By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The No. 15 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team saw its nine-game home winning streak come to an end on Saturday after dropping a non-conference matchup against ASUN preseason favorite Kennesaw State by a final score of 44-27 at Hardy M. Graham Stadium.
The Skyhawks (5-4) dropped their first matchup against an FCS opponent since its Week 2 setback to then No. 2 ranked Missouri State on the road. The squad had also recorded nine straight wins at Graham Stadium dating back to Apr. 11, 2021.
UT Martin faced a 14-point deficit in the first half before ending the second period with 21 unanswered points in just over three minutes of action. The Skyhawks strung together three quick scoring drives beginning with an eight-yard pass connection from Dresser Winn to Colton Dowell, a 21-yard touchdown scamper by Zak Wallace and another quick strike from Winn to DJ Nelson to take a 24-17 lead into halftime.
The home squad then added three more points midway through the third quarter on a 26-yard field goal Tyler Larco – his second of the game. After the Skyhawks built a lead as large as 10 points with six minutes to play in the third, Kennesaw State took control of the contest. The Owls rallied for several stops and three offensive scoring drives down the stretch to score 20 points in the fourth quarter – including an interception return for a touchdown on the final play of the game.
“I’m disappointed,” UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. “We were going for our 10th consecutive win at home today and couldn’t get it done. Defensively I thought we played hard, we just couldn’t get off the field on some third and fourth downs– but that’s how they are built. I thought our defense gave us a chance today. Give their defense credit because they did a good job against our offense. Like I told the kids though, you control your own destiny with eight quarters of football left. We have to learn from this, get back to conference play and get it to a one game season in Week 11.”
Highlighting some of the top individual performances was a UT Martin Division I record-setting performance by linebacker Rob Hicks. The graduate standout had an explosive performance with 26 tackles – including eight solos and 18 assists. The performance marked the third-most tackles in program history – trailing only Terry Giltner who notched 35 tackles in 1970 and 29 tackles in 1969 – while marking a FCS season-high.
Reigning FCS National Defensive Player of the Week Daylan Dotson also had a big game for a second straight week. Dotson recorded a career-high 14 tackles while notching 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Graduate safety Ty Woods joined Hicks and Dotson in double figures with a career-best 10 tackles.
Offensively, Winn completed 28-of-46 pass attempts for 286 yards and two touchdowns while throwing a career-high five interceptions. DeVonte Tanksley ranked as the team’s top receiver with 10 catches for 75 yards. Meanwhile, Nelson had 48 yards and a touchdown while Dowell had four catches and a touchdown reception. Leading the ground attack was Wallace with 13 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown scamper – his 15th of the season to rank tied for third in program single-season history with his 2021 output.
Kennesaw State (5-4) won its third straight contest after a tough start to the season with its strong fourth quarter. The Owls racked up 268 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground while also completing two touchdowns through the air. Xavier Shepherd had a big day on offense with five combined touchdowns – including three on the ground and two through the air. Receivers Gabriel Benyard and Blake Bohannon each tallied a touchdown reception in the win. Meanwhile on defense, Chance Gamble had three interceptions – including an 89-yard interception return for a score as time expired.
UT Martin will shift its focus to Ohio Valley Conference play with back-to-back league contests to end the regular season. The Skyhawks will continue their championship quest with a road matchup at Tennessee State on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information