CUSA · 2026
Sam Houston Bearkats
Head coach Phil Longo · Elliott T. Bowers Stadium
1-70-4 in conference
TDC Rank
#129
of 138 FBS teams
Rating
-18.9
pts vs avg FBS team
Offense
-12.2
134th in FBS
Defense
-6.7
115th in FBS
Schedule so far
-8.9
98th toughest
Projected
2.5-9.5
bowl-eligible <1%
Season Outlook
From the TDC Rating, updated after every game
Rating by week
-18.9 now, -21.7 preseason · up 3 spots since preseason
Final record odds
2.5-9.5 expected · most likely 2-10 (38%)
Team Leaders
Passing
Landyn Locke
QB · SO · 61st in FBS
1653yds
12 TD · 5 INT
Rushing
Alton McCaskill
RB · SR · 296th in FBS
232yds
59 car · 1 TD
Receiving
Tim Burns Jr.
WR · SR · 151st in FBS
392yds
18 rec · 3 TD
Tackles
Dean Ford
LB · JR · 221st in FBS
48tkl
4.5 TFL
Sacks
Josh Alexander-Felton
DE · JR · 75th in FBS
4sacks
2 hurries
Interceptions
Railyn Adams
S · JR · 49th in FBS
2INT
4 PD
Schedule
Game score = the rating that one result implies, after adjusting for opponent and venue
| Wk | Date | Opponent | Result / TDC line | Game score | Win chance | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 5 | @ 107Troy | L 21–24 › | -10.3 | — | ESPN+ |
| 2 | Sep 12 | vs 92Tulsa | L 17–23 › | -16.3 | — | ESPN+ |
| 3 | Sep 19 | vs Nicholls FCS | W 59–0 › | -7.2 | — | ESPN+ |
| 4 | Sep 26 | @ 12Texas Tech | L 14–49 › | -6.4 | — | TNT |
| 5 | — | Bye | ||||
| 6 | Oct 8 | @ 61LibertyCONF | L 3–35 › | -20.2 | — | ESPNU |
| 7 | Oct 14 | vs 115Western KentuckyCONF | L 3–16 › | -30.4 | — | ESPN |
| 8 | Oct 21 | vs 125New Mexico StateCONF | L 24–30 › | -25.7 | — | ESPN2 |
| 9 | Oct 27 | @ 118Missouri StateCONF | L 3–24 › | -31.8 | — | ESPN2 |
| 10 | Nov 7 | @ 95Jacksonville StateCONF | Jacksonville State −15.5 · o/u 48.8 | — | CBSSN | |
| 11 | Nov 14 | vs 112Kennesaw StateCONF | Kennesaw State −2.7 · o/u 43.3 | — | ESPN+ | |
| 12 | Nov 21 | vs 130Middle TennesseeCONF | Sam Houston −4.8 · o/u 49.5 | — | ||
| 13 | Nov 28 | @ 119Florida InternationalCONF | Florida International −8.0 · o/u 39.9 | — |
Team Stats
Hover an advanced stat for what it means. Box-score totals include FCS games and aren't opponent-adjusted
| Stat | Offense | FBS rank | Defense (allowed) | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPA · per play, garbage time excluded (CollegeFootballData.com) | ||||
| EPA / play | -0.048 | 132nd | +0.084 | 64th |
| Success rate | 36.5% | 129th | 39.3% | 43rd |
| Explosiveness | 1.328 | 26th | 1.220 | 59th |
| Play-by-play advanced · garbage time excluded (computed from every play) | ||||
| Success rate | 36.8% | 128th | 38.9% | 38th |
| Rushing success rate | 34.8% | 133rd | 44.4% | 98th |
| Passing success rate | 38.0% | 108th | 31.7% | 2nd |
| Explosive run rate | 9.3% | 127th | 16.8% | 124th |
| Explosive pass rate | 7.1% | 125th | 7.9% | 33rd |
| Line yards / carry | 2.44 | 135th | 3.11 | 86th |
| Opportunity rate | 33.5% | 125th | 42.5% | 126th |
| Stuff rate | 24.8% | 136th | 18.7% | 57th |
| Sack rate | 7.3% | 108th | 5.4% | 74th |
| 3rd-down conversion | 33.0% | 129th | 31.2% | 10th |
| Red-zone TD rate | 42.9% | 127th | 68.4% | 111th |
| Havoc rate | 20.2% | 137th | 17.4% | 15th |
