Saturday, November 13
Cookeville, Tenn.
1:30 p.m.
UT Martin
at
Tennessee Tech
NO. 10 SKYHAWKS TRAVEL TO TENNESSEE TECH WITH SIGHTS SET ON SGT. YORK TROPHY
11/9/2021 9:59:00 AM | Football
**Jason Simpson's Weekly Press Conference is below**
After a highly successful three-game homestand which saw the No. 10 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team cap off the home portion of the schedule with a perfect slate, the Skyhawks will close out the regular season on the road beginning with an Ohio Valley Conference matchup at Tennessee Tech on Saturday, Nov. 13. Kickoff from Tucker Stadium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
Saturday's contest serves as the third and final matchup in the annual Sgt. York Trophy series for the Skyhawks in a battle for in-state bragging rights. UT Martin currently boast a 2-0 record in the series this season while Tennessee Tech is just 0-1. After both teams posted 2-1 marks during the 2020-21 spring campaign, Tech was awarded the traveling trophy due to a tiebreaker. While the Skyhawks have claimed at least a share of the trophy six times in the last seven years and hold the best record of the four participating teams with a record of 31-13 – the physical trophy has not taken up residency in west Tennessee since 2016.
The Skyhawks (8-1, 4-0 OVC) enter the contest as one of the hottest teams in the country riding the second-longest active winning streak in FCS with a program record-tying eight straight victories. Ranked 10th in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll, UT Martin ranks in the top-25 nationally in 13 team categories and 12 individual statistics. Most impressively, the Skyhawks sit amongst the nation's top-10 in winning percentage (88.9 percent, second), sacks allowed per game (0.78, fourth), time of possession (33:53, fifth), rushing offense (229.6 yards per game, eighth) and third-down conversion percentage (46.7 percent, eighth). Meanwhile in the OVC, the team leads the league in scoring offense (32.8 ppg) and rushing defense (116.1 ypg) while sitting second in total offense (415.1 ypg).
UT Martin clinched an unbeaten home schedule for just the 12th time in program history with a 41-20 win over Tennessee State last week to be named the Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week. The Skyhawks ran right past the league's top defense en route to a season-high 298 rushing yards – ranking as the highest single-game production since 2016. The duo of running back Zak Wallace (OVC Offensive Player of the Week) and Keon Howard (OVC Newcomer of the Week) did most of the damage offensively, combining for 319 yards of total offense and five touchdowns on their way to respective OVC weekly honors.
A big key for the Skyhawks on both sides of the ball have been the play of the linemen. On offense, UT Martin ranks first in the OVC and fourth nationally with just seven sacks allowed this season. Meanwhile on defense, the Skyhawks lead the OVC in both sacks (15) and tackles for loss (55) while Eyabi Anoma sits atop the individual leaderboard with 6.0 sacks and ranks second with 9.5 TFLs.
Tennessee Tech (3-6, 1-3 OVC) posted a late comeback attempted before ultimately dropping its most recent contest at Murray State by a score of 32-27. The Golden Eagles rank second in the OVC in total defense – allowing 342.7 yards per game – while sitting tied with the Skyhawks for the league lead with 15 sacks on the season. Offensively, running back David Gist sits fourth in the OVC with 759 yards and eight touchdowns while Quinton Cross sits third in receptions (38) and receiving yards (505).
The contest serves as the 43rd meeting between the two programs in a series which dates back to 1926. While Tennessee Tech holds a 22-18-2 advantage in the all-time series, UT Martin has won the last eight contests by an average of 22.0 points per game since 2013.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dylan Vazzano (play-by-play) and Sam Brooks (analyst) calling the action. Fans can also tune into WCMT Radio 1410 AM/100.5 FM to hear John Hatler (play-by-play) and Andy Collins (analyst) for the radio broadcast. Those links – in addition to live stats – can be found at the top of the page.
After a highly successful three-game homestand which saw the No. 10 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team cap off the home portion of the schedule with a perfect slate, the Skyhawks will close out the regular season on the road beginning with an Ohio Valley Conference matchup at Tennessee Tech on Saturday, Nov. 13. Kickoff from Tucker Stadium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
Saturday's contest serves as the third and final matchup in the annual Sgt. York Trophy series for the Skyhawks in a battle for in-state bragging rights. UT Martin currently boast a 2-0 record in the series this season while Tennessee Tech is just 0-1. After both teams posted 2-1 marks during the 2020-21 spring campaign, Tech was awarded the traveling trophy due to a tiebreaker. While the Skyhawks have claimed at least a share of the trophy six times in the last seven years and hold the best record of the four participating teams with a record of 31-13 – the physical trophy has not taken up residency in west Tennessee since 2016.
The Skyhawks (8-1, 4-0 OVC) enter the contest as one of the hottest teams in the country riding the second-longest active winning streak in FCS with a program record-tying eight straight victories. Ranked 10th in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll, UT Martin ranks in the top-25 nationally in 13 team categories and 12 individual statistics. Most impressively, the Skyhawks sit amongst the nation's top-10 in winning percentage (88.9 percent, second), sacks allowed per game (0.78, fourth), time of possession (33:53, fifth), rushing offense (229.6 yards per game, eighth) and third-down conversion percentage (46.7 percent, eighth). Meanwhile in the OVC, the team leads the league in scoring offense (32.8 ppg) and rushing defense (116.1 ypg) while sitting second in total offense (415.1 ypg).
UT Martin clinched an unbeaten home schedule for just the 12th time in program history with a 41-20 win over Tennessee State last week to be named the Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week. The Skyhawks ran right past the league's top defense en route to a season-high 298 rushing yards – ranking as the highest single-game production since 2016. The duo of running back Zak Wallace (OVC Offensive Player of the Week) and Keon Howard (OVC Newcomer of the Week) did most of the damage offensively, combining for 319 yards of total offense and five touchdowns on their way to respective OVC weekly honors.
A big key for the Skyhawks on both sides of the ball have been the play of the linemen. On offense, UT Martin ranks first in the OVC and fourth nationally with just seven sacks allowed this season. Meanwhile on defense, the Skyhawks lead the OVC in both sacks (15) and tackles for loss (55) while Eyabi Anoma sits atop the individual leaderboard with 6.0 sacks and ranks second with 9.5 TFLs.
Tennessee Tech (3-6, 1-3 OVC) posted a late comeback attempted before ultimately dropping its most recent contest at Murray State by a score of 32-27. The Golden Eagles rank second in the OVC in total defense – allowing 342.7 yards per game – while sitting tied with the Skyhawks for the league lead with 15 sacks on the season. Offensively, running back David Gist sits fourth in the OVC with 759 yards and eight touchdowns while Quinton Cross sits third in receptions (38) and receiving yards (505).
The contest serves as the 43rd meeting between the two programs in a series which dates back to 1926. While Tennessee Tech holds a 22-18-2 advantage in the all-time series, UT Martin has won the last eight contests by an average of 22.0 points per game since 2013.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dylan Vazzano (play-by-play) and Sam Brooks (analyst) calling the action. Fans can also tune into WCMT Radio 1410 AM/100.5 FM to hear John Hatler (play-by-play) and Andy Collins (analyst) 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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