UCF is back in the Bounce House this Saturday for a non-conference matchup against the Sam Houston Bearkats, a newcomer to FBS competing in Conference USA.
Sam Houston turned heads last weekend with a big road win to start the season, beating the Rice Owls 34-14.
For our preview, we caught up with Carlos Zimmerman, the play-by-play voice of the Bearkats since 2022. Prior to that, Zimmerman was a student broadcaster who called their 2020-21 FCS National Championship game.
In November of 2021, Sam Houston announced their FBS move. This will be their second season as a member of Conference USA.
"It's been interesting getting to be a part of really so many different transitions for this program going from the Southland, the Western Athletic Conference, and now I'm making the jump to FBS football," Zimmerman said. "It's been a blast. I'd say it's surreal, really. I never ever thought I'd gain an opportunity to be a part of such a historic program in Sam Houston with the success they had at the FCS level and now being able to translate that to the FBS level. It's a blessing for sure."
Sam Houston State University is located in Huntsville, Texas, about an hour and 15 minutes north of Houston and an hour east of College Station. The school has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students.
"I call Huntsville the Gateway to the East Texas Piney Woods," Zimmerman said. "It's just so beautiful with the trees. The people here are absolutely incredible. So down to earth. It still has that small-town feel for a town being 50,000 people almost. It's just a tight knit community. They love their Bearkats. They love the local high school team here, the Hornets. It's just a great place to be.
"And the university is also, I'd argue, and this is probably me being biased being an alum, but it's one of the best universities in the Lone Star State, if not the country at large. I couldn't be more blessed to be in a great place in Huntsville, Texas."
Sam Houston is coached by KC Keeler, who has guided the program to a 89-36 record since 2014. His predecessor is Willie Fritz, the former Tulane coach who is now in his first season down the road at Houston.
In the spring season of 2021, Keeler led Sam Houston to their first FCS National Championship.
"It's not every day that you're part of a program that wins a national championship and you're a student getting to participate in it," Zimmerman said. "It was different because we were still trying to get out of COVID and it was still very prevalent in the spring of '21, so there was all these regulations and everything.
"I was a student radio broadcaster at the time, and they wouldn't let us be in the press box like we normally would. They would have us on the visitor's side where there's no press box. It's just open air. You're in amongst the fans and everything. And that's how we were calling games. And so I called about four during that shortened season prior to the playoff run.
"And then being a part of that just incredible playoff run, four exciting games, a nail biter with Monmouth, a come-from-behind win against the kings of the FCS, North Dakota State. And then my first ever game on the former flagship station of the Bearkats was the James Madison game. I filled in for my predecessor and mentor Rob Hipp that day.
"That was just such an exciting experience for my first game. And it was one of the greatest comebacks in recent college football history. And then, of course, the National Championship (against South Dakota State), getting to do that on student radio, that was a blast too."
Zimmerman believes the championship run was the catalyst that led to the athletic department's decision to make the jump to FBS, which was announced in November 2021. Zimmerman said the announcement came as a surprise, but it was a move universally supported by the fanbase.
"I think the community is definitely more energized," Zimmerman said. "'Hey, look at Sam Houston, they're making a name for themselves amongst the big boys of college football now.' This last weekend, there was so much buzz of like, 'Oh my gosh, Sam Houston beat Rice,' and Rice has been an established FBS program for years.
"I think the fans are energized about it. The student population is very growing. This freshman class is the largest in school history that's come in. And I'll tell you this, parking is a nightmare on campus. So it tells me a lot more people are coming to Sam Houston, but there's a lot of people that are just jazzed up. They're excited to go to games.
"The first home game is next week against Hawaii. They're going to have a drone show after the ball game. The athletic department combined with the marketing department have done a great job trying to get fans more engaged with this team because they know what this team's capable of.
"And if last Saturday was a glimpse into the future, then yeah, this town's going to be buzzing for all season long for the Bearkats."
Sam Houston began 2023, their first season in FBS, losing their first eight games. There were several hard-luck games in there. Two overtime losses, plus two more decided by five or fewer points.
The Bearkats finished strong however, winning three of their final four games.
"I think the big word that I took away from it was just resiliency," Zimmerman said. "You're the last winless team in the country when you were 0-8, and that's obviously a moniker you don't want to have.
"A big part of it was because the team had suffered a lot of injuries. Sam Houston was down to their eighth running back at that point. In the Louisiana Tech game, one of our starting linebackers was rushed in for two touchdowns.
"The offense was rather depleted of the talent that had really benefited the program prior to the jump to the FBS level. A lot of players took redshirts so that they could be able to play their first full year with no restrictions at the FBS level. So I think there was a lot of combinations in there.
"I mean, you look at 0-8, that could have easily been 4-4. You're one play away game or you don't make this mistake, you probably win the game. So finishing the season 3-9, it was great to see the Bearkats win three of their last four, and really give them that momentum boost going into the offseason."
Zimmerman said that first FBS season served as a learning experience.
"The staff realized what they needed to do," Zimmerman said. "They needed to beef up on strength and conditioning, nutrition, get the players in an even more healthier state so that they could acclimate to the FBS level. It is a jump from an FCS level type of program to an FBS level. So that was the few things they wanted to do. And I think it's paid off so far."
