Saturday, October 9
Martin, Tenn.
2 p.m.
UT Martin
vs
Murray State
NO. 21 UT MARTIN TO HOST MURRAY STATE FOR OVC OPENER IN HOMECOMING MATCHUP
10/5/2021 11:49:00 AM | Football
**Head Coach Jason Simpson's Weekly Press Conference is below**
The No. 21 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team will open Ohio Valley Conference action this weekend when playing host to preseason favorite Murray State on Saturday, Oct. 9. Kickoff from Hardy M. Graham Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Saturday's contest serves as the premiere event of a loaded Homecoming week on the UT Martin campus. This marks the 69th Homecoming contest for the Skyhawks with the team boasting a 37-31 mark – including a 9-5 mark under head coach Jason Simpson.
The Skyhawks (3-1, 0-0 OVC) enter the contest ranked 21st in both the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches' Polls after rattling off three consecutive nonconference victories heading into the bye week. The winning streak marked the first time in the program's Division I history in which the team had posted three nonconference wins in consecutive weeks. UT Martin now enters league play where it ranks as the winningest active member in the conference since 2006 with 72 victories.
UT Martin has posted several individual and team accomplishments throughout the first month of the season. Along with the team's first national rankings since 2017, the Skyhawks have also racked up 10 OVC Player of the Week honors through the first four weeks of the season. Quarterback Keon Howard has earned three individual honors (two newcomer and one offensive) while both running back Peyton Logan (offensive) and kicker Tyler Larco (specialist) have earned a pair. Meanwhile, the trio of D'Carrious Stephens (defensive), John Ford (defensive) and Zoe Roberts (newcomer) have also been recognized by the league.
Murray State (2-2, 0-0 OVC) entered the season as the preseason favorite to win the league crown after finishing the spring slate with a 5-2 mark. In the Racers most recent outing, they pick up a 22-6 home victory over Eastern Illinois which did not count in the league standings. The Racers boast a stingy defense which leads the OVC in scoring defense (18.8 ppg), total defense (288.5 ypg), pass defense efficiency (116.2) and redzone defense (69.2 percent). Offensively, the squad is led by Preseason All-OVC quarterback Preston Rice who has rushed for five touchdowns on the season while passing for 593 yards.
This marks the 61st meeting between the two programs with Murray State holding a 38-21-1 series advantage over UT Martin. The Skyhawks have held their own in the series as of late however, winning 11 of the last 15 matchups. The two teams met most recently back on Feb. 28 with the Racers sneaking away with a 14-10 victory in Murray.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with John Hatler (play-by-play) and Chris Brinkley (analyst) calling the action. Fans can also tune into WCMT Radio 1410 AM/100.5 FM for the radio broadcast. Those links – in addition to live stats – can be found at the top of the page.
The No. 21 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team will open Ohio Valley Conference action this weekend when playing host to preseason favorite Murray State on Saturday, Oct. 9. Kickoff from Hardy M. Graham Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Saturday's contest serves as the premiere event of a loaded Homecoming week on the UT Martin campus. This marks the 69th Homecoming contest for the Skyhawks with the team boasting a 37-31 mark – including a 9-5 mark under head coach Jason Simpson.
The Skyhawks (3-1, 0-0 OVC) enter the contest ranked 21st in both the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches' Polls after rattling off three consecutive nonconference victories heading into the bye week. The winning streak marked the first time in the program's Division I history in which the team had posted three nonconference wins in consecutive weeks. UT Martin now enters league play where it ranks as the winningest active member in the conference since 2006 with 72 victories.
UT Martin has posted several individual and team accomplishments throughout the first month of the season. Along with the team's first national rankings since 2017, the Skyhawks have also racked up 10 OVC Player of the Week honors through the first four weeks of the season. Quarterback Keon Howard has earned three individual honors (two newcomer and one offensive) while both running back Peyton Logan (offensive) and kicker Tyler Larco (specialist) have earned a pair. Meanwhile, the trio of D'Carrious Stephens (defensive), John Ford (defensive) and Zoe Roberts (newcomer) have also been recognized by the league.
Murray State (2-2, 0-0 OVC) entered the season as the preseason favorite to win the league crown after finishing the spring slate with a 5-2 mark. In the Racers most recent outing, they pick up a 22-6 home victory over Eastern Illinois which did not count in the league standings. The Racers boast a stingy defense which leads the OVC in scoring defense (18.8 ppg), total defense (288.5 ypg), pass defense efficiency (116.2) and redzone defense (69.2 percent). Offensively, the squad is led by Preseason All-OVC quarterback Preston Rice who has rushed for five touchdowns on the season while passing for 593 yards.
This marks the 61st meeting between the two programs with Murray State holding a 38-21-1 series advantage over UT Martin. The Skyhawks have held their own in the series as of late however, winning 11 of the last 15 matchups. The two teams met most recently back on Feb. 28 with the Racers sneaking away with a 14-10 victory in Murray.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with John Hatler (play-by-play) and Chris Brinkley (analyst) calling the action. Fans can also tune into WCMT Radio 1410 AM/100.5 FM for the radio broadcast. Those links – in addition to live stats – can be found at the top of the page.
Players Mentioned
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