SKYHAWKS FALL ON THE ROAD AT NO. 11 FLORIDA 45-0

Saturday, September 7

Gainesville, Fla.

6:30 p.m.

UT Martin

1-1

Florida

2-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

UT Martin

Florida

SKYHAWKS FALL ON THE ROAD AT NO. 11 FLORIDA 45-0

9/7/2019 8:50:00 PM | Football

Box Score PDF Photo Gallery Postgame: Simpson Photo Gallery

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Tennessee at Martin football team hung tough with No. 11 Florida on Saturday night before the home squad found separation in the second half to pull away for a 45-0 victory at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The Skyhawks (1-1) tallied 194 yards of total offense against the Gators while tallying eight first downs in the contest. With the loss, UT Martin moves to 1-27 against members of the Football Bowl Subdivision and 0-10 against Southeastern Conference foes.

UT Martin limited Florida to just three points in the first half before heading into halftime trailing 17-0. The Gators would use the break to focus on adjustments before outscoring the Skyhawks by 28 in the second half. The game marked the first time that UT Martin has been shutout since the 2017 season.

Quarterback John Bachus II got his second career start, completing 12-of-19 passes for 101 yards while also leading the team in rushing yards – including a 48-yard scamper in the third quarter. Senior Joe Hudson also appeared in the contest for the first time this season, completing 3-of-4 passes for 39 yards.

Running back Jaimiee Bowe paced the team with seven carries while junior Peyton Logan tallied a team-high five receptions for 59 yards – including a 34-yard catch in the second quarter.

Defensively, junior safety JaQuez Akins made the most of his first career start by tallying 11 tackles while senior defensive back DaVonte Maura also recorded 11 stops to tie the game-high. Senior nose guard Austin Pickett recorded a sack while Sherrod Pittman recorded a pair of quarterback hurries.

Graduate punter Zane Cox stayed busy on the evening, tallying eight punts for 287 yards for an average of 35.9 yards per punt. Cox booted a 43-yard punt to mark his game-long while pinning three punts inside the 20.

Gallery: (9/7/2019) Football at Florida

"It was disappointing that we weren't able to score any points, but I thought our kids fought and I am proud of them," UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. "I was proud of defense in the first half, they hung in there and made it difficult to run the football before Florida made some adjustments in the second half. We faced a very fast defense that Florida has. We have played against multiple of these SEC teams over my career, but I don't think we have faced a faster defense. I like this team, they play hard and I appreciate their fight. Now we need to get back to work and get ready for a good Southern Illinois squad next week."

No. 11 Florida (2-0) remained unbeaten on the season by tallying 543 yards of total offense with 231 rushing yards and 312 passing yards. Quarterback Feleipe Franks completed 25-of-27 pass attempts for 270 yards and two touchdowns while three different Gators tallied touchdown receptions and two notched rushing scores.

UT Martin will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 14 with a road matchup at Missouri Valley Conference foe Southern Illinois. Kickoff from Saluki Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.