Sam Houston State Will Host Semifinal Game vs. Montana on Friday
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Sam Houston State will play host to
the Montana Grizzlies Friday at 7 p.m. at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium in the NCAA
Division I Playoff semifinals. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
Georgia Southern will travel to North Dakota State for
the second semifinal matchup to kick off Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The winners
of the two games will meet in the 2012 NCAA Division I Football Championship
Game Jan. 7 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas.
The Southland Conference, in conjunction with the City of
Frisco and Hunt Sports Group, is the host of the game.
Sam Houston (13-0) enters the semifinals as the No. 1
seed and stands No. 1 in the Sports Network FCS Top-25 poll. Montana (11-2) is
ranked No. 5.
Both teams are hot. The Bearkats are the only unbeaten
team in NCAA FCS action this year and own a 15-game winning streak going back
to the final two games of 2010. Montana brings a 10-game winning streak to
Huntsville.
Sam Houston defeated Stony Brook 34-27 in the second
round and Montana State 49-13 in the quarterfinals in playoff competition the
past two weekends. The Grizzlies have rolled up big wins of 41-14 over Central
Arkansas and 48-10 against Northern Iowa.
Montana is a two-time former NCAA Division I football
national champion, winning the playoffs in 1995 and 2001.
Sam Houston is making its second appearance in the
semifinals. In their previous four trips to the NCAA Division I playoffs, the
Bearkats have advanced past the first round twice only to be stopped by the
Grizzlies. Montana defeated Sam Houston 49-24 in the quarterfinals on the way
to its 2001 national title. The Grizzlies downed the Bearkats 34-13 in the
semifinals in 2004.
Tickets for the Sam Houston versus Montana semifinals
game are available online at www.gobearkats.com.
Ticket sales at the Sam Houston State Athletic Ticket Office at the Ron Mafrige
Field House will begin Monday at 8 a.m.
Sam Houston State students will continue to be able to purchase
playoff tickets at the discount rate of $5 thanks to the contributions of
Huntsville and Conroe area businesses. Student tickets will be on sale in the
Sam Houston State mall area in front of the Lowman Student Center Monday
through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Mafrige Field House ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to
5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information please call 936-294-1729.