UT Martin
0-3 , 0-0
Southern Illinois
2-1 , 0-0
UT Martin Drops Home Opener To #14 SIU
9/13/2025 11:14:00 PM | Football
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin football team held its home opener at Hardy Graham Stadium but could not slow down a high-powered No. 14 ranked Southern Illinois squad in a 37-10 loss Saturday night.
The Skyhawks (0-3) dropped their third straight game after a disappointing performance in the team's home opener against a nationally ranked foe. UT Martin was outgained offensively by a 490-to-291-yard margin with No. 14 Southern Illinois racking up a season-high 273 rushing yards.
UT Martin put 10 points on the board courtesy of a two-yard scoring pass from Jase Bauer to Drake Martinez in the second quarter while adding a 33-yard field goal by Cade Hechter in the third to cap off the evening's scoring performance.
Bauer completed 22-of-29 pass attempts for 173 yards and one touchdown. He also added 52 yards rushing. John Gentry rolled off a big 25-yard gain but finished the night with 42 yards on the ground while Bryce Bailey paced the team with six receptions for 70 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, the safety tandem of Josh Hastings and Jacob Stevenson combined for 24 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Hastings led the way with a game and career-high 13 tackles in the contest while adding 1.5 tackles for loss totaling nine yards. Stevenson reached double-digits with 11 tackles while stalling a potential scoring opportunity by the Salukis as he stripped Williams right before he crossed the endzone.
In total, the Skyhawks forced three turnovers in the contest as the squad tallied a pair of interceptions and the forced fumble. Joel Castleberry had a one-handed snag in the first quarter before Tah Mac Bright Banda hauled in a tipped pass by Lebron Edmond to thwart a midfield drive early in the second period.
Southern Illinois (2-1) picked up its second win of the season behind an impressive performance from veteran quarterback DJ Williams who racked up 245 yards of total offense – including 128 yards on the ground – while totaling four touchdowns. While Williams found the endzone three times on the ground, Chandler Chapman (44-yard rushing touchdown) and Fabian McCray (56-yard reception) also posted big scoring plays for the Salukis.
"Giving up 39 rushes for 273 yards is unacceptable. It's unacceptable," UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. "They did a good job of adding their quarterback into the running game, but we aren't going to win any games giving up 273 yards rushing. This starts with me and the players. Then on offense, once again we were under 300 yards and turned it over twice. It just wasn't good enough and probably one of the more embarrassing performances in my 20 years."
The Skyhawks return to action with a road matchup at Missouri State on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Team Stats
SIU 7, UTM 0
SIU - Williams,DJ 4 yd run (Geelen,Paul kick), 3 plays, 60 yards, TOP 01:31
SIU 14, UTM 0
SIU - McCray,Fabian 56 yd pass from Williams,DJ (Geelen,Paul kick) 5 plays, 73 yards, TOP 03:09
SIU 14, UTM 7
UTM - Martinez,Drake 2 yd pass from Bauer,Jase (Hechter,Cade kick) 11 plays, 69 yards, TOP 06:24
SIU 17, UTM 7
SIU - Geelen,Paul 28 yd field goal 4 plays, 59 yards, TOP 00:30
SIU 24, UTM 7
SIU - Williams,DJ 13 yd run (Geelen,Paul kick), 7 plays, 58 yards, TOP 03:22
SIU 24, UTM 10
UTM - Hechter,Cade 33 yd field goal 9 plays, 60 yards, TOP 05:58
SIU 30, UTM 10
SIU - Williams,DJ 12 yd run (), 6 plays, 48 yards, TOP 02:31
SIU 37, UTM 10
SIU - Chapman,Chandler 44 yd run (Geelen,Paul kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:14