In this year's C-USA Preseason Poll, Sam Houston was predicted to finish middle of the pack (No. 5) in the 10-team league. UCF head coach Gus Malzahn said during his press conference this week that he feels the Bearkats are good enough to play for a conference championship.
"When I talked to Coach Keeler prior to the start of the season, I asked him, 'The way you have built this staff and this team, are you settling for nothing less than competing for the conference championship?' And he said, 'Absolutely.' The program feels like they can be in the conversation, not only for the conference championship, but they know what's at stake too. If you have a solid enough season as a Group of Five program, you'll be considered for the college football playoff for that 12th seed."
In 2023, the Group of Five's automatic bid to the New Year's Six went to C-USA Champion Liberty.
What was Zimmerman's main takeaway from that 34-14 season-opening win at Rice?
"I learned that Hunter Watson's a heck of a quarterback," Zimmerman said. "I will say that. And you look at previous quarterbacks that have come through this program all the way back to Josh McCown in the 2000s. Hunter Watson just has that 'it factor.'
"He's your true dual threat. The pass that he made to Qua'Vez Humphreys, 67 yards, that opened the scoring on Saturday, it blew me away. My color analyst, Brian Adams, he pointed and was like, 'Look, he's open, he's open!' And Watson's on the run and he makes this throw. And I'm like, man, I haven't seen that happen in a long time. It was just a sight for sore eyes. And that's not to take anything away from previous quarterbacks in the program, but it was amazing to see.
"The defense looked very stout, especially on the running side of things. And I know that's a big talking point going into this ballgame because UCF's coming off a, albeit against New Hampshire, but a 450-yard-plus rushing performance and going up against a really tough run defense in Sam Houston.
"I wasn't shocked that Sam Houston won. I had a feeling like, okay, this is a game that Sam Houston can win. I didn't expect the result, a 20-point win and you led wire to wire. That I wasn't expecting to say the least. And that's either me not having enough belief or not realizing that this team, this is the real deal."
It was a memorable win too because of the amount of Sam Houston faithful inside Rice Stadium.
"It was great to see," Zimmerman said. "At the start of the game, it looked like at one point that Sam was out-attending Rice at that ballgame. I know Houston was playing across town and really getting the hammer laid on them by UNLV, but Rice still brought a good fan base, but so did Sam Houston. That's because of the alumni base there. But I think a lot of people also made the trip down I-45 from Huntsville to Houston to go see their Bearkats play. The fans are energized, they're excited.
"And if anything, it gave them some hope going into this ballgame. Coach Keeler said it, this is a different animal with UCF."
Quarterback Hunter Watson was just named the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week for his role in that win against Rice, completing 16 of 27 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing with 57 yards.
Wide receiver Qua'Vez Humphreys is another player to watch.
"This is a big dude for a wide receiver, 6-foot-2, 220 pounds," Zimmerman said. "That's a lot of man right there for a wide receiver."
Another playmaker is wide receiver Ife Adeyi.
"I've dubbed him the human highlight at wide receiver," Zimmerman said. "He is the longest tenured Bearkat on the roster. He was a freshman when I got to Sam in 2019, so he's been with the program a very long time. Injured into the third game of the season last year against Houston. Heartbreaking. He's the heart and soul of that offense. And then he comes back this year.
"If Sam Houston vs. Rice got any more attention, he made one really exciting move where he put two Rice players on skates, and that probably would have made SportsCenter that night if it got a little more attention. He's just electric out there on the field."
Sam Houston employs a trio of running backs between John Gentry, Jay Ducker and DJ McKinney.
The starting tight end is an interesting story.
"Elijah Sohn is a former swimmer at SMU and Texas A&M," Zimmerman said. "He came over to Sam Houston as a walk-on earned the starting tight end role a year ago."
Defensively, Zimmerman said there are a few players to watch.
"Up front, (defensive tackle) Matthew Aribisala in the middle," Zimmerman said. "He had a lot of tackles for loss against Rice. Jevon Leon is another one of the longer tenured Bearkats on that d-line.
"From the linebacker corps, Kavian Gaither, who is the mike linebacker. He's taken over that role from Trevor Williams, who was one of the more electric defensive players for the Bearkats over the last few years.
"Then in that secondary, it was impressive to see David Fisher who had the pick six that really changed the game against Rice last Saturday, along with Houston Christian transfer Isaiah Cash and Da'Veawn Armstead.
"There's a lot of depth in so many of those spots, especially on defense. That's what I think defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity is excited about. That's what Coach Keeler is excited about. And I think that's what the fan base is excited about. There's a lot of guys that can step up defensively and make plays for you every single down."
UCF is a 21.5-point favorite against Sam Houston. If the Bearkats are to keep it close and potentially win, what needs to happen?
"They need to control the turnover battle for one thing," Zimmerman said. "They can't afford that. If I recall correctly, Sam did not turn the ball over once against Rice. Run defense is going to be paramount because of that electric running back room. I was watching Coach Malzahn's presser and he said any of these running backs can start for any team in the country. Watching film, I agree that they can.
"So it's a matter of being able to hold them down and then being able to keep KJ Jefferson at bay because I know he's such a downhill runner. You saw that at Arkansas and we'll see that here at UCF too.
"So if they're able to stifle the running game and be able to keep up what they were doing on offense, it will be a very competitive ball game."
