2022 Sam Houston Bearkats football team

The 2022 Sam Houston Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University as a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by ninth-year head coach K. C. Keeler, the Bearkats compiled an overall record of 5–4. Sam Houston played home games at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas.

2022 Sam Houston Bearkats football
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	5–4 (3–2 WAC)
Head coach	K. C. Keeler (9th season)
Offensive coordinator	John Perry (1st season; first five games) Matt Merkens (interim; remainder of season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Co-defensive coordinator	Clayton Carlin (6th season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Joe Morris (2nd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Bowers Stadium

2022 Western Athletic Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Stephen F. Austin +		3	–	1					6	–	5
Abilene Christian +		3	–	1					7	–	4
Sam Houston *		3	–	2					5	–	4
Utah Tech *		2	–	2					4	–	7
Tarleton *		1	–	3					6	–	5
Southern Utah		1	–	3					5	–	6
+ – Conference co-champions * Note: Sam Houston ineligible for WAC championship and FCS postseason play due to start of transition to FBS; Tarleton and Utah Tech ineligible for FCS postseason play due to transition from NCAA Division II. Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2022 season was the program's last season as a member of the WAC as the Bearkats joined Conference USA in 2023.

Offseason

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Position	Destination
Kamren Washington	DL	Memphis
Ramon Jefferson	RB	Kentucky
Princeton Pines	IOL	Tulane
John Mathis	DL	Incarnate Word
Eleasah Anderson	OT	Western Michigan

Incoming

Player	Position	Previous Team
Al'Vonte Woodard	WR	Texas
Chris Murray	DL	TCU
Jordan Yates	QB	Georgia Tech
Toby Ndukwe	EDGE	SMU
Lloyd Murray Jr.	DL	Colorado
Simeon Evans	QB	Army
Ellison Hubbard	DL	Colorado State
B.J. Foster	S	Texas

Schedule

Sam Houston and the WAC announced the 2022 football schedule on January 12, 2022.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	11:00 a.m.	at No. 6 (FBS) Texas A&M*	Kyle Field College Station, TX	SECN	L 0–31	97,946
September 10	6:00 p.m.	Northern Arizona*	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN+/ATTSN	L 3–10	7,117
September 17	6:00 p.m.	Texas A&M–Commerce*	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN+	W 27–17	8,675
October 1	2:30 p.m.	vs. Stephen F. Austin	NRG Stadium Houston, TX (rivalry)	ESPN+	W 17–16	26,826
October 15	2:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Eastern Kentucky*	Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY	ESPN+	W 25–17	13,187
October 22	8:00 p.m.	at Utah Tech	Greater Zion Stadium St. George, UT	ESPN+	W 18–13	2,719
October 29	7:00 p.m.	at Tarleton State	Memorial Stadium Stephenville, TX	ESPN+	W 40–21	20,237
November 12	12:00 p.m.	Abilene Christian	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN+	L 28–45	7,592
November 19	12:00 p.m.	Southern Utah	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	ESPN+/ATTSN	L 7–17	7,059
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

at No. 6 (FBS) Texas A&M

See also: 2022 Texas A&M Aggies football team

Pregame line	Over/under
TAMU –36.5	54.5

Sam Houston Bearkats at No. 6 (FBS) Texas A&M Aggies – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearkats	0	0	0	0	0
No. 6 (FBS) Aggies	7	10	7	7	31

at Kyle Field, College Station, Texas

• Date: September 3
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
• Game weather: Cloudy, 81 °F (27 °C)
• Game attendance: 97,946
• Referee: Kyle Olson
• TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (analyst), and Andraya Carter (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter 3:39 TAMU – Yulkeith Brown 66-yard pass from Haynes King (Caden Davis kick) – Texas A&M 7–0, Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards, 2:09 Second quarter 4:59 TAMU – Caden Davis 40-yard field goal – Texas A&M 10–0, Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 2:10 0:50 TAMU – Ainias Smith 63-yard pass from Haynes King (Caden Davis kick) – Texas A&M 17–0, Drive: 3 plays, 67 yards, 1:16 Third quarter 8:52 TAMU – De'Von Achane 1-yard run (Caden Davis kick) – Texas A&M 24–0, Drive: 12 plays, 71 yards, 6:08 Fourth quarter 11:10 TAMU – Ainias Smith 43-yard pass from Haynes King (Caden Davis kick) – Texas A&M 31–0, Drive: 9 plays, 89 yards, 4:48

Statistics	Sam Houston	No. 6 (FBS) Texas A&M
First downs	10	23
Plays–yards	55–198	67–387
Rushes–yards	27–107	32–110
Passing yards	91	387
Passing: comp–att–int	14–28–1	23–35–2
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	27:37	32:23

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston	Passing	Jordan Yates	14/28, 91 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jordan Yates	14 carries, 60 yards
	Receiving	Noah Smith	4 receptions, 35 yards
No. 6 (FBS) Texas A&M	Passing	Haynes King	20/31, 364 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	De'Von Achane	18 carries, 42 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Ainias Smith	6 receptions, 164 yards, 2 TD

vs Northern Arizona

See also: 2022 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team

Pregame line	Over/under
SHSU –20.5	54.5

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (0–1) vs Sam Houston Bearkats (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lumberjacks	0	7	3	0	10
Bearkats	0	3	0	0	3

at Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, Texas

• Date: September 10
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 88 °F (31 °C)
• Game attendance: 7,117
• Referee: Matt Jones
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Tom Franklin (play-by-play) and John Harris (analyst)

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter 11:54 SHSU – Seth Morgan 44-yard field goal – Sam Houston 3–0, Drive: 15 plays, 70 yards, 7:18 2:37 NAU – RJ Martinez 1-yard run (Collin Robbins kick) – Northern Arizona 7–3, Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 1:00 Third quarter 10:11 NAU – Collin Robbins 19-yard field goal – Northern Arizona 10–3, Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:43 Fourth quarter No scoring plays

Statistics	Northern Arizona	Sam Houston
First downs	20	15
Plays–yards	77–314	60–252
Rushes–yards	35–59	34–141
Passing yards	255	111
Passing: comp–att–int	28–42–1	13–26–1
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	33:51	26:09

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Arizona	Passing	RJ Martinez	27/41, 214 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Kevin Daniels	17 carries, 47 yards
	Receiving	Hendrix Johnson	8 receptions, 101 yards
Sam Houston	Passing	Jordan Yates	13/26, 111 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jordan Yates	18 carries, 74 yards
	Receiving	Ife Adeyi	5 receptions, 62 yards

vs Texas A&M–Commerce

See also: 2022 Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football team

Pregame line	Over/under
SHSU –23.5	51.0

Texas A&M–Commerce Lions (1–1) vs Sam Houston Bearkats (0–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	0	0	7	10	17
Bearkats	3	7	7	10	27

at Bowers Stadium • Huntsville, Texas

• Date: September 17
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Party cloudy, 86 °F (30 °C)
• Game attendance: 8,675
• Referee: Marcus Thornton
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Randy McIlvoy (play-by-play) and Shea Walker (analyst)

Game information

First quarter 2:53 SHSU – Seth Morgan 40-yard field goal – Sam Houston 3–0, Drive: 8 plays, 32 yards, 2:42 Second quarter 12:10 SHSU – Jordan Yates 6-yard run (Seth Morgan kick) – Sam Houston 10–0, Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 3:21 Third quarter 10:59 TAMUC – Celestin Haba 41-yard interception return (Emmanuel Adagbon kick) – Sam Houston 10–7, Drive: 3 plays, 6 yards, 1:36 6:39 SHSU – Cody Chrest 3-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Seth Morgan kick) – Sam Houston 17–7, Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:20 Fourth quarter 11:33 TAMUC – Emmanuel Adagbon 22-yard field goal – Sam Houston 17–10, Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 3:50 9:31 SHSU – Zach Hrbacek 7-yard run (Seth Morgan kick) – Sam Houston 24–10, Drive: 5 plays, 47 yards, 1:53 4:46 SHSU – Seth Morgan 46-yard field goal – Sam Houston 27–10, Drive: 7 plays, 28 yards, 3:31 0:31 TAMUC – Spencer Long 1-yard run (Emmanuel Adagbon kick) – Sam Houston 27–17, Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:15

