Phil Longo targets rushing efficiency, second-half execution and special teams coverage as the Bearkats prepare for a nationally televised road matchup against the Flames.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Sam Houston showed Phil Longo it could recover from two devastating turnovers against a nationally ranked opponent. Now the Bearkats must show they can sustain that response for four quarters.
After closing its nonconference schedule with a 49-14 loss at No. 11 Texas Tech, Sam Houston turns toward its Conference USA opener at Liberty on Thursday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Central at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia, with the game airing on ESPNU.
The Bearkats enter conference play at 1-3, carrying evidence of an improved passing attack and a list of corrections Longo believes will determine whether that progress produces more victories.
“We’re going to need to run the ball well to beat Liberty,” Longo said during his Thursday press conference.
Liberty presents a challenge on both sides of the ball. The Flames are 3-1 entering their Friday, Oct. 2, conference opener at Delaware, having won three consecutive games after a season-opening loss at James Madison. Their record and statistics will change before Sam Houston arrives next week.
Texas Tech comeback offers encouragement, second half demands corrections
Sam Houston’s trip to Lubbock provided Longo with two distinctly different evaluations.
The Bearkats fell behind 21-0 after Texas Tech returned interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive Sam Houston offensive snaps. Instead of letting the game unravel, they answered with two touchdowns and entered halftime trailing 21-14. Texas Tech then scored 28 unanswered points after the break.
Longo viewed the response to the early deficit as a meaningful step, particularly after an earlier turnover at Troy disrupted the offense for multiple possessions.
“I do like the way we fought, and I like the way we battled,” Longo said.
The first interception against Texas Tech came on a tipped pass from freshman quarterback Brett Holloway. Longo said the play had initially developed as intended, with a tight end coming open down the middle and the sideline anticipating a substantial gain.
Instead, an opportunity to establish momentum became a defensive touchdown.
A second interception returned for a score deepened the deficit, but Sam Houston responded. Landyn Locke connected with Tim Burns Jr. for a 52-yard touchdown and Chris Reed for a 9-yard score. The defense helped fuel the comeback with interceptions on three consecutive Texas Tech pass attempts.
For Longo, the problem was what followed.
The Bearkats could not maintain their first-half momentum, leaving the coaching staff to use the second-half film as a guide for the practices leading into Liberty.
“We were riding high at halftime,” Longo said. “Did not execute the way we wanted to in the second half.”
Rushing production remains the missing piece
Longo’s central offensive concern is the running game.
He said the staff examined whether fatigue contributed to the second-half decline, studying recent games to evaluate conditioning and endurance. His conclusion was that the larger issue was execution.
That includes combination blocks, backside blocking and finishing assignments once a play becomes a physical contest.
“It’s not a matter of how much we run it, but when we run it, it’s got to be efficient,” Longo said. “And we have to create some explosive plays in the run game.”
The season totals illustrate the imbalance. Sam Houston averages 308 passing yards per game compared with 100 rushing yards, with the ground attack producing 3.2 yards per carry. Opponents average 190.2 rushing yards against the Bearkats.
Longo believes more productive rushing attempts would force defenses to respect both parts of the offense, creating better opportunities to attack their weaknesses.
“I do not, and we will not, be a one-dimensional offense,” he said.
He also emphasized that improving the running game involves more than the offensive line and running backs. Receivers, tight ends and quarterbacks must execute their responsibilities.
“It takes all 11 people,” Longo said.
Locke gives Bearkats an established passing foundation
Sam Houston enters conference play with a quarterback who has already produced substantially more than he did during his limited opportunities last season.
Through four games, Locke has completed 96 of 145 passes for 1,168 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. His completion percentage is 66.2%.
He opened the season with three consecutive 300-yard passing performances. According to Sam Houston’s official game notes, he became the program’s first quarterback to begin a season that way since Eric Schmid opened the spring 2021 season with four straight 300-yard games.
The receiving production has come from multiple targets.
Reed leads the Bearkats with 220 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. Grady O’Neill has a team-leading 22 receptions for 216 yards, while Burns has turned seven catches into 189 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 27 yards per reception.