| Box score · season totals | ||||
| Points / game | 18.0 | 130th | 25.1 | 72nd |
| Yards / game | 322.8 | 124th | 338.1 | 49th |
| Yards / play | 4.88 | 123rd | 5.07 | 54th |
| Pass yards / game | 246.9 | 44th | 146.4 | 4th |
| Yards / pass att. | 7.10 | 87th | 5.77 | 8th |
| Completion % | 60.9% | 86th | 53.7% | 6th |
| Rush yards / game | 75.9 | 138th | 191.8 | 125th |
| Yards / carry | 2.70 | 137th | 4.85 | 117th |
| 3rd-down conv. % | 34.8% | 108th | 30.8% | 13th |
| Turnovers / game (lost · forced) | 1.12 | 48th | 1.12 | 78th |
| Sacks / game (allowed · made) | 3.00 | 123rd | 1.88 | 82nd |
| Penalty yards / game | 75.8 | 129th | 55.8 | 70th |
Charting
Where the ball goes, read from the play-by-play: air yards, yards after the catch, run direction, pressure and tempo. Ranks run highest to lowest
Avg. depth of throw
7.8
109th of 138YAC per catch
5.5
62nd of 138Deep shots (20+)
11%
116th of 138Shotgun
98%
19th of 138No-huddle
76%
48th of 138QB pressured
18%
18th of 138 (1st = most)Defense: pressure rate
16%
34th of 138Defense: YAC allowed
5.2
72nd of 138 (1st = most)Offense: where it throws267 throws charted
61% comp7.8 avg. depth5.5 YAC/catch11% 20+ air yds13–6 TD–INT
fewer more throws
Direction and air yards come from the play-by-play (left / middle / right thirds of the field), so each glow sits in its zone rather than on an exact spot. Hover a zone for detail.
Defense: where it's thrown on186 throws charted
53% comp8.9 avg. depth5.2 YAC/catch18% 20+ air yds11–6 TD–INT
fewer more throws
Direction and air yards come from the play-by-play (left / middle / right thirds of the field), so each glow sits in its zone rather than on an exact spot. Hover a zone for detail.
Offense: run direction196 carries
Left
27%
3.5 YPC · 45% succ.Middle
52%
3.7 YPC · 40% succ.Right
21%
5.9 YPC · 52% succ.Share of carries by direction, as the play-by-play calls it. Success: 5+ yards on 1st/2nd down, 3+ on 3rd/4th, or a touchdown. QB scrambles excluded.
Defense: runs faced289 carries
Left
21%
7.4 YPC · 65% succ.Middle
52%
5.0 YPC · 45% succ.Right
27%
5.4 YPC · 42% succ.Share of carries by direction, as the play-by-play calls it. Success: 5+ yards on 1st/2nd down, 3+ on 3rd/4th, or a touchdown. QB scrambles excluded.
Pressure = the QB was hurried or sacked, as the play-by-play records it (it misses some, so compare teams rather than reading it as an exact rate). Every snap counts, including garbage time and FCS games.
Roster
100 players · Head coach Phil Longo
100 players
| # | Player | Pos▲ | Class | Ht | Wt | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Landyn Locke | QB | SO | 6' 4" | 220 | Rockwall, TX |
| 9 | Brett Holloway | QB | FR | 5' 11" | 210 | Melissa, TX |
| 15 | DJ Bailey | QB | JR | 5' 11" | 220 | Desoto, TX |
| 16 | Mason Holtzclaw | QB | FR | 6' 4" | 205 | Belton, SC |
| 18 | Shaan Patel | QB | FR | 6' 1" | 200 | Fulshear, TX |
| 6 | Jerrian Parker Jr. | RB | JR | 5' 10" | 210 | Orlando, FL |
| 10 | Landan Brown | RB | SR | 5' 11" | 215 | Denton, TX |
| 20 | MJ Dowdy | RB | FR | 5' 11" | 210 | Winder, GA |
| 22 | Alton McCaskill | RB | SR | 6' 2" | 220 | Conroe, TX |