Statistics	Texas A&M–Commerce	Sam Houston
First downs	14	27
Plays–yards	57–223	74–347
Rushes–yards	32–54	47–246
Passing yards	169	101
Passing: comp–att–int	13–25–1	11–27–1
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	28:03	31:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas A&M–Commerce	Passing	Zadock Dinkelmann	13/25, 169 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Zadock Dinkelmann	15 carries, 20 yards
	Receiving	Andrew Armstrong	7 receptions, 104 yards
Sam Houston	Passing	Jordan Yates	5/14, 63 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Zach Hrbacek	19 carries, 131 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Cody Chrest	4 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD

vs. Stephen F. Austin

See also: 2022 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team and Battle of the Piney Woods

Pregame line	Over/under
SHSU –6.5	54.5

Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (2–2) vs. Sam Houston Bearkats (1–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lumberjacks	3	10	3	0	16
Bearkats	0	7	3	7	17

at NRG Stadium • Houston, Texas

• Date: October 1
• Game time: 2:30 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Party cloudy, 86 °F (30 °C)
• Game attendance: 26,826
• Referee: Jeremee Tate
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Randy McIlvoy (play-by-play), Taylor McHargue (analyst), and Deephi Sidhu (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter 6:15 SFA – Chris Campos 31-yard field goal – Stephen F. Austin 3–0, Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 3:48 Second quarter 14:12 SFA – Moe Wedman 85-yard pass from Trae Self (Chris Campos kick) – Stephen F. Austin 10–0, Drive: 6 plays, 94 yards, 3:34 2:46 SFA – Chris Campos 30-yard field goal – Stephen F. Austin 13–0, Drive: 16 plays, 80 yards, 8:25 1:10 SHSU – Noah Smith 7-yard pass from Keegan Shoemaker (Seth Morgan kick) – Stephen F. Austin 13–7, Drive: 1 play, 7 yards, 0:07 Third quarter 10:12 SFA – Chris Campos 35-yard field goal – Stephen F. Austin 16–7, Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 4:43 7:50 SHSU – Seth Morgan 21-yard field goal – Stephen F. Austin 16–10, Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 2:14 Fourth quarter 0:35 SHSU – Dezmon Jackson 1-yard run (Seth Morgan kick) – Sam Houston 17–16, Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 2:06

Statistics	Stephen F. Austin	Sam Houston
First downs	17	20
Plays–yards	74–397	71–299
Rushes–yards	37–144	31–111
Passing yards	253	188
Passing: comp–att–int	19–37–1	14–40–2
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	35:11	24:49

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Stephen F. Austin	Passing	Trae Self	17/34, 239 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jerrell Wimbley	6 carries, 66 yards
	Receiving	Moe Wedman	1 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD
Sam Houston	Passing	Keegan Shoemaker	14/40, 188 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Keegan Shoemaker	9 carries, 56 yards
	Receiving	Noah Smith	5 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD

at No. 23 Eastern Kentucky

See also: 2022 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team

at Utah Tech

See also: 2022 Utah Tech Trailblazers football team

at Tarleton State

See also: 2022 Tarleton State Texans football team

vs Abilene Christian

See also: 2022 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team

vs Southern Utah

See also: 2022 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team

Roster

2022 Sam Houston Bearkats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 2 Ife Adeyi Jr QB 3 Simeon Evans So WR 4 Al'vonte Woodard  Jr QB 5 Keegan Shoemaker Jr WR 6 Noah Smith Jr RB 7 Dezmon Jackson GS QB 8 Sylas Gomez Fr WR 9 Cody Chrest GS QB 10 Trapper Pannell So QB 11 Tristan Brady  Fr QB 13 Jordan Yates  So WR 15 Tony Williams  Sr WR 17 KeSean Raven  Fr TE 18 Jacob Kainer  Jr RB 21 Zach Hrbacek  Fr RB 22 Charles Crawford III  Fr WR 23 Adrian Murdaugh  Fr RB 26 Jalen Washington Fr TE 27 Dalton Meyer  Jr RB 29 Jacob Berry Sr RB 32 Weston Stephens So RB 36 Garret Hagler Fr TE 37 Jax Sherrard GS RB 38 Jevin Murray  So TE 44 Braeden Howell  Fr OL 51 Jalen North  So OL 52 D'Ary Patton  Fr OL 57 Ethan Hagler Jr OL 61 Noah Barboza  Jr OL 62 Anthony Turrubiartes  Sr OL 63 Ethan Vazquez Fr OL 65 Daniel Melendez  Jr OL 68 Trevor Jaks  Fr OL 69 Seth Kohlscheen  So OL 70 Jordan Boatman GS OL 71 James Dawn II Fr OL 72 Keaton Altman  Fr OL 73 Moses Johnson  Sr OL 74 Khalil Miller  Jr OL 75 Wade Willet GS OL 76 CJ Marsh  Fr OL 77 Jihad Lateef Fr OL 78 Orion Irving Fr WR 80 Shane Johnson  Fr WR 81 Derrick Rose  So WR 82 Chris Hicks Jr. Fr WR 83 Red Jones  So WR 84 Tyler Bailey Fr WR 85 Jaxson Chrest  Fr TE 86 Thomas Jewett Fr WR 87 Jay Rockwell Fr TE 88 Marcus Collins  Fr TE 89 Elijah Sohn Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 0 Da'Veawn Armstead So LB 1 Trevor Williams Sr DB 2 Kameryn Alexander Jr DB 3 Trey Smith Sr DB 4 Isaiah Downes Sr DB 5 Darrel Hawkins-Williams Jr LB 6 Trey Fields So LB 7 Ysidro Mascorro So LB 8 Sincere Jackson Jr DB 9 Jordan Morris  Jr LB 10 Jaylen Phillips So DL 11 Chris Murray  Fr DB 12 Donovan Adkins So LB 14 Kavian Gaither So DB 16 Daniel North  So DB 19 Emon Allen  Fr DB 20 David Fisher  Fr DB 21 Nick Chrest  Fr DB 22 Jacobe Chester Fr DB 23 Taylen Blaylock So DB 24 Tobias Weaver So DB 25 BJ Foster GS DB 26 RJ Bendert  Fr DB 27 Savien Arnett  Fr DB 28 Jaidan Scott Fr DB 29 Jadarius Brown Fr LB 30 Darien Flynn So DB 31 Christian Williams  Fr DL 33 Markel Perry  Sr DL 34 Toby Ndukwe GS LB 35 Gannon Tullos Fr DB 36 Truman Bexley  Fr DB 38 Quan Williams  Fr DB 39 Caleb Weaver  Fr DB 40 Carson Horner  So DB 42 Elias Escobar Jr LB 43 Philip Joest Fr DL 44 Briceon Hayes So DL 45 Tyler Moore GS DL 48 Goodness Nwawuihe  Fr DL 49 Andrew Edmonson Fr LB 50 Trey Mappe  Fr DL 54 Nick Abengowe  Fr DL 56 Cameron Plummer  Fr DL 58 Ca'lub Holloway Fr DL 92 Lloyd Murray  So DL 93 Richard Outland So DL 94 Jevon Leon Jr DL 95 Trent Ward  Fr DL 96 Matthew Aribisala  Fr DL 97 Chris Scott  Jr DL 98 Ellison Hubbard GS	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 1 Seth Morgan So K, P 34 Keegan Sneedon Fr K 39 Reed Honshtein  So LS 41 Zach Stricker  Fr K, P 43 Jadon Cardell  Fr P 46 Nick Bruce GS K, P 47 Kaden Morgan Fr K, P 49 Christian Pavon  Fr LS 53 Tanner Boston  So	Head coach K. C. Keeler Coordinators/assistant coaches John Perry – Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Clayton Carlin – Associate head coach/co-defensive coordinator/safeties Joe Morris – Co-defensive coordinator/defensive ends Matt Merkens – Tight ends Cooper Bassett – Offensive line Jared Hensley – Linebackers John Johnson – Running backs/offensive recruiting coordinator/NFL liaison Thomas Rocco – Cornerbacks Jacoby Walker – Wide receivers Zach Milliet – Special teams analyst Clayton Barnes – General manager for football Jaylon Bowden – Defensive graduate assistant Connor Floden – Offensive graduate assistant Dustin LeNorman – Athletic trainer Tristin Connolly – Athletic trainer Parker Whiteman – Strength & conditioning Mike Reed – Academic coordinator Chris Dunlap – Football equipment & operations assistant/video coordinator/director of football operations Darcy Daugherty – Football administrative assistant/recruiting operations Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster