Sunday, February 28
Murray, Ky.
2 p.m.
UT Martin
0-1 , 0-1
10
at
14
Murray State
1-0 , 1-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
UT Martin
0
3
0
7
10
Murray St.
7
0
0
7
14
SKYHAWK FOOTBALL CAN’T FIND RHYTHM IN RAIN DRENCHED OPENER, FALLING TO MURRAY STATE 14-10
2/28/2021 10:30:00 PM | Football
MURRAY, Ky. – The University of Tennessee at Martin football team strung together a late scoring drive after enduring over a two hour weather delay but could not find the winning formula down the stretch, ultimately dropping the squad's season opener to Ohio Valley Conference rival Murray State 14-10 on Sunday.
The Skyhawks (0-1) had to endure difficult playing conditions throughout the day as torrential rains slammed western Kentucky throughout the last 24 hours leaving flooding and severe weather in its wake. After beginning the contest with consistent rain through much of the first three quarters, with six seconds to play in the third, the game was delayed for two hours and 17 minutes due to a smattering of lightning strikes in the surrounding area.
A total of 10 points had been scored before the delay with Murray State holding a 7-3 lead highlighted by an 83-yard touchdown pass from Preston Rice to Dequan Dallas for the Racers and a 34-yard field goal by Tyler Larco to put the Racers on the board. Following the delay, the Racers added another touchdown on the legs of Rice with a two-yard scramble to take a 14-3 advantage with 4:11 to play in the contest.
UT Martin scored its lone touchdown of the contest late in the fourth quarter after a change in quarterback with Dresser Winn. After a tough opening drive on his first possession, he capitalized on great field position following a turnover by scrambling 27 yards on first down to open the Skyhawks final drive of the game. He would then connect with Peyton Logan and Colton Dowell for back-to-back passes for 19 combined yards to get down to the one-yard line before punching it in himself for his fifth career rushing touchdown to make it a one-score game.
The Skyhawks would convert the extra point attempt and try an onside kick attempt but it would not be successful – effectively ending the contest at 14-10.
Gallery: (2-28-2021) Football at Murray State
"I'm proud of our defense for holding a team to 14 points, that should be good enough to win," UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. "Give their team a lot of credit, they played well. Their defense played better than our offense and they coached better than we did. We just didn't get it done on offense tonight. Too many shoulda, coulda, wouldas and that is disappointing. We just couldn't get those first game mistakes out of the way and it cost us tonight."
UT Martin generated 210 yards of total offense in the contest while allowing Murray State to post 328 but it was the team's three turnovers – including two interceptions which proved to be costly. Starting quarterback John Bachus III completed 13-of-26 pass attempts for 81 yards while throwing two interceptions. Dowell ranked as his top target, hauling in seven catches in 13 opportunities for 61 yards while Peyton Logan tallied 129 all-purpose yards.
John Ford and Deven Sims led the defensive unit with seven tackles each while the Skyhawk duo of Jay Woods and Austin Pickett were close behind with six tackles. Senior JaQuez Akins tallied five tackles on the day along with a tackle for loss and fumble recovery while Kameron Bowdry enjoyed a strong day with four tackles, one sack and a blocked field goal.
Winn also got it done on special teams where he probably shined the brightest outside of his touchdown run. Serving as the team's primary punter for the first time in his collegiate career, he tallied seven punts on the day for 299 yards for an average of 42.7 yards – including a 58-yard attempt which is the longest punt by a Skyhawk since the 2017 campaign. He tallied three 50-yard punts while pinning a pair on the Murray State two-yard line.
Murray State (1-0) was led offensive by Rice who tallied 202 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns while Dallas led the receiving core with 111 yards and the one touchdown. Alec Long paced the Racers with eight tackles while Don Parker and Sylvaugh Turner each notched an interception.
UT Martin will host Eastern Illinois for its home opener on Sunday, March 7. Kickoff from Graham Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Skyhawks (0-1) had to endure difficult playing conditions throughout the day as torrential rains slammed western Kentucky throughout the last 24 hours leaving flooding and severe weather in its wake. After beginning the contest with consistent rain through much of the first three quarters, with six seconds to play in the third, the game was delayed for two hours and 17 minutes due to a smattering of lightning strikes in the surrounding area.
