“Take one day at time and live the day that God gave you to the best of your abilities.”
That is the motto of Sam Houston State sophomore defensive end Chris Brown. Brown truly does know the meaning of this after he suffered a broken leg his freshman year of college and was forced to redshirt last season. When playing sports on any level, there are good days and bad days. After an injury, many athletes find it difficult to sit and not be able to play the game they love. Following an injury by sitting out a season can be an even tougher pill to swallow. When bad things like that happen, all anyone can really do is take things in stride.
After transferring to Sam Houston State from the University of Texas this season, the SHSU coaches have utilized Brown’s explosive playmaking abilities well this year. Brown has been utilized more as a linebacker in a 3-4 defense, which frees him up to roam and get to the quarterback. This strategy has worked remarkably well for the Bearkats as Brown is in the top five for the team in total tackles with 35. Brown also leads the team in sacks this season with four, resulting in a total loss of 16 yards.
Brown ranks high statistically not only for the Bearkats, but in the Southland Conference as well. His tackle total is good for a ninth place tie among all Southland players and his sack total stands alone in second place behind only defensive end Bryan Smith of McNeese State.
Brown said that his decision to transfer to Sam Houston came down to one thing: “They needed me to help win games and it was my biggest motivation.”
Despite the success that he has had this season, Brown is not overconfident.
“I have played pretty good, but there are extra things that I can work on. I need to play more as a team player, and handle my assignments better,” Brown said. “We put ourselves in positions to win games and we’ve just come up short a couple of times, but I think overall talent-wise, we’re a great defensive unit.”
Brown transferred to SHSU after being a member of the University of Texas Longhorns team that won the Rose Bowl in 2006 against the highly favored USC Trojans. Brown said he took something away from his times at UT that he hopes will help him and his teammates in times of struggle.
“It was a great experience,” said Brown of his time at UT. “It lets you know what winning feels like and it makes you more determined to get that feeling again.”