland Conference play. Sam Houston State improved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in SLC play. The Cardinals return home to host Stephen F. Austin next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Provost-Umphrey Stadium.
The Cardinals entered the game averaging 383 yards per game but were limited to just 98 total yards on 55 plays by a stingy Bearkat defense. SHSU had little trouble moving the ball, rushing for 382 and passing for 177 for 559 total yards. The 66-point margin of defeat was the second largest in school history, trailing last season's 68-point margin at SFA (71-3).
"We got it handed to us today," said LU head coach Ray Woodard. "They were much better than we were, and we picked the wrong day not to play well. I figured we were going to have a tough time anyway. We were going to have to play our best ball even to have an opportunity, and we didn't even come close to that. I have to give Sam Houston a lot of credit."
It was an inauspicious start for the Cardinals as Bearkat quarterback Brian Bell hit Richard Sincere on a 77-yard scoring strike on the game's first play from scrimmage.
"It was busted coverage from the coverage we put in since the first day," Woodard said. "Poor coaching on my part, I guess. When you play them, you're always looking for the run more, but we just didn't play it properly."
Lamar quarterback Andre Bevil was flushed from the pocket and fumbled the ball away to the Bearkats on the Cards' first possession. Bell hit Ryan Wilson for a 2-yard touchdown to give SHSU a quick 14-0 lead with 11:47 remaining in the first quarter.
Daxton Swanson intercepted Bevil and returned it to the Lamar 1 on the Cardinals ensuing possession. Tim Flanders, who rushed for 54 yards on 13 carries, scored on a 1-yard plunge to give the Bearkats a 21-0 lead.
Sincere, who frequently lines up at quarterback in the Bearkats version of the `Wildcat' formation, scored on a 40-yard run to extend their lead to 28-0 with 7:07 remaining in the second quarter. Flanders added two more scores on runs of 7 and 2 yards to give SHSU a 42-0 halftime lead.
Lamar received the second half kickoff and put together its best drive of the game. Doug Prewitt, playing after both Bevil and Jeremy Johnson sustained injuries, connected with Marcus Jackson on an 11-yard completion. Prewitt then scrambled for 11 yards to the LU 43.
After the drive was aided by a personal foul against the Bearkats, Prewitt hit Kendrick Prejean for 12 yards to the SHSU 36. That's where the drive stalled. The Cardinals turned the ball over on downs after three straight incompletions.
SHSU responded with a scoring drive on its first possession of the second half. Ryan Wilson capped the 8-play, 69-yard drive with a 17-yard run to extend the lead to 49-0.
Wilson, who finished with 102 yards on seven carries, scored on a 3-yard run with 3:28 remaining in the third. Keyshawn Hill took over at tailback for the Bearkats late in the third and rushed for a game-high 135 yards on 14 carries. He scored on a 28-yard TD run with 53 seconds left in the third to make the score 63-0.
SHSU closed out the scoring on Craig Alaniz' 25-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to provide the final margin. Bell completed 5-of-8 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns.
Prewitt, a sophomore from Beaumont, was the Cardinals leading rusher with 23 yards on six carries. He completed 5-of-15 passes for 46 yards. J.J. Hayes caught four passes for 37 yards.
