The Bearkats face Troy on Saturday with a new offensive line, a young starting quarterback and a deeper defensive front.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas. Sam Houston football will open its 2026 season at Troy on Saturday, Sept. 5, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama. The game will be carried on ESPN+ and the Bearkat Sports Network, with KSHU 90.5 FM among the radio outlets carrying the broadcast.
The matchup begins Phil Longo's second season as Sam Houston's head coach and gives the Bearkats an immediate road test against a Troy program that leads the all-time series 7-0-1. The programs last met in 2000, making Saturday their first meeting as FBS opponents.
Sam Houston enters after a 2-10 2025 season that included 12 games away from Huntsville because Bowers Stadium was unavailable for home dates. The Bearkats' 2026 schedule returns games to Bowers, but the first chance to measure a roster reshaped by transfers, returning veterans and younger players comes in Alabama.
A New Line Takes Its First Test
The most visible personnel change is along the offensive line. Isaac Sohn is the lone returning starter from last season's front, while the projected unit adds Denell Nix from Appalachian State, Graceson Spann, Brock Stukes from North Carolina State and Carter Kadow from Rutgers. The projected starters average 6-foot-4 and 309 pounds.
Longo said he sees a workable rotation rather than a group dependent on five players. "We are at seven, and maybe eight," he said in the public press conference, referring to the number of linemen the staff believes it can use. He said the staff was comfortable with its front five and had two players ready to rotate, with a decision on another option still pending.
That depth will be tested by the opening-week setting and by the need to establish both run and pass options. Longo said he is not committed to an ideal run-pass split. His standard is that the offense must be efficient in both phases and avoid becoming one-dimensional, whether a game requires a heavy passing day or a heavy rushing day.
The line's task is amplified by the experience in the backfield. Alton McCaskill enters the season with 1,407 career FBS rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. The university's game notes list him as the active Conference USA running back leader in career rushing touchdowns and second among the league's active backs in rushing yards.
Locke Gets the Opening Assignment
Landyn Locke is projected to start at quarterback. According to Sam Houston's game notes, he would become the program's first underclassman to open a season at quarterback since Brian Bell in 2011.
Longo's assessment of Locke focused on preparation and decision-making. He described the quarterback as "a true obsessed student of the game" who understands what he sees, knows how to attack defensive structures and has the accuracy and pocket mobility to operate the offense. The coach also said the staff values a quarterback who understands what does and does not fit his game.
The quarterback will have familiar targets. Four of Sam Houston's top returning receivers from 2025 are back, led by Chris Reed, who had 460 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Grady O'Neill returns after 38 catches, while Coco Brown and Tim Burns bring back 237 and 228 receiving yards, respectively. That experience gives Locke returning production outside while the offensive line takes on a new configuration.
Longo said the staff wants to see the offense turn its camp work into execution against an opponent. He said the team had checked the physicality and speed boxes during camp and was ready to put its attention fully on Troy. Saturday will show how quickly the quarterback, receivers, backs and new line can operate together when the game plan becomes live.
Defensive Depth Meets an Unfamiliar Troy Offense
Longo identified the defensive line as one of the roster's most improved areas, pointing to added depth and better health. That front can affect the entire defense by helping the Bearkats create pressure without asking the secondary to cover for extended snaps.
Sam Houston's defense brings back players Longo expects to matter, including Ish Atkins and Caesar McGee in the secondary. The program's 2025 game notes show a defense that finished with more production late in the season, and the staff believes improved depth up front can help the back end play more aggressively.
Troy presents a particular opening-week problem because the Bearkats must prepare for a team with a new offensive coordinator while also accounting for a returning quarterback Longo called very good. The coach said the staff has a sense of Troy's personnel but will have to react to how the Trojans choose to feature their strengths.
Special teams may also lean on experience. Longo mentioned veterans Cal Joseph and Sam Carpenter as options who could factor in those units. In an opener, field position, substitutions and clean operation on kicks can carry as much weight as a single offensive series.
Weather and Discipline Could Shape the Opener
Longo also addressed the possibility of rain in Troy. His view was direct: both teams would play in the same conditions, and the deciding factor would be who handles them with fewer errors. "The team that handles that is going to be the team that plays more mistake-free football," he said.
That message fits the broader opener. Sam Houston is introducing a new starting line, giving a young quarterback his first season-opening assignment and taking a deeper defensive front into a difficult road environment. Troy has home field and the edge in series history, while the Bearkats arrive with veteran skill players and a staff that has spent the offseason building more depth.
Saturday's game is the first result rather than the final verdict on either team. For Sam Houston, it is a chance to turn a full camp of evaluation into a road performance that establishes its identity before the Bearkats return to Huntsville for the home portion of the schedule.
Watch Coach Phil Longo’s full game-week press conference on YouTube.