By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – Despite facing a 16-point deficit in the first half, the 12th ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team locked it down in the second half to not only shutout rival Austin Peay but mount a rally to score 17 unanswered points, including the team’s eventual game-winning touchdown with 35 seconds to play, to secure a 17-16 victory and remain unbeaten in Ohio Valley Conference play.
After giving up a pair of pick-six interceptions and a field goal in the first half, UT Martin went into halftime facing a 16-0 deficit with just 62 yards of total offense to its credit. With adjustments in hand, the Skyhawks not only held the Governors scoreless in the second half but outgained them 242-104 in the final 30 minutes and strung together three lengthy scoring drives. None of those were more critical than the team’s game-winning 20-play, 96-yard drive on the final possession which resulted with a five-yard touchdown pass from Keon Howard to Peyton Logan with 35 seconds to play.
By overcoming the slow start, the Skyhawks (7-1, 3-0 OVC) extended the team’s winning streak to seven games – its second-longest streak in program history. The win also gave UT Martin an early advantage in its quest for the annual Sgt. York Trophy, giving the team a 1-0 mark in its first of three contests while improving their overall record to 30-13 all-time in the series.
“First and foremost, I want to congratulate our players on the win,” UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. “They earned it, and we are very proud of them. You come into this game with five starters already down, your all-conference safety gets injured during the game and you fall into a 16-0 hole at halftime. To come back from all of that and get the win is a huge credit to our players, our program and our assistant coaches. When you can pull out a win despite all the things that aren’t going your way, that’s a great sign for your football team moving forward. We will continue to do our best at playing team ball and winning the special teams battle. That’s who we are.”
While it took UT Martin’s short-handed offense some time to get in the right gear with the loss of some key components, the team’s defense carried a heavy load throughout the contest. In a game billed to be a high-scoring affair between the OVC’s top two scoring offenses and yardage leaders, the Skyhawks held the league’s top offensive producers to a season-low 199 yards of total offense – nearly 237 years below their season average. Additionally, with the Govs two touchdowns coming on the defensive side of the ball off interception returns – the visitors were limited to just three offensive points in the contest.
Highlighting the defensive side of the ball was the team’s ability to get stops in the backfield as UT Martin recorded a season-high 11 tackles for loss. Explosive edge rusher Eyabi Anoma played a big part in that total as he recorded a career-high with eight total tackles while notching 4.5 tackles for loss totaling 23 yards – including 1.5 sacks. Another newcomer in graduate transfer Rob Hicks posted his best game in a Skyhawk uniform by tallying 10 tackles while forcing a quarterback hurry in his first start. Meanwhile veteran safety Deven Sims led the pack with 11 stops and 1.0 TFL.
Offensively, Howard completed 15-of-32 passes for 137 yards and one touchdown while throwing two interceptions. He also rushed 10 times for 31 net yards. Running back Peyton Logan led the ground attack with 13 carries for 81 yards – averaging 6.2 yards per carry – while tallying three catches for 11 yards and a touchdown. With his big afternoon, Logan moved into sole possession of fourth place on the program’s all-time rushing leaderboard with 2,228 career rushing yards – surpassing Henry Williams. Fellow tailback Zak Wallace also had 13 carries for 39 yards and one touchdown.
In what set up to be a heavy-weight battle, it was the Skyhawks who took the first hit as what looked to be a promising drive abruptly ended just outside of the endzone as Koby Perry intercepted a pass and returned it 75 yards the game’s first score with just under three minutes to play in the first quarter. Looking to be aggressive after the quick score, the Govs attempted a two-point conversion which failed, resulting in just six points going on the board and later ended up being a key storyline in the game.
The game would finally see its first offensive scoring drive on Austin Peay’s first possession of the second quarter. The Govs methodically moved down the field, stringing together a 15-play drive but saw it stall once inside the redzone and were ultimately forced to settle for a field goal which Maddux Trujillo converted with a 33-yard attempt to make it a 9-0 contest.
Hoping to get on the board before the half, UT Martin began second drive of the second quarter pinned back on their own three-yard line before misfortune struck once again. Looking for a quick pass to start the drive, his pass deflected off his target’s finger tips and into Isaiah Norman’s hands who returned the interception eight yards for the Govs second pick six of the contest to make it a 16-point margin.
Having faced a double-digit deficit earlier this season and still finding a way to win to start the team’s current winning streak, UT Martin did not panic as it came out of the half. The Skyhawks found their offensive mojo on the team’s second offensive drive of the third quarter as an eight-play drive resulted in back-to-back seven-yard carries by Zak Wallace with the later going for his ninth touchdown of the season to cut the margin to 16-7.
The team’s momentum kept growing on their next offensive possession which stretched into the fourth quarter. The Skyhawks used a 13-play drive which nearly eclipsed six minutes before Tyler Larco booted a 42-yard field goal to cut the deficit to just six points at 16-10 with 12:51 to play in the contest.
With a strong defensive stand on the Govs following possession, UT Martin showed its true grit to march down the field in search for the go-ahead score. Following an oppressive punt to pin them back, the Skyhawks would start their drive on the four-yard line with 96 yards to go. After tallying just two first downs in the entire first half, the Skyhawks earned eight on their final offensive drive of the game – including a pair of third-down conversions and a fourth-and-one. With the game’s intensity at its peak and UT Martin knocking at the door of the endzone, Howard would roll to his right before finding Logan wide open for the game-tying score with 35 second to play. After Austin Peay unsuccessfully went for two on its first touchdown of the game, UT Martin just had to convert its PAT attempt to take the lead and Larco did just that to put the Skyhawks on top 17-16.
Possessing their first lead of the contest, the Skyhawks needed to get one more stop from their defense which had been so strong all day long. The Govs found a quick strike from Sheldon Layman to CJ Evans Jr. for 30 yards to move into Skyhawk territory and make it interesting. Following a lengthy delay following the ensuing play which was initially ruled a fumble on a spike attempt, the Govs ultimately saw their final chances come down to a 49-yard field goal attempt with seven seconds to play. After both teams exchanged timeouts to talk things over, Trujillo lined up for the game-winning attempt, but Anoma would break through the line and leap up to get a hand on the attempt and deflect it just enough to clinch the victory.
UT Martin will close out the regular season portion of its home schedule when playing host to OVC foe Tennessee State on Saturday, Nov. 6. Kickoff from Hardy Graham Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m. on ESPN3.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information