By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – An eventful week filled with Homecoming activities on the University of Tennessee at Martin campus was capped off by an explosive showing on the gridiron as the No. 21 ranked football team surged pasted Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State in the league opener with a 48-28 triumph at Hardy M. Graham Stadium.
The Skyhawks (4-1, 1-0 OVC) pushed their winning streak to four games with a statement victory over their regional rival. After playing the last two games on the road prior to the team’s bye week, UT Martin responded well to its first home contest in 28 days by scoring on its opening drive and never looking back before eventually scoring 35 unanswered points against the OVC’s top-ranked defense.
By the time the dust settled on Homecoming and the sun began to set on the horizon, the Skyhawks sang the UT Martin fight song with a tone of jubilation which is only replicated following a big win.
“I hope that our players appreciate the atmosphere we had today,” UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. “One of my favorite parts of today was having some of our former players back in the locker room with us celebrating along with the team. I have been fortunate enough to have 16 groups come through here. Seeing those guys filter in and their kids is a blast. I don’t take it for granted. I’m proud to be part of the players’ lives and that’s what this is all about – those relationships and memories we build together”.
UT Martin played at or above its season averages in several categories while setting season-highs in total points (48), rushing yards (266), rushing touchdowns (five), tackles (79), quarterback hurries (five) and interceptions (two). Meanwhile, the Skyhawks limited the Racers to just 325 yards of total offense while forcing two turnover on downs and a pair of interceptions.
“This was an important game,” UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. “I wanted to make sure our team and our offense was ready, and I am very pleased with how that first half went. When its 321-95 total yards in the first half, we were nearly about as good as it could be minus the blocked field goal. When you have a solid football team, you find different ways to finish a game. We are finding ourselves and we are seeing that we’re capable of playing even better, so that’s the challenge”.
One of the top contributors for the Skyhawks came on the shoulders of power running back Zak Wallace. The freshman from Benton, Ark. made the most of his 14 carries by eating up 67 yards and scoring a career-high three rushing touchdowns. His afternoon marked the first three-touchdown rushing performance by a Skyhawk since Abou Toure accomplished the feat back in 2014 against Murray State.
Wallace was not the only player to post a big day as UT Martin scored a total of seven touchdowns – including five on the ground. Graduate quarterback Keon Howard led a high-powered offense by completing 67 percent of his pass attempts (12-of-18) while throwing for 171 yards and one touchdown. The dual-threat quarterback also notched nine carries for 98 yards while scoring his sixth rushing touchdown of the season on a 10-yard scamper.
The day will also serve as a lifelong memory for freshman transfer Jordan Castleberry who punched in his first career touchdown on a six-yard carry in the first quarter.
In the receiving game, junior Colton Dowell hauled in three catches for 86 yards – including a 49-yard reception. With his strong day, Dowell brings his career receiving yards total to 1,731 yards which elevates him to eighth place on the program’s all-time leaderboard by surpassing Deumaine Reeder (1,673 yards). Freshman Zoe Roberts also tallied three receptions – including a two-yard touchdown reception which marked his third in the last two games.
Along with the team’s success on the offensive side, UT Martin had several impressive contributions on the defensive end. Most notably came in the second quarter when freshman Tevin Shipp tallied his first career interception and returned it 47 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown – the team’s first defensive touchdown of the season. The Skyhawks would later tally another interception as graduate John Ford snatched his second interception of the season on the first play of the second half and returned it 17 yards to set up yet another scoring drive.
The safety duo of Takeem Young and Deven Sims led the game with 10 tackles and one pass breakup each. Hard-hitting rover JaQuez Akins and Ford weren’t too far behind with seven tackles each while David DuBose finished with five stops on the afternoon. As a team, the Skyhawks combined for 5.0 tackles for loss split between nine players while Shawn Shamburger paced the squad with two pass breakups.
UT Martin will hit the road for its next contest with a trip to Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 16. Kickoff from O’Brien Field is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information