Longo said he likes the offense’s short, intermediate and deep passing components. He also explained that an efficient passing play depends on the available reads rather than a single yardage requirement.
If a defense covers deeper routes and leaves a shorter completion available, taking that throw can still put the offense in a favorable situation.
The next step is giving that passing game more support on the ground.
Liberty’s late-game defense creates a significant test
One of the matchup’s most notable early storylines is how Liberty has finished games.
Through four contests, the Flames have outscored opponents 42-0 in the fourth quarter. Liberty’s Oct. 1 game-day release states that this is the first time in program history it has held opponents scoreless in the fourth quarter of four consecutive games to begin a season.
That trend directly intersects with Longo’s focus on improving Sam Houston’s second-half execution.
Liberty’s latest victory demonstrated its ability to take control after halftime. Trailing Coastal Carolina 17-10 at the break, the Flames scored 24 unanswered points and held the Chanticleers to 47 total yards over the final two quarters in a 34-17 road victory.
Safety Ronald Moore Jr. earned Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording a career-high eight tackles in that game. Offensive lineman D.J. Geth also received the league’s weekly offensive line award.
Longo described Liberty’s defense as physical, with talented linebackers and length at cornerback. He also identified its ability to disguise coverages as a major preparation point.
“They’re going to look like one thing, and post-snap they’re going to look entirely different,” Longo said.
That requires Locke and the other quarterbacks to recognize changes quickly after the snap, including when making decisions on run-pass options.
“We’re going to have to be able to think fast post-snap because the picture’s going to change drastically,” Longo said.
Purdie, Davis and Jackson provide multiple offensive threats
Liberty’s offense has gained momentum as September progressed.
The Flames followed a narrow 24-23 victory over Gardner-Webb with a 51-15 win against Ball State, scoring on six of their first seven possessions and producing 460 total yards. Quarterback Deshawn Purdie threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns in that victory.
Purdie, a junior transfer from Wake Forest who began his college career at Charlotte, has thrown for 779 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception through four games.
Running back Kam Davis delivered a breakout performance against Coastal Carolina, rushing for 166 yards on 18 carries as Liberty finished with 263 rushing yards. Receiver Makai Jackson caught five passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the same game.
Davis arrived from Florida State and is on the Doak Walker Award watch list. Before moving to running back in college, he played quarterback at Dougherty High School in Albany, Georgia, accounting for 8,762 yards of total offense and 75 touchdowns during his prep career.
Jackson brings experience from several levels of college football. He began at Saint Francis, where he earned Northeast Conference Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, later produced 1,163 receiving yards across two seasons at Appalachian State and transferred to Liberty from Indiana.
Liberty also has used Ethan Vasko in its quarterback rotation. Against his former Coastal Carolina team, Vasko contributed a rushing touchdown and a touchdown pass.
For Sam Houston, those options make assignment discipline essential.
“They force you to play disciplined football,” Longo said. “They force you to play assignment football.”
Finishing blocks and maintaining gaps become priorities
Longo sees a shared issue in Sam Houston’s offensive and defensive rushing performance: winning the physical confrontation at the decisive point of a play.
On defense, that means maintaining gap responsibilities. On offense, it means sustaining and finishing blocks.
The staff calls that confrontation the “moment of truth.”
“You get to a point where you’re battling a guy physically, and it’s a stalemate at the moment,” Longo said. “The guy that strains, the guy that pushes and finishes is the one that’s going to win the moment of truth.”
Liberty’s ability to control possessions increases the importance of those details. Longo said the Flames complement their offense and defense by holding the football and limiting the opposing offense’s opportunities.
Through four games, Liberty averages 32 minutes, 46 seconds of possession and converts 46% of its third-down attempts.
Huntsville product Williams moves closer to contributing
The offensive line could receive help from developing depth.
Longo identified Elijah Collins, Tr'e Williams and Josiah Chenault as players who have improved during the opening weeks and are moving closer to contributing.
Williams provides a local connection for Bearkat fans. Sam Houston’s official roster lists the freshman offensive lineman as a Huntsville High School product, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 320 pounds. Collins is a junior transfer, while Chenault is a senior whose previous stops included Kennesaw State and Howard.
