Skyhawks drop heartbreaker in home nest

The UTM football team dropped another one this past weekend in a close outing, losing at home to Eastern Kentucky with a score of 35-34.

The last two games for the team have been close, heartbreaking losses. On Sept. 29 the Skyhawks fell to the Murray State Racers within a touchdown.

The end score of that game was 45-38, and it was the season opener for the Racers.

Coming into the Sept. 29 game, MSU was 0-3, but since UTM, the Racers have gone 3-0. MSU scored 45+ points in all three of those wins.

UTM, on the other hand, had just won their first game, topping Austin Peay (3-4) 37-7, a game which broke UTM’s 0-3 season start.

Preparing for the game against Eastern Kentucky University, the Colonels were 2-3, and with the win over UTM, they jumped to a 3-3, ranking number four in the OVC.

During the game, EKU scored the vast majority of their points in the first quarter, despite UTM striking first with a pass from quarterback Dresser Winn to Devonte Howard with 11:26 left in the first quarter.In the last six minutes of the first quarter, EKU would tally 21 points off of a touchdown run and pass, and a 43-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.

The Skyhawks took the lead in the second quarter. The UTM offense wasted no time as Winn threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to tight end Christian Philpott to make the score 21-14 after the PAT during the first play.

Similar to how the Colonels scored many of their points in the waning minutes of the first quarter, the Skyhawks did the same in the final minutes of the second quarter.

With 3:35 left, UTM running back LaDarius Galloway ran for 23 yards into the end zone to tie the game  21-21. Galloway would rush for UTM’s next touchdown as well, putting the Skyhawks up 28-21 with 1:10 left in the quarter.

As time ran out in the second quarter, UTM kicker Ryan Courtright kicked a 42-yard field goal to make the game 31-21 at the half.

UTM began scoring in the third quarter with another field goal, putting the Skyhawks up 34-21. Unfortunately for UTM, that field goal would be their last score of the game.

EKU scored a touchdown in both quarters of the second half.

Both of which were runs from EKU running back Daryl McCleskey Jr., putting them up 35-34.

The score sat at 35-34 for 13 minutes until the clock ran out, neither team scoring again.

With five games left in the season, the best the UTM football team can hope for now is to break even.

Next, UTM will travel to Eastern Illinois University, a team whose schedule/record looks very similar to UTM’s.

The Panthers are sitting at 1-6, and are on a two-game losing streak like UTM.

EIU’s only win came against Tennessee Tech, a team that has yet to win a game this season and sits at the bottom of the conference. In fact, the four teams that have been trading wins and losses sit at the bottom four of the OVC; UTM ranked sixth, Austin Peay ranked seventh, Eastern Illinois ranked eighth and ninth, and last in the conference being the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech.

UTM hopes to bring home a win from Eastern Illinois before their Oct. 27 game against Southeast Missouri: UTM’s homecoming game.

The UTM vs. EIU matchup will kick off at 2 p.m. and can be followed on the radio at Mix 101.3 FM and WUTM FM 90.3 The Hawk.