Sam Houston had a rough beginning in its first season in Conference USA a year ago. Yet even after losing the first eight games, head coach KC Keeler saw plenty of positives.
“We were 0-8, and I remember coming home to dinner and my wife said, ‘You seem like you are OK,’’’ Keeler said in an interview with HERO Sports.
Despite the losing, he was actually OK and it’s because even with such discouraging results, Keeler felt his team showed great resolve.
“They were 0-8, and I left the weight room, and those guys were just killing it and they were doing the same thing in practice,” Keeler said. “I give a lot of credit to our culture.”
Sam Houston won an FCS Championship in 2020 and later moved to FBS following the 2021 season.
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In 2022, the Bearkats were a team in limbo – unable to compete for a title in FCS or FBS. They played nine games as an independent (going 5-4) before joining Conference USA last year.
Another reason Keeler was encouraged despite the 0-8 start was the Bearkats were legitimately in seven of those first eight games. Only a 38-7 loss at Houston in the third game of the season wasn’t competitive.
None of the other games were lost by more than two touchdowns and four of them were by a touchdown or less, including a 21-16 defeat at Conference USA champ Liberty, which finished 13-1 and earned a New Year’s Six bowl bid.
Against Liberty, the Bearkats started their final drive on their own 1-yard line with 3 minutes, 36 seconds left to play and down five. Sam Houston would eventually earn a first down on the Liberty 3-yard line but surrendered the ball on a fourth down incompletion with seven seconds remaining.
The week before, Sam Houston lost a 35-28 overtime decision to visiting Jacksonville State. The winning Gamecocks needed a 28-yard scoring pass and two-point conversion with 13 seconds left in regulation just to send the game into OT. Jacksonville State finished 9-4.
Despite such demoralizing defeats, the Bearkats kept fighting.
“It was one of the prouder seasons I have ever had,” Keeler said.
That is saying something since Keeler owns a career record of 262-109-1 and won national championships at Delaware in 2002 and at Sam Houston.
Sam Houston’s Strong Finish
The Bearkats finished last season by winning three of four, and even that one loss was a 28-23 defeat at Western Kentucky.
So if anybody believes that momentum from a 3-1 record ending the season can carry into this year, it’s Keeler.
“We feel good about this year,” he said. “We have an experienced team returning, and we lost just one starter to the (transfer) portal.”
With a veteran group, Sam Houston finds itself likely in the same position as a year ago, where the Bearkats could be involved in several nail-biters.
“We feel we can play with anybody in the conference,” he said. “It’s a matter of staying healthy.”
And also a matter of winning the close games.
Sam Houston’s Outlook
The key, as it is with every team, is at quarterback. Keeler is not ready to name a starter, but he feels he has no shortage of candidates. They include last year’s backup Grant Gunnel, Central Michigan transfer Jase Bauer, and junior college transfer Hunter Watson, who led Iowa Western to the 2023 National Junior College Athletic Association championship.
“We think we have three quarterbacks who can win in Conference USA,” Keeler said.
As for the 64-year-old Keeler, he still has the same enthusiasm after 30 years in coaching, which began with a nine-year stint at Division III Rowan University before spending 11 years at Delaware and the last 10 at Sam Houston.
Last year he signed a four-year contract extension.
“I still love it and work for good people, and I’m lucky to have a great administration that guides us,” he said. “I love it every single day.”
