1996 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team

The 1996 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University as a member of the Southland Conference during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by 15th-year head coach Ron Randleman, the Bearkats compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 3–3 in conference play, and finished tied for third in the Southland.

1996 Sam Houston State Bearkats football
Conference	Southland Conference
Record	4–7 (3–3 Southland)
Head coach	Ron Randleman (15th season)
Defensive coordinator	Mike Lucas (7th season)
Home stadium	Bowers Stadium
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 Southland Football League standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 5 Troy State $^		5	–	1					12	–	2
No. 19 Nicholls State ^		4	–	2					8	–	4
No. 22 Stephen F. Austin		3	–	3					7	–	4
Northwestern State		3	–	3					6	–	5
Sam Houston State		3	–	3					4	–	7
Southwest Texas State		2	–	4					5	–	6
McNeese State		1	–	5					3	–	8
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	at Houston*	Robertson Stadium Houston, TX	L 25–43	14,110	[1]
September 7	Central State (OH)*	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	W 27–20		[2]
September 14	at Texas A&M–Kingsville*	Javelina Stadium Kingsville, TX	L 17–41		[3]
September 21	at Northeast Louisiana*	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	L 31–34	12,148	[4]
September 28	Texas Southern*	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	L 20–26		[5]
October 12	at No. 4 Stephen F. Austin	Homer Bryce Stadium Nacogdoches, TX (Battle of the Piney Woods)	W 14–10		[6]
October 19	at No. 22 Northwestern State	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	L 21–38		[7]
October 26	McNeese State	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	W 30–25		[8]
November 9	at Nicholls State	John L. Guidry Stadium Thibodaux, LA	L 10–20	2,684	[9]
November 16	No. 5 Troy State	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX	L 14–35	5,014	[10]
November 23	Southwest Texas State	Bowers Stadium Huntsville, TX (rivalry)	W 29–17		[11]
*Non-conference game Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game

^[12]

References

1. "Clements passes UH past Bearkats". Victoria Advocate. September 1, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Sam Houston State 27, Central State 20". Dayton Daily News. September 8, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Javelinas end skid against Bearkats in 41–17 win". The Monitor. September 15, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "NLU gets win over SHSU, 34–31". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. September 22, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Texas Southern 26, Sam Houston St. 17". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 29, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "SFA falls to Sam Houston". The Tyler Courier-Times. October 13, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Demons batter Bearkats, 38–21". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. October 20, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Sam Houston St. 30, McNeese St. 25". The Daily Advertiser. October 27, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Nicholls State 20, Sam Houston State 10". Austin American-Statesman. November 10, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Trojans bomb Bearkats". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 17, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Sam Houston St. rallies, defeats SW Texas, 29–17". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. November 24, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "1996 Football Schedule". Sam Houston State University. Retrieved December 18, 2022.