Sam Houston State (10-2) at Eastern Washington (9-3) SATURDAY, 4:30 P.M.
Playoffs
History: Eastern is in the I-AA playoffs for the fourth time and has advanced past the first round for the third time. Sam Houston is also in the playoffs for the fourth time and in the quarterfinals for the second time. The Bearkats lost at Montana in 2001 when the Grizzlies were on their way to the title.
First round: Dustin Long completed 30 of 43 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns and Robert Garmon scored three times on short runs as the Bearkats hammered third-ranked Western Kentucky 54-24. SHSU broke away from a 7-7 tie to lead 37-10 at halftime. The Kats piled up 435 yards and allowed the visitors 344 with three takeaways. Erik Meyer completed 31 of 44 passes for a career-high 437 yards and three touchdowns to rally Eastern to a 35-31 win at top-ranked Southern Illinois. Erik Kimble had 11 catches for 195 yards and three scores and Darius Washington rushed for 101 yards and two TDs against a team allowing 11 points a game. Joey Cwik had 11 tackles as the Eagles held the Salukis to 12 points below their average.
The Bearkats
On the sidelines: Ron Randleman is in his 35th season as a head coach, ranking second among active I-AA coaches with 206 victories, 154 losses and six ties. He was 36-25-2 at Pittsburgh (Kan.) State and made the NAIA finals in 1981. He has been at SHSU for 22 seasons, taking over a struggling NAIA team and has won 129 games and lost 114 with three ties. He is a past president of both the I-AA and NAIA Football Coaches Association.
On the field: Behind Dustin Long, the Bearkats sling the ball. The 6-3, 210-pound senior transferred from Texas A&M in January and piled up 3,735 yards on 260-of-417 passing with 36 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Jason Godfrey (6-0, 225) leads the team in rushing with 634 yards, although he missed two games. Stevie Smith (5-11, 190) and Robert Garmon (6-0, 185) add 376 and 255, respectively, with six touchdowns each. Seven players have more than 15 receptions and seven average more than 10 yards a catch. The leaders are Jarrod Fuller (5-8, 170) with 82 for 1,188 yards (14.5) average and eight TDs and Jason Mathenia (6-0, 195) , 57 for 1,071 (18.8) and 11 scores. Strong safety Paul Donaldson and linebacker Marcus Mikulec lead the defense in tackles with 86 and 84, respectively, with free safety Chadd Oliphant right behind at 76. Donaldson has 10 tackles for loss and cornerback Mark Hughes has five interceptions.
The stats: Sam Houston has the No. 2 passing offense at 346.91 yards a game and is No. 4 in total offense (375.73). Overall they are sixth in scoring at 37.82. The Bearkats allow 375 yards and 22.36 points a game. Teams have averaged 167.18 yards rushing against them. They have allowed 45 points in a game twice and three other times gave up at least four TDs. The Bearkats convert 46 percent of third downs, hold opponents to 39 percent and are plus-6 in turnovers.
Notable: At 10-2, the Bearkats are the most improved team in NCAA football this year, coming back from a 2-9 record last year to win the Southland Conference co-championship.
– Dave Trimmer, staff writer