Saturday, September 9
Martin, Tenn.
6 pm
UT Martin
vs
Missouri State
UT MARTIN FOOTBALL OPENS HOME SLATE WITH MISSOURI STATE ON FAMILY WEEKEND
9/4/2023 5:00:00 PM | Football
*Weekly Interview with Jason Simpson is available below*
The University of Tennessee at Martin football team will make its home debut this weekend when playing host to Missouri Valley Football Conference foe Missouri State on Saturday, Sept. 9. Kickoff from Hardy Graham Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ as part of Family Weekend.
The Skyhawks return to the turf of Graham Stadium for the first time since winning their second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championship last season with a win over Eastern Illinois on Nov. 19. UT Martin is looking to give the fans a show in the team's home opener after posting a 15-2 mark in its home debut at Graham Stadium since 2006. During that span, the Skyhawks have averaged 43.2 points per game in home openers while posting an average margin of victory of 29.1 point.
Along with the team's success in home openers, the Skyhawks have won 16 of their last 19 contests in Graham Stadium since 2019. Additionally, during the team's back-to-back conference championship runs in 2021 and 2022, the squad has gone 9-1 on its turf.
Saturday's contest marks the third consecutive season – and ninth time overall – in which UT Martin and Missouri State have met on the gridiron. The first meeting in the recent series saw the Skyhawks come away with a thrilling 32-31 victory in the first round of the FCS Playoffs in 2021 before the Bears came out on top by a final score of 35-31 last season – with both games being played in Springfield, Mo. This week's matchup marks the first trip to Martin for Missouri State since 2007.
UT Martin (0-1) opened the season with a valiant effort against two-time defending FBS national champion Georgia. The Skyhawk defense showed out in the first quarter, limiting the No. 1 ranked Bulldogs to seven points on just 59 total yards over three drives – including a pair of three-and-outs. While Georgia later pulled away in the second half to pull out a 48-7 victory between the hedges, UT Martin saw flashes of playmaking ability in all three phases of the game.
Quarterback Kinkead Dent made his first career start for the Skyhawks and completed 18-of-32 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Trevonte Rucker hauled in the first touchdown of 2023 with an acrobatic nine-yard reception at the back pylon. On defense, junior Jaylon Sharpe paced the squad with eight tackles while Chris Hunter, Jr. paced the Skyhawks with one of the team's four TFLs.
Missouri State (0-1) also opened the season on the road against a FBS program, falling to Kansas by a final score of 48-17. The Bears are under the direction of first-year head coach Ryan Beard after previously serving as the program's defensive coordinator for three seasons.
Quarterback Jacob Clark completed 14-of-21 passes for 143 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in his first career start while the offense was limited to 217 yards of total offense in the loss. Safety Todric McGee led the charge on defense with a game-high 12 tackles while also adding a fumble recovery.
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), John Hatler (analyst) and Chris Brinkley (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.
The University of Tennessee at Martin football team will make its home debut this weekend when playing host to Missouri Valley Football Conference foe Missouri State on Saturday, Sept. 9. Kickoff from Hardy Graham Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ as part of Family Weekend.
The Skyhawks return to the turf of Graham Stadium for the first time since winning their second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championship last season with a win over Eastern Illinois on Nov. 19. UT Martin is looking to give the fans a show in the team's home opener after posting a 15-2 mark in its home debut at Graham Stadium since 2006. During that span, the Skyhawks have averaged 43.2 points per game in home openers while posting an average margin of victory of 29.1 point.
Along with the team's success in home openers, the Skyhawks have won 16 of their last 19 contests in Graham Stadium since 2019. Additionally, during the team's back-to-back conference championship runs in 2021 and 2022, the squad has gone 9-1 on its turf.
Saturday's contest marks the third consecutive season – and ninth time overall – in which UT Martin and Missouri State have met on the gridiron. The first meeting in the recent series saw the Skyhawks come away with a thrilling 32-31 victory in the first round of the FCS Playoffs in 2021 before the Bears came out on top by a final score of 35-31 last season – with both games being played in Springfield, Mo. This week's matchup marks the first trip to Martin for Missouri State since 2007.
UT Martin (0-1) opened the season with a valiant effort against two-time defending FBS national champion Georgia. The Skyhawk defense showed out in the first quarter, limiting the No. 1 ranked Bulldogs to seven points on just 59 total yards over three drives – including a pair of three-and-outs. While Georgia later pulled away in the second half to pull out a 48-7 victory between the hedges, UT Martin saw flashes of playmaking ability in all three phases of the game.
Quarterback Kinkead Dent made his first career start for the Skyhawks and completed 18-of-32 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Trevonte Rucker hauled in the first touchdown of 2023 with an acrobatic nine-yard reception at the back pylon. On defense, junior Jaylon Sharpe paced the squad with eight tackles while Chris Hunter, Jr. paced the Skyhawks with one of the team's four TFLs.
Missouri State (0-1) also opened the season on the road against a FBS program, falling to Kansas by a final score of 48-17. The Bears are under the direction of first-year head coach Ryan Beard after previously serving as the program's defensive coordinator for three seasons.
Quarterback Jacob Clark completed 14-of-21 passes for 143 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in his first career start while the offense was limited to 217 yards of total offense in the loss. Safety Todric McGee led the charge on defense with a game-high 12 tackles while also adding a fumble recovery.
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), John Hatler (analyst) and Chris Brinkley (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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