Battle of the Piney Woods
| Sport | Football |
|---|---|
| First meeting | November 17, 1923 Stephen F. Austin 19, Sam Houston 6 |
| Latest meeting | October 1, 2016 Sam Houston 63, Stephen F. Austin 28 |
| Next meeting | October 7, 2017 |
| Trophy | Piney Woods Trophy |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 91 |
| All-time series | Sam Houston leads, 54–35–2 |
| Largest victory | Sam Houston, 63-28 (2016) |
| Longest win streak | Sam Houston, 6 (1937-41, 46); (2011-present) |
| Current win streak | Sam Houston, 6 (2011–present) |
The Battle of the Piney Woods is a notable college football rivalry, which is the annual battle between Sam Houston State University and Stephen F. Austin State University. It is one of the oldest rivalries in the state of Texas, with Sam Houston State located in Huntsville, Texas, and Stephen F. Austin located in Nacogdoches, Texas.
The Battle of the Piney Woods is the rivalry between the Sam Houston State Bearkats and the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. The rivalry is currently the second longest in the FCS with Bearkats leading the series in football 54-35-2 as of 2016. On October 20, 2009, according to SFAJacks.com and GoBearkats.com the Universities announced the rivalry will be moved down to Houston, Texas, in Reliant Stadium from now until 2013. The Lumberjacks came away with a 31-28 victory in the debut game at Reliant Stadium in front of a record crowd of 24,685. In 2012, the contract for Reliant Stadium was extended through 2017. In March of 2015 it was announced that NRG stadium would become the permanent home of the rivalry.
The rivalry is not only in football but in men's basketball where the Lumberjacks hold a slight lead 95-94 all-time, the last game was the 189th and extended the rivalry to 87 seasons. In the 2010 season, airing on ESPN2, the conference championship featured the "Piney Woods" rivalry in the finals with the Bearkats coming out on top 64-48 to win the 2010 Southland Conference tournament and go onto play Baylor in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament.
Since 2007, the winner of the “Battle of the Piney Woods” has earned a 21-pound solid cedar trophy that displays replica pistols attached to a tombstone. The logos from both universities are engraved on the handle of the pistols above name plates that will display the outcomes of the contest for the next two decades.
Prior to the trophy, a pair of Colt Walker Pistols were the original prize awarded to the winning team, beginning with the 1976 contest in the Houston Astrodome. These pistols were lost over time and have not been recovered.
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