A total of 10 points had been scored before the delay with Murray State holding a 7-3 lead highlighted by an 83-yard touchdown pass from Preston Rice to Dequan Dallas for the Racers and a 34-yard field goal by Tyler Larco to put the Racers on the board. Following the delay, the Racers added another touchdown on the legs of Rice with a two-yard scramble to take a 14-3 advantage with 4:11 to play in the contest.
UT Martin scored its lone touchdown of the contest late in the fourth quarter after a change in quarterback with Dresser Winn. After a tough opening drive on his first possession, he capitalized on great field position following a turnover by scrambling 27 yards on first down to open the Skyhawks final drive of the game. He would then connect with Peyton Logan and Colton Dowell for back-to-back passes for 19 combined yards to get down to the one-yard line before punching it in himself for his fifth career rushing touchdown to make it a one-score game.
The Skyhawks would convert the extra point attempt and try an onside kick attempt but it would not be successful – effectively ending the contest at 14-10.
"I'm proud of our defense for holding a team to 14 points, that should be good enough to win," UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. "Give their team a lot of credit, they played well. Their defense played better than our offense and they coached better than we did. We just didn't get it done on offense tonight. Too many shoulda, coulda, wouldas and that is disappointing. We just couldn't get those first game mistakes out of the way and it cost us tonight."
UT Martin generated 210 yards of total offense in the contest while allowing Murray State to post 328 but it was the team's three turnovers – including two interceptions which proved to be costly. Starting quarterback John Bachus III completed 13-of-26 pass attempts for 81 yards while throwing two interceptions. Dowell ranked as his top target, hauling in seven catches in 13 opportunities for 61 yards while Peyton Logan tallied 129 all-purpose yards.
John Ford and Deven Sims led the defensive unit with seven tackles each while the Skyhawk duo of Jay Woods and Austin Pickett were close behind with six tackles. Senior JaQuez Akins tallied five tackles on the day along with a tackle for loss and fumble recovery while Kameron Bowdry enjoyed a strong day with four tackles, one sack and a blocked field goal.
Winn also got it done on special teams where he probably shined the brightest outside of his touchdown run. Serving as the team's primary punter for the first time in his collegiate career, he tallied seven punts on the day for 299 yards for an average of 42.7 yards – including a 58-yard attempt which is the longest punt by a Skyhawk since the 2017 campaign. He tallied three 50-yard punts while pinning a pair on the Murray State two-yard line.
Murray State (1-0) was led offensive by Rice who tallied 202 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns while Dallas led the receiving core with 111 yards and the one touchdown. Alec Long paced the Racers with eight tackles while Don Parker and Sylvaugh Turner each notched an interception.
UT Martin will host Eastern Illinois for its home opener on Sunday, March 7. Kickoff from Graham Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Team Stats
UTM
MSU
Total Yards
210
328
Pass Yards
100
152
Rushing Yards
110
176
Penalty Yards
53
42
1st Downs
13
16
3rd Downs
3
6
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
26:48
33:12
1st Quarter
UTM 0, MSU 7
MSU - Dallas,Dequan 83 yd pass from Rice,Preston (Webber,Zaden kick) 1 plays, 83 yards, TOP 0:10
2nd Quarter
UTM 3, MSU 7
UTM - LARCO, Tyler 34 yd field goal 13 plays, 39 yards, TOP 7:18
4th Quarter
UTM 3, MSU 14
MSU - Rice,Preston 2 yd run (Webber,Zaden kick), 9 plays, 65 yards, TOP 4:47
UTM 10, MSU 14
UTM - WINN, Dresser 1 yd run (LARCO, Tyler kick), 6 plays, 58 yards, TOP 1:14
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
13
TD
0
YDS
81
INT
2
CMP
2
TD
0
YDS
19
INT
0
Players Mentioned
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WR
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LB
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K/P
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RB
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DL
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