2017 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team


The 2017 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team represented Sam Houston State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bearkats were led by fourth-year head coach K. C. Keeler and played their home games at Bowers Stadium. They were a member of the Southland Conference. They finished the season 12–2, 8–1 in Southland play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs where they defeated South Dakota in the first round and Kennesaw State in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to North Dakota State.

Previous season

The Bearkats finished the season 12–1 overall and 9–0 in Southland play to win the Southland Conference title. They went undefeated during the regular season. They received the Southland's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Chattanooga the second round, only to lose in the quarterfinals to FCS national champion James Madison.

Schedule

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Game summaries

Richmond

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@ Prairie View A&M

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Nicholls

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@ Central Arkansas

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vs. Stephen F. Austin

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Northwestern State

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Lamar

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@ Southeastern Louisiana

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Incarnate Word

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@ Abilene Christian

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Houston Baptist

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FCS Playoffs

South Dakota–Second Round

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Kennesaw State–Quarterfinals

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@ North Dakota State–Semifinals

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Ranking movements