Stat Attack: Sam Houston

To put it lightly, Louisiana Tech’s Friday night opponent, Sam Houston State, hasn’t had the best of seasons so far. After making a strong leap from a 3-9 record in 2023 to a promising 10-3 finish last year, Sam Houston has now stumbled back down to earth. The Bearkats are still looking for their first win this season, and there’s no shortage of issues weighing them down.

Offensively, whether it’s through the air or on the ground, the Bearkats are getting stifled at every turn, ranking in the Bottom 25 in passing yards per game, rushing yards per game, and yards per rush attempt.

And unfortunately for Sam Houston, their defense isn’t much better. The Bearkats are sitting in the Bottom 25 across the board, including categories such as passing yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, and scoring defense.

Even special teams can provide no respite. Sam Houston ranks in the Bottom 30 for both average kick and punt return yardage and has only hit 56% of its field goal attempts, which is the 12th worst in the country.

But let’s take a closer look at one specific problem: the offensive line’s inability to protect quarterback Hunter Watson.

With so much ineptitude in other areas of the game, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Sam Houston ranks poorly in this department as well. Drives stall, and points are kept off the board because Sam Houston can’t keep Watson upright long enough to develop any rhythm. This lack of protection has been a constant problem for the Bearkats, and it’s one of the key reasons why they’re averaging so few points per game.

The good news for Sam Houston, though, is that the sacks they allow typically aren’t huge:

Regardless, this is still yardage the Bearkats simply cannot afford to lose when they’re struggling as much as they are.

As we look ahead to the game on Friday night, it’s hard to see how Sam Houston can make much headway against a Louisiana Tech defense that seemed to regain some of its mojo late against Western Kentucky. The Bearkats’ issues run deep, from an offense that can’t get going to a defense that can’t stop anyone.

But with a Tech defense that has struggled to get to the QB all season long (ranking 96th in that department), Hunter Watson could stay on his feet long enough to threaten to extend Tech’s losing streak.

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Nathan is also a contributor to gtpdd.dog, a lighthearted Louisiana Tech blog. Be sure to check out @gotechplsdntdie on Twitter.