Saturday, October 16
Charleston, Ill.
2 p.m.
UT Martin
at
Eastern Illinois
No. 16 UT MARTIN FOOTBALL TAKES WINNING STREAK ON ROAD TO EASTERN ILLINOIS
10/12/2021 11:51:00 AM | Football
The No. 16 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team will take its four-game winning streak on the road with an Ohio Valley Conference matchup at Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 16. Kickoff from O'Brien Field is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3.
The Skyhawks (4-1, 1-0 OVC) enter the contest ranked 16th in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and 17th in the Stats Perform Poll after stringing together four consecutive victories heading into their first road test in league play. This four-game streak is tied for the second-longest during the Simpson Era – only trailing the team's eight-game streak set during the 2006 championship run.
In the team's most recent outing, UT Martin scored early and rattled off 35 unanswered points before cruising to a 48-24 victory over Murray State to open OVC play. Following the contest, quarterback Keon Howard was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week after tabulating 269 yards of total offense while throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another. Running back Zak Wallace also posted a big day to earn OVC Newcomer of the Week honors after scoring three touchdowns on 14 carries to become just the seventh player in the program's Division I history to score three rushing touchdown in a single game and first since 2014.
UT Martin leads the OVC in 12 statistical categories including scoring offense (34.2 ppg), total offense (432.0), rushing offense (227.6), rushing defense (227.6), interceptions (seven), third-down conversions (46.6%), opponent fourth-down conversions (30.0%), red zone defense (72.7%), punting (40.2), PAT kicking (100%), sacks allowed (four) and time of possession (33:44).
This season has been a campaign of milestones for UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson who possess a career record of 94-78 in 16 seasons. After surpassing legendary Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo earlier this season for fifth place in career victories, his win over Murray State moved him into a tie for third place in OVC wins with his 73rd.
Eastern Illinois (1-5, 1-0 OVC) enters the contest fresh off a bye week. After opening the season with four straight non-conference losses, the Panthers won their OVC opener with a 28-14 road victory over Tennessee Tech back on Sept. 25 before dropping a non-league contest at Murray State 22-6 most recently.
Saturday's contest marks the 27th meeting between the two programs with Eastern Illinois holding a 15-11 advantage in the series. UT Martin has won four of the last five meetings with the lone setback coming in the Skyhawks last visit to O'Brien Field in which the squad dropped a heart-breaking 24-21 overtime thriller.
The contest will be streamed exclusively on ESPN3 with Mike Bradd (play-by-play) and Jason Fisher (analyst) providing commentary. Fans can also listen to John Hatler (play-by-play) and Andy Collins (analyst) locally on WCMT 1410 AM / 100.5 FM. Those links – in addition to live stats – can be found at the top of the page.
The Skyhawks (4-1, 1-0 OVC) enter the contest ranked 16th in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and 17th in the Stats Perform Poll after stringing together four consecutive victories heading into their first road test in league play. This four-game streak is tied for the second-longest during the Simpson Era – only trailing the team's eight-game streak set during the 2006 championship run.
In the team's most recent outing, UT Martin scored early and rattled off 35 unanswered points before cruising to a 48-24 victory over Murray State to open OVC play. Following the contest, quarterback Keon Howard was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week after tabulating 269 yards of total offense while throwing for one touchdown and rushing for another. Running back Zak Wallace also posted a big day to earn OVC Newcomer of the Week honors after scoring three touchdowns on 14 carries to become just the seventh player in the program's Division I history to score three rushing touchdown in a single game and first since 2014.
UT Martin leads the OVC in 12 statistical categories including scoring offense (34.2 ppg), total offense (432.0), rushing offense (227.6), rushing defense (227.6), interceptions (seven), third-down conversions (46.6%), opponent fourth-down conversions (30.0%), red zone defense (72.7%), punting (40.2), PAT kicking (100%), sacks allowed (four) and time of possession (33:44).
This season has been a campaign of milestones for UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson who possess a career record of 94-78 in 16 seasons. After surpassing legendary Eastern Illinois head coach Bob Spoo earlier this season for fifth place in career victories, his win over Murray State moved him into a tie for third place in OVC wins with his 73rd.
Eastern Illinois (1-5, 1-0 OVC) enters the contest fresh off a bye week. After opening the season with four straight non-conference losses, the Panthers won their OVC opener with a 28-14 road victory over Tennessee Tech back on Sept. 25 before dropping a non-league contest at Murray State 22-6 most recently.
Saturday's contest marks the 27th meeting between the two programs with Eastern Illinois holding a 15-11 advantage in the series. UT Martin has won four of the last five meetings with the lone setback coming in the Skyhawks last visit to O'Brien Field in which the squad dropped a heart-breaking 24-21 overtime thriller.
The contest will be streamed exclusively on ESPN3 with Mike Bradd (play-by-play) and Jason Fisher (analyst) providing commentary. Fans can also listen to John Hatler (play-by-play) and Andy Collins (analyst) locally on WCMT 1410 AM / 100.5 FM. Those links – in addition to live stats – can be found at the top of the page.
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