UT Martin
1-4 , 1-0
Southeast Missouri
1-4 , 0-1
Skyhawks Roll To 34-10 Victory Over OVC-Big South Foe Southeast Missouri
9/27/2025 11:25:00 PM | Football
MARTIN, Tenn. – Four-time defending OVC-Big South Football Association champion University of Tennessee at Martin opened its league schedule with a commanding 34-10 triumph against Southeast Missouri in front of 6,769 fans at Hardy Graham Stadium.
The Skyhawk offense nearly doubled up the visiting Redhawks in total offense, gaining 468 yards to Southeast Missouri's 239 yards. UT Martin scored a pair of touchdowns – including a 75-yard pass play on the first play of the game – in the first 2:16 and never trailed throughout the contest.
Jase Bauer was responsible for four combined touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) and became the first Skyhawk quarterback to rush for over 100 yards since UT Martin Hall of Famer Brady Wahlberg on Oct. 15, 2005. The redshirt senior out of Ankeny, Iowa ran 15 times for 107 yards and completed 15 of his 22 passes for 225 yards.
Bryce Bailey established career-highs in receptions (seven), receiving yards (135) and touchdowns (two) while Tommy Ansley finished with 99 rushing yards on a game-high 16 carries in his first career start for the Skyhawks.
Defensively, Jacob Stevenson led the way with eight tackles while adding three pass breakups and one interception - the first of his Skyhawk career. Outside linebacker Keyshawn Johnson posted a big day in the backfield as he tallied seven tackles and a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss while recording 2.0 total sacks. A dazzling interception by LaMarion Pierce highlighted the stat sheet for the fourth of his career while Iese Puni racked up seven tackles, 1.5 TFLs and one forced fumble to pace a UT Martin defense that conceded just three points over the final 46:52 of clock time.
Cade Hechter drilled field goals from 31 and 27 yards out as part of a 10-point effort (4-for-4 PAT's) for the Skyhawks. Jaren Van Winkle booted four punts for an average of 41.2 yards to cap off a successful outing for the UT Martin special teams unit.
"I'm proud of the team," Skyhawk head coach Jason Simpson said. "We talked this week about how there are no excuses. Defensively, this is what I envisioned us looking like and the offense controlled the line of scrimmage. You could tell the excitement in our locker room – that was a month of frustration built up. I knew we were better than how we were playing but the execution just hadn't been there. We're 1-0 in conference and ready for Monday's practice."
UT Martin goes back on the road next week, traveling to OVC-Big South foe Lindenwood for the first time in school history. The Skyhawks and Lions will kick off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4 in St. Charles, Mo.
Team Stats
SEM 0, UTM 7
UTM - Bailey,Bryce 75 yd pass from Bauer,Jase (Hechter,Cade kick) 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:11
SEM 0, UTM 14
UTM - Bauer,Jase 7 yd run (Hechter,Cade kick), 3 plays, 20 yards, TOP 01:26
SEM 7, UTM 14
SEM - Epton, Jr.,Brandon 4 yd run (Keller,Justin kick), 7 plays, 46 yards, TOP 01:29
SEM 7, UTM 21
UTM - Bailey,Bryce 21 yd pass from Bauer,Jase (Hechter,Cade kick) 10 plays, 86 yards, TOP 05:13
SEM 7, UTM 24
UTM - Hechter,Cade 31 yd field goal 8 plays, 67 yards, TOP 03:48
SEM 10, UTM 24
SEM - Keller,Justin 38 yd field goal 8 plays, 47 yards, TOP 03:09
SEM 10, UTM 27
UTM - Hechter,Cade 27 yd field goal 11 plays, 56 yards, TOP 06:02
SEM 10, UTM 34
UTM - Bauer,Jase 2 yd run (Hechter,Cade kick), 9 plays, 46 yards, TOP 06:08
