Aggie fans can watch the game live on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
Goodwell, Okla.—Panhandle State Football starts off the 2016 season with a long road trip to East Texas as they travel to Huntsville this week to face last year's FCS semi-finalists, the Sam Houston State Bearkats. The game is set for Saturday, Sept. 3 with a 6 p.m. kickoff at Bowers Stadium.
The Bearkats enter 2016 as the number two team in the nation at the Division I level, and are coming off of their fourth FCS semi-final appearance in the past five years. There's no doubt that this is the highest ranked team the Aggies have faced since Head Coach
Russell Gaskamp took over in 2012.
The Aggies will be up against a well-seasoned team that returns 49 letterman including two All-Southland Conference players on the offensive side of the ball, running back Corey Avery and receiver Yedidiah Louis. The Kats' offensive unit led the nation for Total Offense last year with close to eight thousand yards (7,975).
Panhandle is also coming off a strong offensive performance last season. The Aggies ranked sixth in the nation in scoring offense in 2015, averaging over 40 points per game. With eight starters returning on offense, the team will hold more experience on that side of the ball than they have seen the past two years. While the coaches expect a tough sixty minutes of play for their first outing of the season, they feel it is an opportunity to see how the players will react under pressure, and get a feel for where they stand with their younger players.
Saturday's matchup will also be the most high-profile game in which Panhandle State has had the opportunity to compete; the contest will be nationally televised on ESPN 3 and streamed live on the Watch ESPN app. Links are available on the Football schedule page of the Aggie Athletics website opsuaggies.com.
For those traveling to Huntsville to support the Aggies in person, a pre-game tailgate will take place in lot P2 of the Bowers Stadium parking lot. More information on the event is available online on the official Facebook page for OPSU Aggie Athletics. Good luck and safe travels to Aggie football and the fans and families headed to the game.