Longo said the offensive line has rotated players less than other position groups. Expanding that rotation could help keep players fresher and give additional linemen meaningful roles.
He also provided an encouraging update on Isaac Sohn, who was banged up against Texas Tech.
“He’ll play next week,” Longo said, adding that Sohn had returned to practice Thursday.
Longo described the team as relatively healthy and said the break had allowed time for treatment, rehabilitation and additional work for younger players.
Holloway package continues to develop
Sam Houston also plans to continue developing opportunities for Holloway.
Longo said the true freshman is handling the transition from high school to FBS football well and improving each week.
“He’s super competitive,” Longo said. “The kid loves to prepare, and you just have to have that trait as a quarterback.”
Holloway is listed on Sam Houston’s roster as a freshman from Melissa High School.
Longo said Holloway’s skill set gives the offense additional possibilities, with his role continuing to develop as he becomes ready for more responsibilities.
Special teams coverage needs greater consistency
Special teams coverage is another area receiving attention.
Longo said Sam Houston did some things well against Texas Tech, but mistakes in coverage lanes and technique created problems.
The Red Raiders opened the second half with a 45-yard kickoff return, setting up a touchdown drive that began at Sam Houston’s 32-yard line.
Longo said the staff is examining personnel while emphasizing that the larger concern is technique.
“We are certainly talented enough for special teams to be a factor for us each week,” he said.
Series history points to another competitive meeting
Sam Houston and Liberty have met twice, with each team winning at home.
The Flames won the first meeting 21-16 in Lynchburg on Oct. 5, 2023. Sam Houston answered with a 20-18 victory in Huntsville on Nov. 29, 2024.
The two games were decided by a combined seven points, and the series stands at 1-1 entering the third meeting.
For Longo, the conference opener offers a chance to establish a different direction after the nonconference portion of the schedule.
“You want to start it off the right way if you want to make a run in this conference,” he said.
The Liberty game also begins four consecutive October midweek contests for Sam Houston. The Bearkats return home to face Western Kentucky on Wednesday, Oct. 14, host New Mexico State on Wednesday, Oct. 21, and visit Missouri State on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Longo said the staff has an established plan for managing that schedule, with adjustments available when recovery needs dictate.
The immediate focus, however, remains on the first conference opponent.
“We’re not looking ahead,” Longo said. “You can’t when you’re playing a team like Liberty.”
Kickoff, television and radio information
- Matchup: Sam Houston at Liberty
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026
- Kickoff: 6 p.m. Central, 7 p.m. Eastern
- Location: Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, Virginia
- Television: ESPNU
- Local radio: KSHU 90.5 FM in Huntsville
- Online audio: Bearkat Sports Network through GoBearkats.com and the Bearkat Athletics app, with Jason Barfield and Brian Adams calling Bearkat football broadcasts
- Live statistics: Available through the official Sam Houston game center
| Statistic | Sam Houston | CUSA rank | FBS rank | Liberty | CUSA rank | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points scored per game | 27.8 | 2 | 86 | 30.5 | 1 | 73 |
| Points allowed per game | 24.0 | 6 | T79 | 18.8 | 2 | T38 |
| Total offense per game | 408.0 yards | 4 | 68 | 411.2 yards | 3 | 67 |
| Passing yards per game | 308.0 | 1 | 14 | 221.5 | 6 | 80 |
| Rushing yards per game | 100.0 | 9 | 128 | 189.8 | 1 | 39 |
| Total yards allowed per game | 335.5 | 4 | 62 | 284.0 | 2 | 32 |
| Passing yards allowed per game | 145.2 | 1 | 8 | 152.5 | 3 | 13 |
| Rushing yards allowed per game | 190.2 | 9 | 123 | 131.5 | 3 | 72 |
| Third-down conversion rate | 43.3% | 5 | T56 | 46.0% | 4 | 41 |
| Opponent third-down conversion rate | 26.8% | 1 | T12 | 31.9% | T3 | T36 |
| Average time of possession | 32:48 | 1 | 23 | 32:46 | 2 | 24 |
| Turnover margin per game | +0.50 | T2 | T40 | +0.25 | T4 | T53 |
| Penalty yards per game | 59.0 | 7 | 78 | 73.3 | 10 | T117 |