Top 10 Stories of the Year: No. 8 No reason to worry
The Sam Houston State faithful were anxiously awaiting the start of college football season back in September and for good reason because it meant the debut of highly touted quarterback transfer Rhett Bomar.
Rhett Bomar, who had to sit out the entire 2006 season because of an NCAA rules violation, didn’t disappoint. With the ability to make plays with his arm and his feet, the junior signal caller threw 2,209 yards and picked up 406 on the ground. He also threw 10 touchdown passes and picked up seven more scores on the ground to lead the Bearkats to a 4-4 start until his season was cut short.
While enjoying one of his best performances of the year against Nicholls State on Nov. 3, Bomar suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee with under two minutes to go in the first half. Before the injury, Rhett Bomar had completed 10-of-16 passes for 159 yards and had guided SHSU to three scoring drives on its first four possessions.
“It’s unfortunate that this happened because he has worked so hard since he got here to get on the field,” said Bearkats head coach Todd Whitten, a few days after the injury was confirmed by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test. “I think he was having a fine year and kept getting better and better. The first half of last week’s game was the sharpest he has been all year. He’s a good kid and he will bounce back from this.”
It was unfortunate that Rhett Bomar went down, but it opened the door for senior Brett Hicks to finish his SHSU career on the playing field. Hicks had been in the same situation before. The previous season, Hicks filled in for an injured Wade Pate to get the Bearkats within a win of a Southland Conference championship.
As good as a season as Hicks had in 2006, it would have been easy for him to be up in arms over being benched. But he took it in stride and continued to work hard just in case his number was called.
“It’s really nice to be back on the field because for a while there I thought I had thrown my last pass,” Hicks said back in November. “That’s not the case now, but if I hadn’t gotten another opportunity I would have been OK. I have enjoyed my time here and have some fond memories. With that said, it’s going to be really fun to come out and compete before I hang them up.”
Hicks did enough in the second half to help the Kats hold off Nicholls State 16-13. The next week on the road at Southeastern Louisiana, he faired a little better, tossing two touchdown pass in the first half before the defense came up with a crucial goal-line stand in the final minutes to seal a 20-16 victory.
It was Hicks’ first start in almost a year, but he didn’t play like it. He finished the night 20-of-30 passing for 296 yards and two touchdowns to secure SHSU’s first back-to-back winning seasons since 2000-01.
“Brett managed the game well and played pretty clean,” Whitten said after the game. “I was pleased with his effort. He did a nice job and I have nothing but respect for him. I’m glad we got our sixth win and I’m proud of these seniors.”
Sure it was a nice feel good story, but Hicks saved his best for last when the Kats headed to San Marcos to face Texas State in the season finale Nov. 15.
The Bobcats had been a thorn in the Bearkats side for the past two seasons, including a come-from-behind victory at Bowers Stadium last year that cost SHSU a shot at a co-conference title.
Things weren’t looking any better on a cold Thursday night, as Texas State built a comfortable 28-10 lead in the fourth quarter. But Hicks had a little senior magic left up his sleeve.
In a memorable comeback reminiscent of the 2004 Eastern Washington playoff miracle, the Bearkats rallied around their unlikely hero, who just weeks before never thought he would play another down unless it was garbage time.
But that night belonged to Hicks.
The former Bandera High School standout capped off a furious rally with a 5-yard, fourth-and-goal touchdown pass to Chris Lucas with 13 seconds left to propel Sam Houston to an improbable 29-28 victory.
“To completely be honest, I don’t know how we did it,” Hicks said with a grim from ear to ear after the game. “It looked bad there for a while but our defense, they made a couple of turnovers and picked us up. That final drive was something else.”
That final drive was something else. Hicks was 8-of-10 for 71 yards and finished his career with a 262-yard passing performance. It was a storybook ending and gave the Bearkats something positive to take into the offseason.
As for Rhett Bomar, the good news is that he is expected to make a full recovery. With his work ethic, he should be ready to pick up where he left off and help Sam Houston make a run at an SLC crown in 2008.
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