Saturday, November 4
Cookeville, Tenn.
1:30 pm
UT Martin
at
Tennessee Tech
NO. 18 UT MARTIN FOOTBALL TRAVELS TO TENNESSEE TECH LOOKING TO SECURE SGT. YORK TROPHY
10/31/2023 9:25:00 AM | Football
The No. 18 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team hits the road for another Big South-OVC Football Association matchup against longtime in-state rival Tennessee Tech on Saturday, Nov. 4. Kickoff from Tucker Stadium is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Skyhawks (6-2, 3-1 Big South-OVC) look to rebound after suffering their first loss against a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) foe with a heart-breaking 38-34 setback at Gardner-Webb last weekend. Following the loss, UT Martin fell in both national polls but enters the weekend ranked 18th in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and 21st in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
A win for UT Martin would secure the program's 11th title in the annual Sgt. York Trophy series after the Skyhawks knocked off Tennessee State earlier this season. The program has claimed the Sgt. York Trophy every year since 2018 and 10 times overall while boasting an overall record of 35-13 in the series.
In the team's previous contest, running back Sam Franklin eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season – becoming just the 12th player in program history to achieve the mark. Franklin currently trails the single-season record by 395 yards with three games to play. Defensive end Daylan Dotson is also tracking up career top-10s following 2.5 tackles for loss last week, moving his career total up to 31.5 TFLs to sit eighth in program history.
Under the direction of head coach Jason Simpson, the Skyhawks have taken pride in winning games against in-state opponents. Since 2014, the Skyhawks have posted a 24-8 record against in-state foes while possessing the second-best overall winning percentage of all Division I programs in the state (FBS and FCS) since 2010 at 56.6 percent.
Tennessee Tech (3-5, 1-2 Big South-OVC) enters the contest looking to build off the team's first association victory of the season after going on the road and posting a dominating 38-13 victory. The Golden Eagles forced six turnovers in the game with three interceptions and a trio of forced fumbles – including a pair of defensive touchdowns. Defensive lineman Daniel Rickert garnered honorable mention honors for the FedEx Ground National Defensive Player of the Week after tallying two TFLs, two forced fumbles and two recoveries in the win.
Saturday's contest marks the 45th meeting between the two programs with Tennessee Tech holding a narrow 22-20-2 advantage in the all-time series which dates back nearly a century to 1926. UT Martin has controlled the series in recent history with 10 consecutive victories since 2013.
The game will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ while fans locally can tune into the Skyhawk Sports Network to hear Davis Gregory (play-by-play) and Julius McNair (analyst) call the action. Games are broadcast on WCMT "Talk and News You Can Use!" with simulcasts on 1410 AM, 100.5 FM, 92.7 FM, 96.1 FM, 99.7 FM and 103.3 FM. Those links – in addition to live stats – can be found at the top of the page.
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The Skyhawks (6-2, 3-1 Big South-OVC) look to rebound after suffering their first loss against a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) foe with a heart-breaking 38-34 setback at Gardner-Webb last weekend. Following the loss, UT Martin fell in both national polls but enters the weekend ranked 18th in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and 21st in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
A win for UT Martin would secure the program's 11th title in the annual Sgt. York Trophy series after the Skyhawks knocked off Tennessee State earlier this season. The program has claimed the Sgt. York Trophy every year since 2018 and 10 times overall while boasting an overall record of 35-13 in the series.
In the team's previous contest, running back Sam Franklin eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season – becoming just the 12th player in program history to achieve the mark. Franklin currently trails the single-season record by 395 yards with three games to play. Defensive end Daylan Dotson is also tracking up career top-10s following 2.5 tackles for loss last week, moving his career total up to 31.5 TFLs to sit eighth in program history.
Under the direction of head coach Jason Simpson, the Skyhawks have taken pride in winning games against in-state opponents. Since 2014, the Skyhawks have posted a 24-8 record against in-state foes while possessing the second-best overall winning percentage of all Division I programs in the state (FBS and FCS) since 2010 at 56.6 percent.
Tennessee Tech (3-5, 1-2 Big South-OVC) enters the contest looking to build off the team's first association victory of the season after going on the road and posting a dominating 38-13 victory. The Golden Eagles forced six turnovers in the game with three interceptions and a trio of forced fumbles – including a pair of defensive touchdowns. Defensive lineman Daniel Rickert garnered honorable mention honors for the FedEx Ground National Defensive Player of the Week after tallying two TFLs, two forced fumbles and two recoveries in the win.
Saturday's contest marks the 45th meeting between the two programs with Tennessee Tech holding a narrow 22-20-2 advantage in the all-time series which dates back nearly a century to 1926. UT Martin has controlled the series in recent history with 10 consecutive victories since 2013.
The game will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ while fans locally can tune into the Skyhawk Sports Network to hear Davis Gregory (play-by-play) and Julius McNair (analyst) call the action. Games are broadcast on WCMT "Talk and News You Can Use!" with simulcasts on 1410 AM, 100.5 FM, 92.7 FM, 96.1 FM, 99.7 FM and 103.3 FM. Those links – in addition to live stats – can be found at the top of the page.
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Players Mentioned
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