16 | HUNTSVILLE LIVING | FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2024
Sam Houston State U
Bearkats look to make leap in second year of FBS
After a rough start to Sam Houston ’ s arrival at the Football Bowl Subdivision , the Bearkats gave hope at the end of the year .
Sam Houston finished with a 3-9 record , but saw itself winning three of the last four games of the year to catch a groove .
Now the Bearkats know what to expect and have an opportunity to build on it coming into the new season .
“ I think last season was a very humbling experience ,” Bearkat linebacker Kavian Gaither said . “ You can ’ t rise unless you experience yourself on the bottom . I think the only way is up .”
One of the things that will help kickstart the Bearkats season is getting wins early . The Bearkats had a gauntlet at the start of the season and never found a groove . The Kats lost five games on five plays , including a blown lead with 62 seconds left against UTEP .
But Bearkats coach K . C . Keeler sat down with his staff over the off-season and decided to make some changes . Sam Houston took a different approach to preparing and getting the athletes conditioned for the end of the games .
Sam Houston focused on conditioning so that they could find those ‘ five plays ’ at the end of games to flip the script and walk away with wins .
“ This may be the best-conditioned team
16 | HUNTSVILLE LIVING | FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2024