Saturday, September 26
Clarksville, Tenn.
1 p.m.
UT Martin
1-4 , 0-0
12
at
35
Austin Peay
4-1 , 1-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UT Martin | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Austin Peay | 7 | 0 | 21 | 7 | 35 |
Skyhawks Can’t Slow Second Half Surge Against No. 11 Austin Peay
9/26/2026 5:11:00 PM | Football
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin football team carried a five-point lead into halftime, but No. 11 ranked Austin Peay scored 28 unanswered points after the break to hand the Skyhawks a 35-12 setback Saturday at Fortera Stadium.
Big plays proved to be the difference in the game for both teams. The Skyhawks (1-4) struck first when Malik Brown sacked Austin Peay quarterback Chris Parson in the end zone for a safety on the opening defensive drive of the game. After a 66-yard Parson touchdown run put the Governors ahead, Tate Surber found Kaleb Costner for a 3-yard touchdown pass to give UT Martin a 9-7 lead late in the first quarter.
Brandon Sims added a 24-yard field goal with 3:29 left in the second quarter, sending the Skyhawks into the locker room up 12-7.
From there, the nationally ranked Governors took control. Austin Peay retook the lead on an 18-yard Parson run on its opening possession of the second half. Eight seconds later, Ta'Ron Haile returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown. The Governors added another touchdown in the third quarter and one in the fourth to close out the scoring.
Surber completed 20 of 27 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. Makhia Sherrard led UT Martin's receivers with five catches for 85 yards, including a 42-yard reception, while Chris Franklin rushed 12 times for 63 yards and caught five passes.
On the defensive side of the ball, Brown finished with two sacks, including the safety, as the Skyhawk defense totaled four sacks on the afternoon. Jamarcus Smith and Zamaryion Farmer-McCray shared the team lead with seven tackles apiece, and Joel Castleberry recorded six tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.
"They have a good football team," UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. "The quarterback is a good player and they have some good weapons around him but I'll take this one. I was proud of the kids in the first half. They were really competitive and fought hard to take a 12-7 lead into halftime. It has to be coaching if we get outscored 28-0 in the second half. We've got to regroup, reassess what we do well, who does it well and see if we can coach it better heading into conference play."
Austin Peay was led by Parson who accounted for three touchdowns and 336 yards of total offense, including two touchdowns on the ground and one through the air. Marvin Sims also found the endzone twice via an eight-yard rush and an eight-yard reception.
UT Martin will enjoy its bye week before returning to action with Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday, Oct. 10 at Tennessee State.
Big plays proved to be the difference in the game for both teams. The Skyhawks (1-4) struck first when Malik Brown sacked Austin Peay quarterback Chris Parson in the end zone for a safety on the opening defensive drive of the game. After a 66-yard Parson touchdown run put the Governors ahead, Tate Surber found Kaleb Costner for a 3-yard touchdown pass to give UT Martin a 9-7 lead late in the first quarter.
Brandon Sims added a 24-yard field goal with 3:29 left in the second quarter, sending the Skyhawks into the locker room up 12-7.
From there, the nationally ranked Governors took control. Austin Peay retook the lead on an 18-yard Parson run on its opening possession of the second half. Eight seconds later, Ta'Ron Haile returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown. The Governors added another touchdown in the third quarter and one in the fourth to close out the scoring.
Surber completed 20 of 27 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. Makhia Sherrard led UT Martin's receivers with five catches for 85 yards, including a 42-yard reception, while Chris Franklin rushed 12 times for 63 yards and caught five passes.
On the defensive side of the ball, Brown finished with two sacks, including the safety, as the Skyhawk defense totaled four sacks on the afternoon. Jamarcus Smith and Zamaryion Farmer-McCray shared the team lead with seven tackles apiece, and Joel Castleberry recorded six tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.
"They have a good football team," UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. "The quarterback is a good player and they have some good weapons around him but I'll take this one. I was proud of the kids in the first half. They were really competitive and fought hard to take a 12-7 lead into halftime. It has to be coaching if we get outscored 28-0 in the second half. We've got to regroup, reassess what we do well, who does it well and see if we can coach it better heading into conference play."
Austin Peay was led by Parson who accounted for three touchdowns and 336 yards of total offense, including two touchdowns on the ground and one through the air. Marvin Sims also found the endzone twice via an eight-yard rush and an eight-yard reception.
UT Martin will enjoy its bye week before returning to action with Ohio Valley Conference play on Saturday, Oct. 10 at Tennessee State.
Players Mentioned
JACK
/ Football
S
/ Football
TE
/ Football
S
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
K/P
/ Football
LB
/ Football
QB
/ FootballTeam Stats
UTM
AP
Total Yards
297
361
Pass Yards
175
254
Rushing Yards
122
107
Penalty Yards
20
35
1st Downs
13
15
3rd Downs
5
4
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
32:13
27:47
1st Quarter
UTM 2, AP 0
UTM - Brown,Malik 0 yd safety
UTM 2, AP 7
AP - Parson,Chris 66 yd run (DiBoyan,Hamilton kick), 3 plays, 73 yards, TOP 01:05
UTM 9, AP 7
UTM - Costner,Kaleb 3 yd pass from Surber,Tate (Sims,Brandon kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:54
2nd Quarter
UTM 12, AP 7
UTM - Sims,Brandon 24 yd field goal 9 plays, 43 yards, TOP 04:57
3rd Quarter
UTM 12, AP 14
AP - Parson,Chris 18 yd run (DiBoyan,Hamilton kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 04:02
UTM 12, AP 21
AP - Haile,Ta'Ron 18 yd interception (DiBoyan,Hamilton kick)
UTM 12, AP 28
AP - Sims,Marvin 8 yd pass from Parson,Chris (DiBoyan,Hamilton kick) 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:50
4th Quarter
UTM 12, AP 35
AP - Sims,Marvin 8 yd run (DiBoyan,Hamilton kick), 1 plays, 8 yards, TOP 00:06
Game Leaders
CMP
20
TD
1
YDS
175
INT
2
Friday, September 25
Tuesday, September 22
Monday, September 21
Monday, September 21