UT Martin Cruises To 42-7 Victory Over Chicago State

Saturday, September 5

Martin, Tenn.

6 p.m.

UT Martin

1-1 , 0-0

Chicago State

0-2 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Chicago State	7	0	0	0	7
UT Martin	0	21	0	21	42

UT Martin Cruises To 42-7 Victory Over Chicago State

9/5/2026 11:46:00 PM | Football

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MARTIN, Tenn. – Six rushing touchdowns paved the way for the University of Tennessee at Martin football squad's first triumph of the 2026 season, a 42-7 victory over Chicago State.

The six scores on the ground were the first time for the Skyhawks since Oct. 8, 2022 at Murray State. Tommy Ansley led the charge with 16 carries for 106 yards with three touchdowns, while Chris Franklin found the endzone twice. Jaydon Peete capped off the scoring with a rushing touchdown as UT Martin ended the contest with 42 unanswered points.

"It felt good to get a win," Skyhawk head coach Jason Simpson said. "We have a really good offensive line – we leaned on those guys and ran behind them tonight. Defensively, we were better tonight with only allowing 4-of-17 on third downs. We're still a work in progress – we'll use this nonconference season to get guys some experience and keep evaluating. We'll look different by the time we get to conference play."

Gallery: (9-5-2026) Football vs. Chicago State

The UT Martin offense piled up 477 yards of total offense (261 passing, 216 rushing) en route to the win. Redshirt freshman Tate Surber went 16-for-23 with 222 passing yards in his collegiate debut, while Julian Calvez added 39 passing yards in his second start of the season. Anthony Carter accumulated a team-high 62 receiving yards while tying three teammates (Connie Hewitt II, Makhia Sherrard and Kaleb Washington) with a team-best three catches.

The Skyhawks allowed only 191 yards of total offense as the swarming defensive unit combined for nine tackles for loss (including two sacks), five quarterback hurries and four pass breakups. Reginald Allen, Jr. corralled a team-high eight tackles with Chris Wilson (1.5 tackles for loss), Duston Chavis (one sack), LaMarion Pierce (two pass breakups) and Bryce Dailey (two quarterback hurries) additionally securing team-highs in their respective statistical categories.

On special teams, Brandon Sims was a perfect 6-for-6 in PAT attempts while also sending three of his seven kickoffs for touchbacks. Max Zuluaga averaged 50.0 yards over three punts.

Playing in its second game since debuting its program last week, Chicago State was led by Adrian Bowers' game-high 10 tackles. Ashton Pannell found De Armond Mathews for a 4-yard passing touchdown for the Cougars' only score midway through the first quarter, but the UT Martin defense conceded just 129 total yards over the final 45 minutes.

The Skyhawks begin a stretch of four straight road games next week, squaring off against FBS member West Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff against the Big 12 Conference member is set for 12 p.m. CT.