Sam Houston State drops Monmouth Hawks 21-15 in first round of FCS playoffs

Photo by
Darla Tamulitis
La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 20211 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS (April 24, 2021) Number 2 seeded Sam Houston State University punched their ticket to the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs with a 21-15 win over the Monmouth Hawks at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium on Saturday. The Bearkats (7-0) scored their 21 points, which were unanswered by the Hawks, in the first three quarters. Monmouth mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring all 15 of their points within seven-plus minutes.

Sam Houston kicked off the scoring on their second drive of the game, marching 47 yards in eight plays. Quarterback Eric Schmid (number 3, shown right)who played his prep ball at The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, connected with Cody Chrest (Cypress Fairbanks HS, Houston, TX) on a 13-yard pass, followed by the successful kicking conversion by Seth Morgan (Klein Oak HS, Houston, TX). The 5-10, 160-pound freshman was successful on all three of the Bearkat extra points.

The remainder of Sam Houston State's points came in the second and third quarters, on two carries by Ramon Jefferson (Truman HS, Bronx, NY). The first TD was the result of a 56-yard run, to cap a three-play, 65-yard drive that lasted 1:10. His second score was a thre-yard run at the 9:49 mark of the third quarter.

The Hawks finally got points on the board after moving the ball 90 yards in eight-plus minutes; ending with a one-yard run by Juwon Farri (Northwest HS, Germantown, MD). Gene Scott (Wall HS, Wall, NJ) pushed the score to 21-8 with a successful three-yard run for the two-point conversion. Their second touchdown occurred with 5:58 remaining in the game when Terrence Greene (St. Joe's Prep, Philadelphia, PA) caught a 30-yard pass from Tony Muskett (West Springfield HS, Springfield, VA). Kaeon Torres (Donovan Catholic HS, Toms River, NJ) split the uprights for the extra point; placing the score to 21-15.

The Bearkats will next face North Dakota State on Saturday, May 1 at a yet undetermined time. The Bisons downed Eastern Washington 42-20. The Bearkat-Bison game will be played at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville.