By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The University of Tennessee at Martin football team showed glimpses of an explosive offensive unit but could not outmatch a gunslinging Western Kentucky squad, dropping the season opener on the road by a score of 59-21.
The Skyhawks (0-1) jumped out to an early lead with a strong scoring drive on the opening possession followed up by an impressive interception on the Tops first drive to give fans a glimpse of the team’s potential. After the early score, WKU settled down and found its grove in a big way behind its star quarterback before rattling off 59 points – including eight passing touchdowns.
“Anytime you give up 50-something points and eight touchdown passes, you can’t be pleased with that,” UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. “We will go through the tape and there will be some victories that you had and some good stops but that’s how the game goes. We have to coach better, we certainly have to play better and hold ourselves accountable.”
UT Martin began the season by tallying 396 yards of total offense while posting a strong ground attack with 201 rushing yards. The Skyhawks averaged 5.9 yards per carry on the team’s 34 rush attempts while the passing game saw the squad throw for 195 yards while tossing one touchdown.
While the offensive day would have ranked as the second-best outing during the shortened 2020 campaign, it was no match for the explosive Hilltopper offense. WKU made easy work of the UT Martin defense after its opening drive, tallying 587 yards of total offense while 478 of those yards came through the air. With the nation’s passing leader in Bailey Zappe playing his first game in a Tops uniform, he picked up where he left off at Houston Baptist with over 10,000 passing yards by completing 28-of-35 pass attempts for 424 yards and seven touchdowns.
Graduate transfer quarterback Keon Howard led the Skyhawk offense on the gridiron with a strong debut. Howard completed 20-of-43 pass attempts while throwing for 195 yards and one touchdown. He also used his mobility to rattle off 44 yards on the ground while punching in a pair of rushing touchdowns from two and nine yards out, respectively. With his day, he became the first Skyhawk quarterback to rush for two touchdowns in a game since Dexter Anoka accomplished the feat on Oct. 13, 2007 against Samford.
Other top contributors on the offensive end was Peyton Logan who made the most of his seven carries by scampering for 75 yards on the afternoon, highlighted by a big 31-yard carry. In the passing game, the team’s two All-OVC receivers in Colton Dowell and Donnell Williams posted nice season debuts. Dowell tallied his sixth career 100-yard receiving game with 102 yards and his 12th career touchdown. Williams led the team with seven catches while tallying 80 yards – including a 32-yard one-handed snag.
Defensively, All-OVC graduate cornerback Jay Woods left an early impression by snagging his first career interception on the opponent’s first offensive drive. Meanwhile, another All-OVC selection in Deven Sims continued his trend after leading the team with tackles last season by recording a game-high 10 stops. The pair of Carson Evans and D’Carrious Stephens also posted nice individual efforts with eight tackles while Louisville transfer Robert Hicks tallied seven of his own.
On special teams, All-OVC specialist Tyler Larco posted a big night in the punting game by averaging 46.3 yards per punt. His best punt came in the second quarter when he flipped the field inside the team’s own 20 by booting a career-long 67-yard attempt which ranks as the 10th longest punt in program history. He also made three PATS for three total points.
The Skyhawks will look to rebound in the team’s home opener on Saturday, Sept. 11 when playing host to Samford. The contest is scheduled to kickoff at 6 p.m. and highlights a busy Family Weekend on the UT Martin campus.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information