American college football season
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.
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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[a] | 6:00 p.m. | No. 7 Richmond* | No. 3 | | ESPN3 | W 48–34 | 8,048 |
| 6:30 p.m. | at Prairie View A&M* | No. 3 | | ESPNU | W 44–31 | 8,465 |
September 23 | 6:00 p.m. | Nicholls State | No. 3 | - Bowers Stadium
- Huntsville, TX
| ESPN3 | W 66–17 | 12,863 |
September 30 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 11 Central Arkansas | No. 3 | | ESPN3 | L 30–41 | 11,347 |
October 7 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. Stephen F. Austin | No. 9 | | ESPN3 | W 27–16 | 26,792 |
October 14 | 3:45 p.m. | Northwestern State | No. 9 | - Bowers Stadium
- Huntsville, TX
| ELVN | W 40–36 | 5,229 |
October 21 | 3:00 p.m. | Lamar | No. 7 | - Bowers Stadium
- Huntsville, TX
| ESPN3 | W 63–27 | 8,031 |
October 28 | 7:00 p.m. | at Southeastern Louisiana | No. 5 | | ESPN3 | W 33–23 | 6,027 |
November 4 | 1:00 p.m. | Incarnate Word | No. 5 | - Bowers Stadium
- Huntsville, TX
| ESPN3 | W 57–20 | 5,077 |
November 11 | 6:00 p.m. | at Abilene Christian | No. 4 | | ESPN3 | W 44–35 | 5,995 |
November 18 | 1:00 p.m. | Houston Baptist | No. 5 | - Bowers Stadium
- Huntsville, TX
| ESPN3 | W 53–33 | 6,515 |
December 2 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 16 South Dakota* | No. 5 | | ESPN3 | W 54–42 | 4,401 |
December 9 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 18 Kennesaw State* | No. 5 | - Bowers Stadium
- Huntsville, TX (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal)
| ESPN3 | W 34–27 | 5,725 |
December 15 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 4 North Dakota State* | No. 5 | | ESPN2 | L 13–55 | 18,279 |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Central time
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- ^ Game was originally scheduled for August 27, but postponed and relocated due to Hurricane Harvey.
[1]
Richmond at Sam Houston State[2][3]
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
No. 7 Spiders |
6 |
14 | 7 | 7 |
34 |
• No. 3 Bearkats |
6 |
35 | 7 | 0 |
48 |
- Date:
- Location: McLane Stadium
Waco, TX - Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
- Elapsed time: 3:50
- Game attendance: 8,048
- Game weather: 90 °F (32 °C) • S 5–10 mph (8.0–16.1 km/h) • Fair skies
- Referee: Dan Romeo
- TV announcers (ESPN3): Play-By-Play: Mike Couzens Analysis: John Congemi
Sources:[2][3]
|
Sam Houston State at Prairie View A&M[4][5]
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
• No. 3 Bearkats |
17 |
13 | 7 | 7 |
44 |
Panthers |
3 |
14 | 7 | 7 |
31 |
- Date:
- Location: Panther Stadium at Blackshear Field
Prairie View, TX - Game start: 6:30 p.m. CDT
- Elapsed time: 3:29
- Game attendance: 8,468
- Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Sunny
- Referee: Eddie Kelley
- TV announcers (ESPNU): Play-By-Play: Eric Clemons Analysis: Jay Walker
Sources:[4][5]
|
Nicholls at Sam Houston State[6][7]
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Colonels |
0 |
3 | 0 | 14 |
17 |
• No. 3 Bearkats |
14 |
24 | 21 | 7 |
66 |
- Date: September 23
- Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX - Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
- Elapsed time: 3:30
- Game attendance: 12,863
- Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C) • S 5–10 mph (8.0–16.1 km/h) Calm • Clear and sunny
- Referee: Dan Lewis
- TV announcers (ESPN3): Play-By-Play: Randy McIlvoy • Analysis: Shea Walker
Sources:[6][7]
|
Sam Houston State at Central Arkansas[8][9]
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
No. 3 Bearkats |
7 |
10 | 7 | 6 |
30 |
• No. 11 Bears |
14 |
17 | 3 | 7 |
41 |
- Date: September 30
- Location: Estes Stadium
Conway, AR - Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT
- Elapsed time: 3:44
- Game attendance: 11,347
- Referee: Brandon Cruise
- TV announcers (ESPN3): Play-By-Play: Randy McIlvoy • Analysis: Shea Walker • Sideline: Tatum Everett
Sources:[8][9]
|
Vs. Stephen F. Austin
[edit]
Battle of the Piney Woods[10][11]
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Lumberjacks |
0 |
13 | 0 | 3 |
16 |
• No. 9 Bearkats |
17 |
3 | 0 | 7 |
27 |
- Date: October 7
- Location: NRG Stadium
Houston, TX - Game start: 1:00 p.m. CDT
- Elapsed time: 3:37
- Game attendance: 26,792
- Game weather: Indoors
- Referee: Ross Smith
- TV announcers (ESPN3): Play-By-Play: Randy McIlvoy • Analysis: Shea Walker • Sideline: Tatum Everett
Sources:[10][11]
|
Northwestern State at Sam Houston State
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Demons |
17 |
10 | 9 | 0 |
36 |
• No. 9 Bearkats |
7 |
14 | 7 | 12 |
40 |
- Date: October 14
- Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX - Game start: 3:45 p.m. CDT
- Game attendance: 5,229
- Television network: ELVN
Sources:
|
Lamar at Sam Houston State (homecoming)
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Cardinals |
7 |
13 | 7 | 0 |
27 |
• No. 7 Bearkats |
