By Cody Stark
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.”
