Saturday, October 19
Martin, Tenn.
2 p.m.
UT Martin
5-2 , 4-0
27
vs
18
Eastern Illinois
0-8 , 0-4
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Eastern Illinois
11
0
0
7
18
UT Martin
14
7
0
6
27
UT MARTIN FOOTBALL IMPROVES TO 4-0 IN OVC PLAY WITH 27-18 WIN OVER EASTERN ILLINOIS
10/19/2019 8:04:00 PM | Football
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin football team remained unbeaten in Ohio Valley Conference play with a 27-18 victory over Eastern Illinois on Saturday afternoon at Hardy M. Graham Stadium.
The Skyhawks (5-2, 4-0 OVC) had to gut out a victory behind three timely interceptions and a pair of clutch field goals in the fourth quarter by Ryan Courtright to seal the team's fourth consecutive victory. UT Martin was outgained offensively 356 to 241 but capitalized on its opportunities by scoring in every phase of the game. Additionally, head coach Jason Simpson tied the all-time wins mark in program history with UT Martin Hall of Famer Bob Carroll by tallying his 85th career victories.
UT Martin limited Eastern Illinois to just 69 rushing yards, ranking as the fourth consecutive game and fifth time this season that the Skyhawks have held their opponent to fewer than 100 rushing yards in a contest. Additionally, the Skyhawks forced three turnovers, all courtesy of interceptions while tallying a program-record 16 quarterback hurries.
Quarterback John Bachus III completed 8-of-20 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Terry Williams and Davin Dyal both tallied touchdown receptions for the Skyhawks, combining for 67 yards on five catches. Junior running back Peyton Logan continued his strong campaign with his fifth 100-yard rushing performance of the season with 20 carries for 109 yards.
Defensively the Skyhawks were paced by senior linebacker TJ Jefferson with nine tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries. The trio of D'Carrious Stephens (pick-six), Takeem Young and JaQuez Akins also notched interceptions in the contest while Korbin Harmon tallied a forced fumble on a sack.
"We are certainly pleased with a win," Simpson said. "We will never be too greedy around here to not be happy with a win. We weren't as tuned into details early in the week, we had too many mistakes, dropped balls, missed protections and throwing the ball up for grabs. We were very lucky to get out of here with a win. With all that being said, it was a team win because we felt confident that we could stop them on defense while calling plays on offense that wouldn't beat ourselves. We didn't play like a 4-0 football team but hopefully we are smart enough to learn from today's game and be thankful that we learned from it with a win."
Gallery: (10/19/2019) Football vs. Eastern Illinois
UT Martin would fall behind early as Eastern Illinois struck first less than five minutes into the game on a 51-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown before adding to its advantage with a successful two-point conversion. The Skyhawks would get back on track with a pair of scoring drives to highlight the first quarter highlighted by a 21-yard touchdown reception by Williams followed by a 26-yard interception return by Stephens to give the home team its first lead of the contest.
The Panthers would cut into the margin with a 31-yard field goal to close out the first quarter while a touchdown strike from Bachus to Dyal in the second quarter capped off the game's scoring summary until the fourth quarter. In the fourth, it was Courtright who put the game away for the Skyhawks by booting a 32-yard field goal before a touchdown by Isaiah Hill midway through the period brought the contest within six points. Needing a bit of insurance, Courtright would boot a career-long 46-yard field goal to push the lead out to nine points and seal the victory.
UT Martin will return to action with a road matchup at OVC foe Southeast Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 26.
The Skyhawks (5-2, 4-0 OVC) had to gut out a victory behind three timely interceptions and a pair of clutch field goals in the fourth quarter by Ryan Courtright to seal the team's fourth consecutive victory. UT Martin was outgained offensively 356 to 241 but capitalized on its opportunities by scoring in every phase of the game. Additionally, head coach Jason Simpson tied the all-time wins mark in program history with UT Martin Hall of Famer Bob Carroll by tallying his 85th career victories.