| 25 | Ah'Marion Gaines-Smith | RB | SR | 5' 11" | 220 | Fresno, CA |
| 43 | Nick Norman | RB | SR | 5' 9" | 205 | Houston, TX |
| 0 | Darrick Bledsoe III | WR | SR | 5' 8" | 185 | Arlington, TX |
| 1 | Aviyon Smith-Mack | WR | SR | 5' 8" | 170 | St. Petersburg, FL |
| 2 | Chris Reed | WR | SR | 6' 0" | 195 | Orlando, FL |
| 3 | Tim Burns Jr. | WR | SR | 5' 10" | 170 | Miami, FL |
| 4 | Alijah Cason | WR | JR | 5' 10" | 175 | Midlothian, TX |
| 5 | Kyan Berry-Johnson | WR | JR | 5' 11" | 185 | Chicago, IL |
| 7 | Grady O'Neill | WR | SR | 5' 9" | 170 | Prior Lake, MN |
| 11 | Kaleb Mitchell | WR | SO | 6' 7" | 195 | Desoto, TX |
| 12 | Kamari Maxwell | WR | SO | 6' 1" | 195 | Savannah, GA |
| 13 | Ty Sexton | WR | FR | 5' 10" | 180 | Katy, TX |
| 19 | Konner Dandridge | WR | FR | 6' 0" | 195 | Cypress, TX |
| 84 | Matthew Tatum | WR | SR | 5' 8" | 170 | Huntsville, TX |
| 88 | Terrence Guillory II | WR | JR | 5' 9" | 170 | Houston, TX |
| 14 | London Deyon | TE | SO | 6' 4" | 235 | Galveston, TX |
| 80 | Matt Smith | TE | SR | 6' 4" | 245 | Needham, MA |
| 82 | Cooper Stevens | TE | JR | 6' 2" | 235 | Cypress, TX |
| 85 | Cade Hays | TE | SO | 6' 1" | 235 | Lubbock, TX |
| 86 | Jack Merryman | TE | FR | 6' 4" | 235 | Montgomery, TX |
| 87 | Max Whisner | TE | SR | 6' 5" | 255 | Kansas City, MO |
| 89 | Brock Kuhl | TE | SO | 6' 4" | 250 | Lorena, TX |
| 52 | Cam Todd | OL | SR | 6' 2" | 305 | Raleigh, NC |
| 54 | Brock Stukes | OL | SR | 6' 3" | 310 | Chesapeake, VA |
| 56 | Jeremiah Edmond | OL | SR | 6' 1" | 300 | Fort Myers, FL |
| 57 | Zo'Maryon Bryan | OL | SR | 6' 4" | 315 | Bay City, TX |
| 58 | Carter Kadow | OL | JR | 6' 8" | 315 | Middleton, WI |
| 62 | Carter Buchheit | OL | JR | 6' 2" | 290 | Ede Gld, Netherlands |
| 63 | Joe Warren | OL | JR | 6' 4" | 310 | Greenwood, MS |
| 64 | Josiah Chenault | OL | SR | 6' 2" | 305 | Canton, OH |
| 66 | Jimmy Walls | OL | SR | 6' 7" | 300 | Pittsburg, CA |
| 67 | Isaac Sohn | OL | JR | 6' 5" | 305 | Aledo, TX |
| 68 | Logan Cahill | OL | SO | 6' 4" | 310 | Long Island, NY |
| 71 | Denell Nix Jr. | OL | SO | 6' 4" | 310 | Toledo, OH |
| 72 | Myles Joseph | OL | FR | 6' 4" | 315 | Vinton, LA |
| 74 | Graceson Spann | OL | SO | 6' 5" | 305 | Melissa, TX |
| 75 | Elijah Collins | OL | JR | 6' 4" | 310 | Fort Myers, FL |
| 76 | Nathan McClelland | OL | JR | 6' 5" | 310 | Richland, WA |
| 1 | Josh Alexander-Felton | DE | JR | 6' 3" | 265 | Orlando, FL |
| 3 | Brody Henderson | DE | SO | 6' 4" | 250 | Jenks, OK |
| 14 | Bryen Spaulding | DE | SR | 6' 3" | 260 | San Diego, CA |
| 19 | Jayden Fry | DE | SO | 6' 3" | 235 | Raleigh, NC |
| 28 | Zion Taylor | DE | JR | 6' 1" | 225 | Missouri City, TX |
| 48 | Chauncey Chidi | DE | SR | 6' 3" | 255 | Kumasi, Ghana |
| 91 | Caius Coy | DE | SO | 6' 3" | 255 | Jarrell, TX |
| 10 | Darien Jackson | DT | SR | 6' 0" | 305 | Los Angeles, CA |
| 90 | Uzziah Warmate | DT | FR | 5' 11" | 250 | Denton, TX |
| 92 | Jarra Anderson | DT | SR | 6' 3" | 300 | Katy, TX |
| 93 | Errol West Jr. | DT | FR | 6' 0" | 290 | Little Rock, AR |
