UT Martin
0-1
Missouri
1-0
UT MARTIN FOOTBALL FALLS VICTIM TO EXPLOSIVE MISSOURI OFFENSE, DROPPING OPENER 51-14
9/1/2018 7:55:00 PM | Football
The Skyhawks (0-1) managed 277 yards of total offense against a stingy SEC foe while notching 14 first downs and a pair of touchdowns. Meanwhile the highly-touted Missouri offense proved up to its billing with 558 yards – including 394 yards through the air.
Sophomore quarterback Dresser Winn got the start in his first matchup against a FBS foe and completed 15-of-24 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. His best play came on a 51-yard completion down the right sideline, finding explosive dual-threat target LaDarius Galloway who scampered untouched towards the endzone.
Galloway paced the running back core with seven carries for 31 yards. Preseason All-OVC sophomore Peyton Logan tallied four carries for 18 yards while junior Jaimiee Bowe saw his first game action since 2016 and tallied a touchdown.
Defensively, senior standout Kevin Prather, Jr. paced the squad with nine tackles – including 2.0 tackles for loss. Preseason All-OVC honoree James Gilleylen was close behind with eight tackles and a game-high three tackles for loss. The duo of Andrew Horton-Martindale and Korbin Harmon were also present in the backfield, notching a tackle for loss each.
"You could see the seniors keep fighting towards the end," UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. "That's a group of guys that have a lot of pride about themselves and are proud of the program. There is such a small margin of error when you play these SEC teams. Today there were too many critical mistakes. We didn't think at the speed of the team we were playing with. We beat ourselves with silly things on offense. We have got to coach it better and the players have to respond better if we are going to have any success."
Missouri (1-0) pick up a win in the season-opener behind preseason Heisman candidate Drew Lock. The senior quarterback lived up to the hype, completing 19-of-25 pass attempts for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Emanuel Hall led the team with four receptions for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The receiving duo of Johnathan Johnson and Kam Scott also tallied touchdown receptions while Larry Roundtree and Damar Crockett notched touchdown scampers on the ground.
UT Martin will look to knock a matchup with another FBS opponent as it travels to Conference USA foe Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Sept. 8. Kickoff from Floyd Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.
Team Stats
UTM 0, MU 7
MU - Crockett, Damar 9 yd run (McCann, Tucker kick), 9 plays, 62 yards, TOP 2:58
UTM 0, MU 14
MU - Hall, Emanuel 34 yd pass from Lock, Drew (McCann, Tucker kick) 3 plays, 44 yards, TOP 0:35
UTM 0, MU 21
MU - Rountree, Larry 1 yd run (McCann, Tucker kick), 13 plays, 55 yards, TOP 4:33
UTM 0, MU 28
MU - Hall, Emanuel 31 yd pass from Lock, Drew (McCann, Tucker kick) 3 plays, 32 yards, TOP 1:17
UTM 7, MU 28
UTM - BOWE, Jaimiee 1 yd run (COURTRIGHT, Rya kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:21
UTM 7, MU 31
MU - McCann, Tucker 27 yd field goal 6 plays, 67 yards, TOP 1:31
UTM 7, MU 38
MU - Johnson, Johnat 5 yd pass from Lock, Drew (McCann, Tucker kick) 11 plays, 68 yards, TOP 4:11
UTM 7, MU 45
MU - Scott, Kam 70 yd pass from Lock, Drew (McCann, Tucker kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:46
UTM 7, MU 48
MU - McCann, Tucker 32 yd field goal 7 plays, 67 yards, TOP 3:00
UTM 14, MU 48
UTM - GALLOWAY, LaDar 51 yd pass from WINN, Dresser (COURTRIGHT, Rya kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:27
UTM 14, MU 51
MU - Koetting, Sean 33 yd field goal 8 plays, 63 yards, TOP 3:07