UT Martin limited Eastern Illinois to just 69 rushing yards, ranking as the fourth consecutive game and fifth time this season that the Skyhawks have held their opponent to fewer than 100 rushing yards in a contest. Additionally, the Skyhawks forced three turnovers, all courtesy of interceptions while tallying a program-record 16 quarterback hurries.
Quarterback John Bachus III completed 8-of-20 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Terry Williams and Davin Dyal both tallied touchdown receptions for the Skyhawks, combining for 67 yards on five catches. Junior running back Peyton Logan continued his strong campaign with his fifth 100-yard rushing performance of the season with 20 carries for 109 yards.
Defensively the Skyhawks were paced by senior linebacker TJ Jefferson with nine tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries. The trio of D'Carrious Stephens (pick-six), Takeem Young and JaQuez Akins also notched interceptions in the contest while Korbin Harmon tallied a forced fumble on a sack.
"We are certainly pleased with a win," Simpson said. "We will never be too greedy around here to not be happy with a win. We weren't as tuned into details early in the week, we had too many mistakes, dropped balls, missed protections and throwing the ball up for grabs. We were very lucky to get out of here with a win. With all that being said, it was a team win because we felt confident that we could stop them on defense while calling plays on offense that wouldn't beat ourselves. We didn't play like a 4-0 football team but hopefully we are smart enough to learn from today's game and be thankful that we learned from it with a win."
UT Martin would fall behind early as Eastern Illinois struck first less than five minutes into the game on a 51-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown before adding to its advantage with a successful two-point conversion. The Skyhawks would get back on track with a pair of scoring drives to highlight the first quarter highlighted by a 21-yard touchdown reception by Williams followed by a 26-yard interception return by Stephens to give the home team its first lead of the contest.
The Panthers would cut into the margin with a 31-yard field goal to close out the first quarter while a touchdown strike from Bachus to Dyal in the second quarter capped off the game's scoring summary until the fourth quarter. In the fourth, it was Courtright who put the game away for the Skyhawks by booting a 32-yard field goal before a touchdown by Isaiah Hill midway through the period brought the contest within six points. Needing a bit of insurance, Courtright would boot a career-long 46-yard field goal to push the lead out to nine points and seal the victory.
UT Martin will return to action with a road matchup at OVC foe Southeast Missouri on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Team Stats
EIU
UTM
Total Yards
356
241
Pass Yards
287
108
Rushing Yards
69
133
Penalty Yards
97
25
1st Downs
20
15
3rd Downs
9
5
4th Downs
2
1
TOP
33:30
26:30
1st Quarter
EIU 8, UTM 0
EIU - CRITTENDEN, Ray 51 yd fumble recovery (HILL, Isaiah pass)
EIU 8, UTM 7
UTM - WILLIAMS, Terry 21 yd pass from BACHUS, John (COURTRIGHT, Rya kick) 6 plays, 71 yards, TOP 2:37
EIU 8, UTM 14
UTM - STEPHENS, D'Car 26 yd interception (COURTRIGHT, Rya kick)
EIU 11, UTM 14
EIU - MASUCCI, C. 31 yd field goal 8 plays, 62 yards, TOP 3:30
2nd Quarter
EIU 11, UTM 21
UTM - DYAL, Davin 6 yd pass from BACHUS, John (COURTRIGHT, Rya kick) 10 plays, 69 yards, TOP 3:44
4th Quarter
EIU 11, UTM 24
UTM - COURTRIGHT, Rya 32 yd field goal 6 plays, 32 yards, TOP 2:22
EIU 18, UTM 24
EIU - HILL, Isaiah 11 yd pass from WOODBERY, Harry (MASUCCI, C. kick) 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:48
EIU 18, UTM 27
UTM - COURTRIGHT, Rya 46 yd field goal 4 plays, 3 yards, TOP 1:03
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
8
TD
2
YDS
108
INT
0
Players Mentioned
S
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K
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TE
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DE
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LB
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RB
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LB
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WR
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