By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The No. 15 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team scored early and often en route to its program-record ninth consecutive victory at Hardy M. Graham Stadium while remaining unbeaten in Ohio Valley Conference play with a 45-28 win over visiting Tennessee Tech.
The Skyhawks (3-2, 2-0 OVC) treated fans and alumni to a high-scoring league matchup while soaring to the team’s third consecutive Homecoming victory behind a well-rounded afternoon which saw the home squad score in all three phases of the game. UT Martin scored in every quarter while accumulating its third 500-yard performance of the season on offense. Additionally, the Skyhawks added to their afternoon with a defensive touchdown via an interception while making their lone field goal attempt.
Big plays highlighted the contest as UT Martin recorded 12 plays totaling 10 yards or more while notching six of the team’s 10 longest plays this season with plays eclipsing 40 yards. Some of the top highlights include a 70-yard touchdown pass from Dresser Winn to DJ Nelson, a 69-yard connection from Winn to DeVonte Tanksley, an 86-yard rushing touchdown by Sam Franklin, a 44-yard interception return by Shaun Lewis, a 55-yard pass from Winn to EJ Smoot and a 41-yard scamper by Zak Wallace.
With the big plays in their pocket, the Skyhawks presented a balanced offense on their way to 523 yards. UT Martin passed for 335 yards while the ground attack racked up 188 yards – including three rushing touchdowns. Winn led the offensive attack at quarterback by completing 21-of-34 pass attempts for 335 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson led the air attack with career highs in both yards (95) and touchdowns (two) while Tanksley paced the team with four catches totaling 69 yards.
The ground attack had five players notch carries with Wallace leading the squad with 17 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns. His two touchdowns marked the 23rd and 24th of his career, moving into sole possession of third place on the program’s all-time rushing touchdown leaderboard. Meanwhile, Franklin made the most of his five carries by racking up 94 yards – including an 86-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
UT Martin’s defense saw Lewis lead the way with a game-high 11 tackles while returning his third interception of the season 44 yards for a touchdown. Linebacker John H. Ford II and safety Carson Evans just missed double-digits in the tackle column with nine stops each while Rob Hicks paced the team with 2.0 tackles for loss – including a sack.
Wrapping up the team’s top performances in each phase was specialist Tyler Larco who posted yet another strong afternoon in the kicking game. Not only did Larco boot a season-long 36-yard field goal in the third quarter, he also averaged 47.7 yards per punt – including a season-best 66-yard blast. He also excelled on kickoffs by averaging 57.1 yards per attempt while tallying five touchdacks.
“I will never take wins for granted and I’m very pleased to be able to win our ninth game in a row at home and move to 2-0 in the OVC,” UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. “There were definitely bright spots as we scored 45 points – including a defensive touchdown with the pick six – while ranking up 523 yards. I was also proud of our defense to hold them on third down and in the redzone. We have some guys that can go out and get it, so you saw a lot of big plays but we would like to be able to put our nose down and grind out some drives. It wasn’t the cleanest game, but we can clean that up.”
Tennessee Tech (1-3, 0-1 OVC) notched 409 yards of total offense behind quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall. The transfer quarterback completed 19-of-34 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns while throwing one interception. Running back David Gist also had a nice afternoon with two total touchdowns – scoring both on the ground and through the air.
UT Martin will now turn its attention to the road with three consecutive away matchups to close the month of October, beginning with a matchup at regional rival Murray State on Saturday, Oct. 8.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information