By: Brandon Scott

Huntsville —     It’s not as easy to be skeptic of the Sam Houston State football team this year. The Bearkats no longer have a first year head coach or rookie playmakers on both sides of the ball.
    There’s a certain maturity and comfort level with this team that seems to be worth at least one or two more victories this season, given everything goes as planned. The Kats dropped only one game at Bowers last year – against McNeese St., and if you remember, Seth Patterson actually caught the game winning touchdown that was ruled incomplete on the field.
    Anyone who recalls the McNeese game knows SHSU actually won. And if the Bearkats are credited with the win they deserve, they’re six points away from running the table in the Southland Conference – with virtually no expectations from the beginning.
    But that is what’s so different about this season.  SHSU football isn’t an experiment anymore. Notice at the end of last season, the Bearkats had the best run offense and defense in the SLC, yet they ranked in the bottom two in passing offense and defense.
    Would time be the remedy?
     “We feel as a whole defense we're going to be a much better team because we know what we are doing," junior safety Darnell Taylor told The Huntsville Item. "I know my first year, it took us a while to learn everything. I feel really good about the season with how everything has gone.
    "We gave up too many big plays (last year). I know this year, we've got five returning starters in the secondary and we've got to get the job done."
    SHSU defensive coordinator expressed similar sentiments about growing in the secondary.
    "We've got to improve in not giving up big plays in the passing game,” Stoker said. “That's one of our team goals, to knock that thing down. If we can give up 40 or 50 yards less a game that will be a huge difference."
    Defensively, 11 of the top 12 team leaders in tackles are back.
    Junior free safety Kenneth Jenkins earned first-team all-conference honors and senior linebacker Will Henry and junior defensive lineman J.T. Cleveland were voted to the second team.
    Cornerbacks Bookie Sneed and Dax Swanson, along with Taylor all were honorable mention all-conference selections.
    Taylor led the Bearkat defense in total tackles with 64 and Jenkins and Henry added 58 and 48, respectively. Other returning starters on defense include linemen sophomore Gary Lorance and senior Eddie Decambre and senior linebacker Kash David.
    "Our philosophy on defense is to stop the run at all costs," David said, "We had a drastic improvement last year and that's because of these guys in the secondary being here for two years in the system and everybody maturing and getting the system down.  Everybody has played football now, so nobody is new. It looks good."
    The Bearkat offense welcomes back 11 starters on offense, nine on defense and three special teams starters plus 23 other returning lettermen.
    Among those key contributors is Timothy Flanders, the conference co-freshman of the year, who rushed for 948 yards and scored 13 rushing touchdowns; quarterback Brian Bell, who led the team with 1,371 yards passing and put on a little extra muscle over the offseason; receiver Seth Patterson, who caught 35 passes for 370 yards, and all-conference kick return specialist Brandon Closner, who averaged 11.5 yards returning punts and 25.8 yards on kickoff returns.
    Closner and Sincere are considered bona fide playmakers, the kind of guys who get the ball and have the ability to the change the game in a matter of seconds.
    “Our communication is a whole lot better because we know what we are getting ourselves into,” Sincere said. “Last year, it was our first fall with a new coaching staff and they brought in like 40 new people. This year we know what is expected of us and how to do things correctly.”
    Just remember how well the Bearkats performed when they didn’t know what they were doing.