By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – For the first time in 15 years, the No. 10 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team has been crowned Ohio Valley Conference champions after stringing together a program-record nine straight victories with a 42-3 win over league foe Tennessee Tech on Saturday.
The Skyhawks (9-1, 5-0 OVC) reached the mountain top of the league standings after several near misses in recent history to earn the program’s second OVC regular season championship and first since 2006. UT Martin’s historic season continues to write new chapters as the team picked up its ninth consecutive win on the afternoon to set a new program record while ranking as the second-longest winning streak in the nation. Along with the league title, the Skyhawks have guarantee an automatic berth in the FCS Playoffs for team’s second appearance in program history.
In addition to claiming the program’s second OVC trophy, the Skyhawks secured the rights to a second trophy with today’s victory. With the win over Tennessee Tech, UT Martin swept the Sgt. York Trophy series for the year with a perfect 3-0 record. The Skyhawks have claimed at least a share of the trophy seven times in the last eight years and nine times overall while the traveling trophy will make its home in west Tennessee for the first time since the 2016 season.
“Today was a great day for our program,” UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. “It’s been nine weeks in a row for that team to keep it going with the energy and focus. I take my hat off to them and the staff. They are ready every week and that doesn’t happen a whole lot. To be a part of that, I am very proud for our program and our fans. The defense came out tonight and did a great job while the offense kind of took the air out of it a little bit and got the big lead at halftime to put the game away early. Championships are hard to come by. We have won a lot of games around here but we have finished second too many times. To be able to see these kids celebrate is really satisfying.”
UT Martin went into the game approaching it like a playoff game needing both a road win and a loss by Southeast Missouri to clinch the title outright before next week’s head-to-head showdown in Cape Girardeau. The Skyhawks quickly showed their dominance in the contest by jumping out to a quick 21-0 lead while the Redhawks suffered an 18-point loss to Murray State.
The Skyhawks took care of their own business by dominating the Golden Eagles throughout the contest. Offensively, UT Martin notched 24 first downs while accumulating 462 yards of total offense – including a season-high 313 rushing yards which ranked as the highest rushing total since 2016. Meanwhile on defense, the Skyhawks were exceptional by holding Tech to just 247 yards of total offense and three points on the day while forcing a pair of turnovers with two interceptions.
The rushing attack and offensive line play was once again the story for the Skyhawks offensively as seven players tallied carries in the contest while Peyton Logan led the team with his seventh career 100-yard rushing performance with 116 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts for an average of 16.6 yards per carry. Freshman Zak Wallace also continued his breakout season by leading the team with eight carries while totaling 90 yards and two touchdowns. With his two scores today, Wallace now sits in fourth place on the program’s single-season rushing touchdown list with 13 – surpassing Miguel Barnes (2009) and Brandy Young (2008) who tallied 12 each. Rounding out the group was true-freshman Sam Franklin who came in on the final drive of the fourth quarter and tallied four carries for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Fresh of being named to watch lists for both the CFPA National FCS Performer of the Year and Walter Payton Award, quarterback Keon Howard was highly efficient in the pass game by completing 14-of-19 attempts (73.6 percent) for 141 yards and two touchdowns. He also had five carries for 27 yards on the ground. Howard’s top target was tight end Rodney Williams II who tallied three receptions for 19 yards and a touchdown while Deray Lawrence made the most out of his one catch of the afternoon by scoring on a 62-yard reception for his first career touchdown.
UT Martin caused problems in the backfield for Tennessee Tech by tallying six tackles for loss with safety JaQuez Akins leading the group with 1.5 on the day. Linebacker John Ford paced the team with eight tackles while running mate D’Carrious Stephens tallied seven. Back in the secondary, the safety duo of Oshae Baker and Deven Sims both recorded interceptions to thwart scoring chances while Shawn Shamburger tallied a game-high two pass breakups.
After both teams failed to turn their initial scoring drive into points, the Skyhawks responded quickly by placing 14 points on the board in a stretch of three plays from scrimmage. On UT Martin’s second drive of the game, the squad took over on its 24 before eventually moving to midfield where Wallace put the Skyhawks on the board by breaking loose and scampering 50 yards up the gut for a touchdown. Then on the Golden Eagles first possession of their ensuing drive, the home team attempted their second trick play of the quarter with this one resulting in an interception by Sims which he returned 14 yards into Tech territory. As the offense was rushed back onto the field, the Skyhawks ran a near mirror play to its previous scoring run but with Logan who curled over the right side and down the sideline 34 yards into the endzone to make it a 14-0 contest.
UT Martin added another touchdown on its next possession as Howard completed a pair of pass attempts for 20 yards while the rushing attack moved the ball down the field. Sitting at the Tech 27, Wallace tallied a 14-yard carry to move into the redzone before finding the endzone for the second time in the contest with a 13-yard rush down the right sideline on the following play to take a 21-point advantage.
Tennessee Tech put its lone points of the contest on the board midway through the second quarter. After starting their drive on the 25, the Golden Eagles received a big run from Willie Miller to move into the redzone before having to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Hayden Olsen to make it a 21-3 margin.
The Skyhawks kept their offensive momentum going despite it looking like the team’s drive would end with a punt but UT Martin was given new life as Tech got called for roughing the punter to give the visitors a first down. On the following play, Howard rolled to his right and found the speedster Lawrence deep down field for a 62-yard touchdown connection. Then right before the half, Howard tossed his second touchdown of the game – finding Williams for a four-yard score in the corner of the endzone to give the Skyhawks a 35-3 lead heading into halftime.
The third quarter saw UT Martin put the game in cruise control. With a big lead in their pocket, the Skyhawks milked the clock and played strong defense, limiting the Golden Eagles to just 34 total yards in the quarter and two first downs.
Once taking possession for its final drive of the fourth quarter, the Skyhawks turned to its second unit which methodically moved the ball down the field to drain the clock and put the game’s final points on the board. With several underclassmen getting valuable playing time to protect the starters, the Skyhawks strung together a 12-play drive which accumulated 88 yards and ate of nearly eight minutes off the clock. Quarterback Stewart Howell directed the offense and used his legs to gain two big first downs on carries of 11 and 15 yards, respectively. Then the Skyhawks turned to Franklin in the run game who garnered four carries down the stretch – including a 30-yard scamper – before eventually finding the endzone with a four-yard touchdown to punctuate the 42-3 victory.
UT Martin will now shift its focus to the regular season finale with a trip to OVC rival Southeast Missouri next weekend on Saturday, Nov. 20. Kickoff from Houck Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information