| 95 | She'Fon Boyd | DT | JR | 6' 0" | 300 | Andrews, SC |
| 97 | Dylan Frazier | DT | SR | 6' 5" | 280 | Celina, TX |
| 98 | Justin Terrell | DT | JR | 6' 3" | 310 | Rome, GA |
| 99 | Dimitry Nicolas | DT | JR | 6' 4" | 295 | Miami, FL |
| 12 | Elijah Groves | LB | JR | 6' 5" | 245 | Cross Plains, TN |
| 18 | Stacy Bey | LB | SO | 6' 0" | 210 | Fontana, CA |
| 21 | Dean Ford | LB | JR | 6' 1" | 230 | Houston, TX |
| 23 | Mike King Jr. | LB | JR | 6' 0" | 215 | Racine, WI |
| 26 | Tokyo Gordon | LB | SR | 6' 2" | 215 | Eatonville, FL |
| 32 | Kade Houston | LB | SR | 6' 1" | 225 | Montgomery, TX |
| 33 | Brian Bates Jr. | LB | SR | 6' 1" | 230 | Centreville, VA |
| 37 | Ryan Mallory | LB | FR | 6' 0" | 205 | Richmond, TX |
| 42 | Ca'lub Holloway | LB | SR | 6' 1" | 245 | Fort Worth, TX |
| 44 | Ray Chatham | LB | JR | 6' 1" | 210 | Houston, TX |
| 45 | Eli Wallace | LB | SR | 5' 11" | 215 | Dallas, TX |
| 2 | Justin Cottrell | CB | SR | 6' 1" | 175 | West Columbia, TX |
| 5 | Ishmel Atkins | CB | SR | 6' 4" | 200 | Greensboro, NC |
| 7 | Caesar Magee | CB | SR | 6' 2" | 195 | New Orleans, LA |
| 17 | Octavius Henderson | CB | SR | 6' 3" | 190 | Nashville, TN |
| 34 | Julian Mayfield | CB | FR | 5' 10" | 185 | Dallas, TX |
| 35 | Jabaric Sullivan | CB | FR | 6' 0" | 180 | The Woodlands, TX |
| 38 | O'Kece Battle | CB | FR | 5' 11" | 175 | |
| 38 | O'Kece Battle | CB | FR | Cocoa | ||
| 39 | Joseph Opara | CB | FR | 5' 10" | 180 | Sugar Land, TX |
| 43 | Evan Odom | CB | SO | 6' 0" | 175 | Golden Gate, FL |
| 4 | Jalyn Stanford | S | SR | 5' 10" | 200 | Tulsa, OK |
| 6 | Jaylon Jones | S | JR | 6' 1" | 180 | Fresno, CA |
| 8 | Tyler Bailey | S | SR | 6' 0" | 195 | Prosper, TX |
| 9 | Jace Arnold | S | SR | 5' 11" | 185 | Douglasville, GA |
| 11 | CJ June | S | FR | 5' 9" | 190 | Prince George County, MD |
| 13 | Railyn Adams | S | JR | 6' 0" | 185 | Newton, TX |
| 15 | Cameron Franklin | S | SR | 6' 2" | 200 | Sweeny, TX |
| 16 | Aaron Edwards | S | JR | 6' 3" | 205 | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 27 | Robert McFarland | S | FR | 5' 10" | 205 | Houston, TX |
| 29 | Lyric Smith | S | JR | 6' 0" | 190 | Clarendon, TX |
| 36 | Marcus Bourda Jr. | S | FR | 6' 1" | 185 | Humble, TX |
| 81 | Nico Ottomanelli | PK | JR | 6' 3" | 200 | Harrington Park, NJ |
| 83 | Tate Ryan | PK | SO | 6' 0" | 180 | The Woodlands, TX |
| 94 | Sam Carpenter | PK | SR | 5' 11" | 180 | Foxborough, MA |
| 31 | Cal Joseph | P | SO | 6' 1" | 195 | Melbourne, Australia |
| 47 | Victor Gamboa | LS | FR | 6' 0" | 225 | Cypress, TX |
| 49 | Cameron McCulloch | LS | JR | 6' 4" | 220 | Houston, TX |
Program History
Final TDC rating, rank and record for every season since 2023
Final rating by season
Best: 2024 (-2.7, #83) · worst: 2025 (-17.2, #134)
Sam Houston's past seasons use the same rating model as this one. Click a season to see its full page.
Updated Nov 3, 12:25 PM ET. Ratings are in points on a neutral field. Projected lines include — points of home field. Win chances and record odds allow for the ratings themselves being uncertain, most of all early in the season. All FBS power rankings →