16 |
31 | 10 | 6 |
63 |
- Date: October 21
- Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX - Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT
- Game attendance: 8,031
- Television network: ESPN3
Sources:
|
@ Southeastern Louisiana
[edit]
Sam Houston State at Southeastern Louisiana
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
• No. 5 Bearkats |
9 |
7 | 10 | 7 |
33 |
Lions |
3 |
13 | 7 | 0 |
23 |
- Date: October 28
- Location: Strawberry Stadium
Hammond, LA - Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT
- Game attendance: 6,027
- Television network: ESPN3
Sources:
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | | | | – |
| 2 | | | | – |
| 3 | | | | – |
| 4 | | | | – |
|
Incarnate Word at Sam Houston State
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Cardinals |
7 |
7 | 0 | 6 |
20 |
• No. 5 Bearkats |
23 |
13 | 21 | 0 |
57 |
- Date: November 4
- Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX - Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST
- Game attendance: 5,077
Sources:
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | | | | – |
| 2 | | | | – |
| 3 | | | | – |
| 4 | | | | – |
|
@ Abilene Christian
[edit]
Sam Houston State at Abilene Christian
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
• No. 4 Bearkats |
24 |
0 | 7 | 13 |
44 |
Demons |
0 |
7 | 14 | 14 |
35 |
- Date: November 11
- Location: Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium
Abilene, TX - Game start: 6:00 p.m. CST
- Game attendance: 5,995
Sources:
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | | | | – |
| 2 | | | | – |
| 3 | | | | – |
| 4 | | | | – |
|
Houston Baptist at Sam Houston State
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Huskies |
7 |
7 | 7 | 12 |
33 |
• No. 5 Bearkats |
26 |
7 | 13 | 7 |
53 |
- Date: November 18
- Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX - Game start: 1:00 p.m. CST
- Game attendance: 6,515
Sources:
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | | | | – |
| 2 | | | | – |
| 3 | | | | – |
| 4 | | | | – |
|
South Dakota–Second Round
[edit]
FCS Playoffs Second Round
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
No. 16 Coyotes |
7 |
7 | 14 | 14 |
42 |
• No. 5 Bearkats |
14 |
27 | 0 | 13 |
54 |
- Date: December 2
- Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX - Game start: 2:00 p.m. CST
- Game attendance: 4,401
Sources:
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | | | | – |
| 2 | | | | – |
| 3 | | | | – |
| 4 | | | | – |
|
Kennesaw State–Quarterfinals
[edit]
FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
No. 18 Owls |
7 |
3 | 3 | 14 |
27 |
• No. 5 Bearkats |
14 |
10 | 3 | 7 |
34 |
- Date: December 9
- Location: Bowers Stadium
Huntsville, TX - Game start: 7:30 p.m. CST
- Game attendance: 5,725
- Television network: ESPN3
Sources:
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | | | | – |
| 2 | | | | – |
| 3 | | | | – |
| 4 | | | | – |
|
@ North Dakota State–Semifinals
[edit]
FCS Playoffs Semifinals
|
1 |
2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
No. 5 Bearkats |
3 |
0 | 10 | 0 |
13 |
• No. 4 Bison |
21 |
20 | 14 | 0 |
55 |
Sources:
|
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | | | | – |
| 2 | | | | – |
| 3 | | | | – |
| 4 | | | | – |
|
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes | Week |
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
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STATS FCS | 3 (7) | 3 (2) | 3 | 3 (1) | 3 (2) | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
---|
Coaches | 3 (3) | 3 (1) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
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- ^ "Football – 2017 Schedule". Sam Houston State University Department of Athletics. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
- ^ a b "Richmond vs Sam Houston State (Sept 1, 2017)". Retrieved September 6, 2017.
- ^ a b "2017 SHSU FB Game Notes: Richmond" (PDF). Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ a b "Sam Houston State vs Prairie View (Sept 7, 2017)". Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ a b "2017 SHSU FB Game Notes: Prairie View A&M" (PDF). Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ a b "Nicholls vs Sam Houston State (Sept 23, 2017)". Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ a b "2017 SHSU FB Game Notes: Nicholls" (PDF). Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ a b "Sam Houston State vs Central Arkansas (Sept 30, 2017)". Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ a b "2017 SHSU FB Game Notes: Central Arkansas" (PDF). Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ a b "Sam Houston State vs Stephen F. Austin (Oct 07, 2017)". Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ a b "2017 SHSU FB Game Notes: Stephen F. Austin" (PDF). Retrieved November 21, 2017.
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Culture & lore | |
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National championship seasons in bold |