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Chris Walker, KatFund & Sam Houston’s Second-Half Problem
Chris Walker / KatFund:
CBS Sports analyst and former college basketball coach Chris Walker joins the show to discuss XtraPoint and KatFund. Walker explains why college athletic departments need to expand beyond major donors and how a large group of smaller recurring contributors can create meaningful financial support.
Walker describes the difficult cycle facing athletic departments: programs need money to win, but winning also makes it easier to raise money.
Sam Houston Basketball:
Walker discusses the changing mid-major basketball landscape, Conference USA and the challenge of retaining productive players in the transfer portal era.
He also offers a strong endorsement of Chris Mudge, calling him an up-and-coming coach and saying Sam Houston should do everything possible to keep him.
Texas Tech Look Back:
Sam Houston lost 49-14 at Texas Tech, but the final score does not completely describe the first half.
Consecutive pick-sixes turned a 7-0 game into 21-0 before the Bearkats responded with two touchdowns and entered halftime down 21-14. Sam Houston’s defense also created four turnovers before Texas Tech eventually took control after halftime.
Around the Farm:
We discuss Sam Houston’s latest athletics funding momentum before going Around the Farm.
Volleyball opened Conference USA play with two road wins at Kennesaw State, both cross country teams won the Clifton Gillard Invite, men’s golf finished second at the Bayou City Collegiate, tennis added another tournament title and soccer opened CUSA play with a 2-1 loss despite creating significantly more shots than Kennesaw State.
Sam Houston’s Second-Half Problem:
The Bearkats have scored 42 first-half points against Troy, Tulsa and Texas Tech but only 10 after halftime.
The clearest statistical decline appears on first down. Sam Houston averages 9.09 yards per first-down play before halftime against FBS opponents and only 3.02 afterward.
Longo says conditioning is not the issue. He points toward execution and says the offense needs greater efficiency and more explosive plays from the running game.
We compare those comments with the numbers and discuss whether the disappearance of explosive passing plays after halftime deserves additional attention.
Conference USA / Rivalries:
Conference USA enters league play without an obvious dominant team, creating an opportunity for Sam Houston if the Bearkats can turn competitive performances into wins.
The conversation eventually turns to something Sam Houston has lacked since leaving the Southland: a real rivalry. We discuss bringing an NRG Stadium game back and possible opponents that could create something worth building around.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit march2thepod.substack.com (https://march2thepod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
25 Sept 2026
DJ Bailey Questions Linger as Sam Houston Heads to Texas Tech
Sam Houston delivered exactly the kind of performance it needed against Nicholls, rolling to a 59-0 win with 619 yards of offense, no turnovers and no sacks allowed.
We look deeper than the final score, including Landyn Locke’s continued development, a more productive rushing attack and what Phil Longo’s four-yard standard tells us about where the Kats have been most efficient running the football. We also look at the defense and an important trend to watch against Texas Tech’s rushing attack.
Around the Farm includes a win at the Red Raider Invitational for women’s golf, volleyball’s four-match winning streak entering Conference USA play, soccer’s 7-0 victory over Texas A&M-San Antonio, fall tennis and the newly released 2027 baseball and softball conference schedules.
Then we get into the DJ Bailey saga. Bailey was publicly listed as QB2 before freshman Brett Holloway received the meaningful backup snaps against Nicholls. Bailey did not enter the game and was later removed from the online roster. We discuss Phil Longo’s explanation, the apparent communication problem, support Bailey has received from teammates and why the situation needs clarity before it becomes a larger distraction.
Finally, we preview Saturday’s trip to No. 11 Texas Tech. We discuss where the matchup could become difficult for Sam Houston, why the Kats may need to lean heavily into their passing game and whether a 37.5-point spread gives Sam Houston too little credit.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit march2thepod.substack.com (https://march2thepod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
18 Sept 2026
Sam Houston-Nicholls Preview: Time to Turn Progress Into a Win
Sam Houston is 0-2, but the first two games have looked considerably different from most of last season. We break down what happened against Tulsa, including the final goal-line sequence, continued problems in the run game, Landyn Locke’s start to the season, the offensive line and a costly fake punt.
Then we turn to Nicholls. The Colonels already own a win over UTRGV, have forced 10 turnovers through three games and present another test for an offense still searching for its identity. We discuss whether Phil Longo should lean harder into the Air Raid if the running game continues to struggle and what would constitute a convincing win Saturday.
We also have major basketball news. Fanta Kone and Deborah Ogayemi are back with the women, Anthony Fobb is leaving Chris Mudge’s staff for Ole Miss, James McCall-Spears has committed for 2027 and more of the men’s nonconference schedule is taking shape.
Around the Farm includes soccer, volleyball, cross country, golf and a discussion about the future of the volleyball program.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit march2thepod.substack.com (https://march2thepod.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
3,146
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 30 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
21
Social presence
0
YouTube
68
Engagement
32
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