K.C. Keeler’s phone buzzed on a Thursday morning last October, the day after another crushing mid-week loss amid an 0–8 start. It was a text from Willie Fritz. Just the man he wanted to hear from.
Fritz is highly regarded at Sam Houston, its former head coach from 2010-13, whom Keeler succeeded. The two men led the Bearkats to FCS dominance. Now, the program was slightly shell-shocked in its first FBS season.