Saturday, September 25
Jacksonville, AL
3 p.m.
UT Martin
at
Jacksonville State
FOOTBALL SKYHAWKS TO CLOSE OUT NON-CONFERENCE SLATE WITH ROAD MATCHUP AT NO. 9 JACKSONVILLE STATE
9/20/2021 3:23:00 PM | Football
The University of Tennessee at Martin football team is set for a clash with former Ohio Valley Conference rival and No. 9 ranked Jacksonville State in its final non-conference contest of the season on Saturday, Sept. 25. Kickoff from Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
In a long-standing series, this marks the 43rd meeting between the two programs dating back to 1967 with Jacksonville State holding a 34-8 advantage. The Gamecocks have won 17-of-20 matchups in Jacksonville while the Skyhawks picked up their last road win of the series in 1987. In the most recent visit, the two teams were tied with less than 30 seconds to play before JSU scored a 43-yard touchdown to win 21-14.
The Skyhawks (2-1) enter the contest riding its best start to non-conference play since 2013 with a pair of FCS wins over Samford (33-27) and Northwestern State (35-10) in back-to-back weeks. The stretch marks the first time UT Martin has posted consecutive non-conference wins since 2008 while the team's 25-point victory marked the largest margin of victory against a non-conference foe since 2006.
UT Martin's success has been on both sides of the ball as the Skyhawks rank in the top-two amongst OVC leaders in 17 statistical categories – including leading the league in rushing offense (233.7), interceptions (five), redzone defense (64.3 percent), sacks against (two), time of possession (35:40) and PAT kicking (100 percent). Individually, the Skyhawks have been rewarded for their strong play as they have claimed seven OVC Player of the Week honors through the first three weeks of the season as Peyton Logan claimed his second straight OVC Offensive Player of the Week accolade while John Ford claimed his first career OVC Defensive Player of the Week acknowledgment.
Last Saturday's win marked a milestone for Skyhawk head coach Jason Simpson as it moved his career total to 92 victories. In his 16th season at the helm of the Skyhawks, Simpson now sits tied for fifth on the OVC's all-time wins leaderboard with former Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo.
Jacksonville State (2-1) enters the matchup ranked ninth nationally in both polls following back-to-back wins over Florida State (20-17) and North Alabama (27-24). The Gamecocks are 70-22 in eight seasons under head coach John Grass who are new members of the ASUN and currently play in the makeshift AQ7 for the 2021 season.
The Gamecocks' top playmaker is quarterback Zerrick Cooper who hails as a preseason watch list selection for the Walter Payton Award. Cooper missed last week's game but has thrown for 328 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the defensive pair of DJ Coleman (20 tackles, 3.0 TFL) and Nicario Harper (16 tackles) were named to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List.
The contest will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ with Mickey Shadrix (play-by-play) and Butch Barker (analyst) providing commentary. Fans can also listen to John Hatler (play-by-play) and Brandon Burke (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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In a long-standing series, this marks the 43rd meeting between the two programs dating back to 1967 with Jacksonville State holding a 34-8 advantage. The Gamecocks have won 17-of-20 matchups in Jacksonville while the Skyhawks picked up their last road win of the series in 1987. In the most recent visit, the two teams were tied with less than 30 seconds to play before JSU scored a 43-yard touchdown to win 21-14.
The Skyhawks (2-1) enter the contest riding its best start to non-conference play since 2013 with a pair of FCS wins over Samford (33-27) and Northwestern State (35-10) in back-to-back weeks. The stretch marks the first time UT Martin has posted consecutive non-conference wins since 2008 while the team's 25-point victory marked the largest margin of victory against a non-conference foe since 2006.
UT Martin's success has been on both sides of the ball as the Skyhawks rank in the top-two amongst OVC leaders in 17 statistical categories – including leading the league in rushing offense (233.7), interceptions (five), redzone defense (64.3 percent), sacks against (two), time of possession (35:40) and PAT kicking (100 percent). Individually, the Skyhawks have been rewarded for their strong play as they have claimed seven OVC Player of the Week honors through the first three weeks of the season as Peyton Logan claimed his second straight OVC Offensive Player of the Week accolade while John Ford claimed his first career OVC Defensive Player of the Week acknowledgment.
Last Saturday's win marked a milestone for Skyhawk head coach Jason Simpson as it moved his career total to 92 victories. In his 16th season at the helm of the Skyhawks, Simpson now sits tied for fifth on the OVC's all-time wins leaderboard with former Eastern Illinois coach Bob Spoo.
Jacksonville State (2-1) enters the matchup ranked ninth nationally in both polls following back-to-back wins over Florida State (20-17) and North Alabama (27-24). The Gamecocks are 70-22 in eight seasons under head coach John Grass who are new members of the ASUN and currently play in the makeshift AQ7 for the 2021 season.
The Gamecocks' top playmaker is quarterback Zerrick Cooper who hails as a preseason watch list selection for the Walter Payton Award. Cooper missed last week's game but has thrown for 328 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the defensive pair of DJ Coleman (20 tackles, 3.0 TFL) and Nicario Harper (16 tackles) were named to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List.
The contest will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ with Mickey Shadrix (play-by-play) and Butch Barker (analyst) providing commentary. Fans can also listen to John Hatler (play-by-play) and Brandon Burke (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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