April 25, 2023
FootballKats to play Texas State at NRG Stadium in 2024
HUNTSVILLE — A rivalry will be renewed when Sam Houston plays Texas State at NRG Stadium in Houston during the 2024 season.
Sam Houston football has played annually at NRG Stadium since 2010 and that will continue into the FBS as the Bearkats join Conference USA on July 1. It was announced in October that Sam Houston will play Air Force at the home of the Houston Texans this upcoming season.
The Bearkats and Bobcats have previously played each other 91 times from 1915 to 2011 with the only break in the series coming during World War II (1943-45). Texas State leads the all-time series 50-36-5.
“Anytime two rivals with over a century of history come back together, it’s exciting for the fans, the schools and the community. We couldn’t be more thrilled for NRG Stadium to play host next fall to welcoming back this great Texas rivalry for the first time in over a decade,” said David Fletcher, General Manager of Lone Star Sports and Entertainment.
The game will take place on Sept. 28, 2024, and the Bearkats will be considered the home team. The last time the two teams met on the field were as members of the Southland Conference in 2011 before Texas State joined the Sun Belt with Sam Houston coming away with a 36-14 victory in San Marcos.
NRG Stadium is a venue that Sam Houston first started playing at in 2010 when it joined forces with Stephen F. Austin and Lone Star Sports and Entertainment to move the Battle of the Piney Woods rivalry to Houston.
The game against Texas State concludes the 2024 non-conference portion of the schedule for the Bearkats. Sam Houston will play at Rice on Aug. 31, at Central Florida on Sept. 7 and host Hawai'i on Sept. 14.