By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information
MARTIN, Tenn. – A large first quarter deficit proved to be surmountable for the University of Tennessee at Martin football team on Saturday evening as the squad overcame an early 17-point hole before picking up a 33-27 non-conference victory in the home opener.
The Skyhawks (1-1) stumbled out of the gates by compounding mistakes which led to five first half turnovers and 17 unanswered points by the visiting Bulldogs. With Samford visiting Graham Stadium for the first time since 2007 when both teams were members of the Ohio Valley Conference, UT Martin turned to its home crowd of 5,869 fans and big plays to spark its rally.
While a quick look at a box score can be deceiving, the Skyhawks were dominant during large stretches. As a whole, UT Martin tallied 469 yards of total offense along with four total touchdowns while the defense limited an explosive Samford team to just 254 yards – including 37 yards on the ground. With the win, the Skyhawks recorded their first victory after trailing by 14 points or more since 2015.
After being held scoreless for the first quarter, UT Martin wasted little time getting on the board in the opening minutes of the second. The Skyhawks needed just two plays to find the endzone as quarterback Keon Howard connected with Peyton Logan with a screen pass on the left side before the running back broke free and scampered 60 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. Following another scoring driving – this time punctuated by a seven-yard rushing touchdown by Howard – the tandem connected again on a nearly identical play as Logan tip-toed down the sideline and into the endzone to give the Skyhawks their first lead of the night at 21-20.
With a new game at hand, UT Martin went into halftime holding a 24-20 advantage after a 31-yard field goal by Tyler Larco split the uprights as time expired in the second quarter.
UT Martin added to its margin in the second half as Zak Wallace polished a long 14-play scoring drive which eclipsed eight minutes by punching in a touchdown from two yards out with 5:13 to play in the third. The team tallied their final points with 9:54 to play in the game as JaQuez Akins got to the quarterback for a sack and a safety in the endzone.
The game took another dramatic turn in the fourth quarter as Samford saw the home team score 19 unanswered points. Wanting to find a final push, the Bulldogs traveled 87 yards over 2:15 before Liam Welch found Montrell Washington for a 24-yard touchdown. With the contest back down to a six-point margin, the Bulldogs hoped for a late comeback but an interception by D’Carrious Stephens with 1:29 to play sealed the victory for UT Martin.
“Boy that one had some ups and downs,” UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. “First of all, I’m proud of the football team – I’m proud of how they practiced this week, I’m proud of how they bounced back from last week and I’m proud of the coaches. That’s a good out-of-conference program – Chris Hatcher does a good job at Samford. I’m proud of how we overcame adversity – with all the turnovers in the first quarter, to only be down 17-0. The sideline was calm and guys kept fighting back. It’s Soybean Festival week, you come to Martin, Tennessee and we’re going to strap it up and we’re going to play hard.”
After some early hiccups to start the contest, Howard showed his poise as a veteran graduate quarterback by leading the offense back. Howard completed 18-of-30 passes for 229 yards on the night while throwing for two touchdowns. He also tallied 16 rush attempts for 66 yards while scoring his third rushing touchdown of the year.
The Skyhawks dominated the ground game, out-gaining the Bulldogs by 203 yards. While Howard led the team in carries and yards, Zak Wallace wasn’t far behind with 15 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.
While Logan garnered nine carries of his own out of the backfield, he did the bulk of his damage in the passing game where he recorded four receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdown catches went for 60 and 51 yards, respectively. For the day, he finished with 169 all-purpose yards.
On the defensive end, graduate linebacker John Ford paced the team with seven tackles while Deven Sims and Stephens tallied five stops each. Along with his late interception, Stephens added to his impressive stat total by tallying 1.5 tackles for loss. Rover JaQuez Akins tallied a pair of sacks on the night while forcing a fumble. Transfer Eyabi Anoma brought pressure throughout the contest while tallying four tackles, a hurry and a sack.
Reigning OVC Specialist of the Week Tyler Larco remained busy again tonight, tallying four punts for an average of 42.0 yards while pinning two inside the opponent’s 20. He also converted four PATs while booting his 11th career field goal.
UT Martin will hit the road for its net two non-conference matchups, beginning with a long trip to Northwestern State on Saturday, Sept. 18. Kickoff from Turpin Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information