SHSU Sports
SHSU running back likely out for season
The injuries keep piling up, but the Bearkats’ latest could be the biggest.
Sam Houston State senior running back James Aston is likely done for the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury in the first half of last week’s win over Northwestern State.
Aston is third in the Southland Conference in rushing yards (566) and touchdowns (eight) and he leads the league in kickoff return average (25.1 yards). He also has 235 receiving yards and a touchdown reception to go along with an 89-yard score on a kick return.
“It’s tough. James hasn’t worked all week and it appears he won’t play this week and maybe not for the rest of the year,” SHSU head coach Todd Whitten said Thursday. “He is such a great guy and has been an inspiration to our team. He plays so hard and has made a lot of great plays. He is an exceptional young man.”
With Aston out for Saturday’s clash at McNeese State, the bulk of the carries will go to junior running back Chris Poullard, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2007.
Poullard has carried the ball 86 times this season for 326 yards and three scores. He has also caught six passes for 47 yards.
Sophomore Torian Wilkins will see time in the backfield as well Saturday. He has 10 carries for 32 yards this season.
“We will probably be more of a one-back situation this week,” Whitten said. “Poullard is a great running back and we are lucky to have him able to fill in. Torian is also going to get some touches Saturday, but we won’t have as much two-back stuff.”
The Bearkats will also be without safety Victor Carmichael this week. Carmichael injured his hand against Northwestern State and had to have surgery.
Sam Houston has been hit hard with the injury bug this season. The Kats lost starting offensive tackles Travis Watson and Chris Crockett and safety Randy Stewart for the year before the season began.
Starting quarterback Blake Joseph suffered a sprained ankle in a win over Nicholls that forced him to sit out a loss at Stephen F. Austin.
Backup quarterback Jeff Welch returned for an ACL injury he sustained in spring practice in time to play against the Lumberjacks, but was lost for the season when he re-injured his knee in the first half in Nacogdoches.
Fullback Matthew Powledge and guard Travis Best both were injured in a loss at Tulsa and missed some time, but have since returned.
“Victor had surgery on his hand, so we are a little thin there,” Whitten added. “We are to the point where we are running out of bodies late in the season. We have had tough trouble with injuries, so hopefully that will go away.”
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Opportunity missed
Sam Houston State was right there.
The Bearkats were dead even with 19th-ranked Baylor with less than four minutes to go in the game. Senior Ashton Mitchell had just tied the contest at 55 on a layup worthy of SportsCenter’s Plays of the Week.
Mitchell’s tricky reverse layup was the kind of play that usually leads to something special. But just as fast as it came, the momentum quickly shifted in the Bears’ favor.
Third-seeded Baylor got eight points from junior guard LaceDarius Dunn and went on an 11-4 run in the final two and a half minutes to avoid a huge upset, notching a 68-59 victory over Sam Houston State in the first round of the NCAA tournament Thursday afternoon at New Orleans Arena. -
Fantastic finish
When every young recruit walks through the door at Johnson Coliseum, their goal is help Sam Houston State get to the NCAA tournament.
The Bearkats have had some really talented players over the past seven seasons since Sam Houston last went dancing and none of them were able to accomplish what this year’s group has. -
Playing among trees
Monday afternoon at Johnson Coliseum, the Bearkats began preparing for their first-round NCAA tournament matchup with 19th-ranked Baylor.
Sam Houston State (25-7) literally has a steep hill to climb if it wants to upset the third-seeded Bears (25-7) on Thursday in New Orleans. Baylor has a 7-foot center (Josh Lomers) and a pair of 6-10 forwards (Ekpe Udoh and Anthony Jones) who have played in all 32 games this season. -
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Courtney falls just short of medaling at NCAA Indoors
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Still kicking
The Bearkats were staggering and about to go down. But the regular-season champions showed what they were made of in the semifinals of the Southland Conference tournament Thursday night.
Junior guard Lance Pevehouse knocked down a clutch 3-pointer with 1:11 left in the game to help Sam Houston State overcome a five-point deficit. The Bearkats then caught some breaks down the stretch and pulled out a thrilling 88-85 win over Southeastern Louisiana at the Merrell Center. -
SAM SURVIVES
At this stage in the game, a win is a win.
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Bearkats blow out Northwestern State 103-75
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Opportunity missed
