Saturday, October 12
Macomb, Ill.
3 p.m.
UT Martin
at
Western Illinois
Skyhawks Hit The Road For Big South-OVC Matchup At WIU
10/8/2024 4:49:00 PM | Football
The University of Tennessee at Martin football program hits the road for another Big South-OVC Football Association matchup when traveling to new league member Western Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 12. Kickoff from Hanson Field is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+.
The Skyhawks (3-3, 1-1 Big South-OVC) hit the road after winning back-to-back contests against Kennesaw State and Gardner-Webb in recent weeks. UT Martin scored 35 unanswered points during last weekend's Homecoming contest against Gardner-Webb before securing a 35-17 victory.
UT Martin enters the contest ranked in the top-two of the league standings in 14 statistical categories – including defensive touchdowns (two), interceptions (seven) and turnover margin (+3). Sitting atop the individual standings is senior running back Patrick Smith who leads the league in all-purpose yards (116.7 ypg), rushing yards per carry (5.75 ypc), rushing yards (604) and rushing touchdowns (nine) while graduate linebacker Chris Hunter, Jr. paces the association with three interceptions.
Since the 2006 season, UT Martin ranks as the winningest active member in the Ohio Valley Conference with 88 victories. The Skyhawks sit 16 wins above the closest program in Eastern Illinois (72-64) during that span. In total, UTM has finished in the top-two six times during the Jason Simpson era.
In the most recent contest, UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson picked up his 118th career victory. While already ranking as the program's all-time wins leader, he moved into sole possession of third place in OVC history for career victories, surpassing Middle Tennessee's Charles Murphy.
Western Illinois (2-3, 1-0 Big South-OVC) picked up its first win since 2021 two weeks ago when knocking off McKendree by a 49-32 margin. The Leathernecks then maintained their momentum with a victory in their inaugural Big South-OVC matchup by knocking off Charleston Southern by a final score of 31-20 on the road. Under the direction of first-year head coach Joe Davis, WIU boasts an offense which averages 26.4 points and 349.2 yards of total offense per game while allowing 46.8 points per game in five contests.
Saturday's contest marks just the third meeting between the two programs. Western Illinois came out victorious in the first meeting back in 2003 with a 56-0 home victory. UT Martin returned the favor when the teams met for the second time back in 2022 with a 42-25 win in Martin. This match marks the first meeting between the two programs as conference members after the Leathernecks joined the Big South-OVC Football Association prior to the 2024 season.
The game will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ while locally fans can tune into the Skyhawk Sports Network to hear Davis Gregory (play-by-play) and Chuck Hammer (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 (3-3, 1-1 Big South-OVC) hit the road after winning back-to-back contests against Kennesaw State and Gardner-Webb in recent weeks. UT Martin scored 35 unanswered points during last weekend's Homecoming contest against Gardner-Webb before securing a 35-17 victory.
UT Martin enters the contest ranked in the top-two of the league standings in 14 statistical categories – including defensive touchdowns (two), interceptions (seven) and turnover margin (+3). Sitting atop the individual standings is senior running back Patrick Smith who leads the league in all-purpose yards (116.7 ypg), rushing yards per carry (5.75 ypc), rushing yards (604) and rushing touchdowns (nine) while graduate linebacker Chris Hunter, Jr. paces the association with three interceptions.
Since the 2006 season, UT Martin ranks as the winningest active member in the Ohio Valley Conference with 88 victories. The Skyhawks sit 16 wins above the closest program in Eastern Illinois (72-64) during that span. In total, UTM has finished in the top-two six times during the Jason Simpson era.
In the most recent contest, UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson picked up his 118th career victory. While already ranking as the program's all-time wins leader, he moved into sole possession of third place in OVC history for career victories, surpassing Middle Tennessee's Charles Murphy.
Western Illinois (2-3, 1-0 Big South-OVC) picked up its first win since 2021 two weeks ago when knocking off McKendree by a 49-32 margin. The Leathernecks then maintained their momentum with a victory in their inaugural Big South-OVC matchup by knocking off Charleston Southern by a final score of 31-20 on the road. Under the direction of first-year head coach Joe Davis, WIU boasts an offense which averages 26.4 points and 349.2 yards of total offense per game while allowing 46.8 points per game in five contests.
Saturday's contest marks just the third meeting between the two programs. Western Illinois came out victorious in the first meeting back in 2003 with a 56-0 home victory. UT Martin returned the favor when the teams met for the second time back in 2022 with a 42-25 win in Martin. This match marks the first meeting between the two programs as conference members after the Leathernecks joined the Big South-OVC Football Association prior to the 2024 season.
The game will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ while locally fans can tune into the Skyhawk Sports Network to hear Davis Gregory (play-by-play) and Chuck Hammer (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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