Sam Houston embraces underdog role heading into playoff tilt vs. James Madison

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HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston State's Jason Barfield, a media relations director, was fielding the usual interview requests last month after the Bearkats found out their seeding in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, when an out-of-state reporter bluntly stated his intended topic.

"I'm writing a story," the guy informed Barfield, "about how y'all got screwed."

Barfield chuckled at the assertion – one a whole lot of Sam Houston followers wholeheartedly agree with. SHSU spent about the last half of the regular season ranked No. 1 nationally in the STATS FCS top 25 poll, but was seeded only fifth for the 24-team showdown.

That didn't really matter until Friday, when the Bearkats (12-0) take on fourth-seeded James Madison (11-1) at 6 p.m. in Harrisonburg, Va. SHSU is undefeated and James Madison is not, but the Dukes own the home-field advantage courtesy of their slightly higher seed. The Bearkats spent much of Thursday traveling.

SHSU, with its (lack of) strength of schedule held against it by the playoffs committee, is the lone unbeaten team remaining in the FCS. But don't bother SHSU standout receiver Yedidiah Louis with any complaining. He's too busy enjoying the journey.

"We're used to being in the position of underdog, even when we really shouldn't be the underdog," he said. "We've always had to go about proving people wrong. We kind of like and embrace being the underdog."

The questionable seeding hadn't caught up to SHSU until Friday, considering as one of the top eight seeds the Bearkats received a bye in the first round, and then a home game last Saturday against lower-seeded Chattanooga, a 41-36 SHSU victory on a rainy day in Huntsville. The forecast for Harrisonburg, Va., on Friday night calls for Fahrenheit temperatures hovering in the 20s.

"I like to travel," Louis insisted. "I like going into other people's stadiums and disappointing their fans. That's our goal."

Sam Houston State quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe threw for 363 yards and five touchdowns in Saturday's FCS playoff victory over Chattanooga. Sam Houston State quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe threw for 363 yards and five touchdowns in Saturday's FCS playoff victory over Chattanooga. Photo: Joe Buvid, Freelance Photo: Joe Buvid, Freelance Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Sam Houston embraces underdog role heading into playoff tilt vs. James Madison 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

James Madison's lone loss occurred on Sept. 17, when North Carolina doubled up the Dukes 56-28. JMU has reeled off nine consecutive victories since, including 20-7 over Villanova in the regular season, and 55-22 over New Hampshire in last week's second round of the playoffs.

"I expect the stadium to be packed," said JMU coach Mike Houston, who a JMU official said might be a distant relative of the original Sam Houston, who was born in Virginia. "It will be cold, dark and perfect. It's December, and it's playoff time."

The Dukes will have to contend with Bearkats quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe, a junior from Stratford High, who has thrown an FCS single-season record 57 touchdown passes this year. He transferred to SHSU from Alabama-Birmingham following the 2014 season, and earned the starting gig full time this season.

Briscoe is acutely aware of the Bearkats' seeding, and the fuss from the outside that's come along with it. Home or away, Briscoe said, the only thing that matters is what happens on the field.

"It's great for Sam Houston to be getting all of this attention," Briscoe said, "but honestly it doesn't mean anything until we go out there and keep winning."

The intended destination for both programs is much closer to Huntsville than Harrisonburg, Va. Frisco will play host to the FCS title game as it has since 2010, and the venue – home of soccer's FC Dallas – is locked in to host the championship through 2020.

"We've been so close these past couple of seasons," said SHSU defensive end P.J. Hall, the Southland Conference's defensive player of the year. "We don't want to get held back again, and we've been working hard to accomplish our goal."