The Skyhawks dropped their first Ohio Valley Conference road game 38-14 to the No. 8 ranked Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
The loss gives the Skyhawks a 1-5 overall record and 0-3 record in OVC play, the worst start since 2007 when the Skyhawks started the season 0-6.
Jacksonville State (4-1, 2-0 OVC) came into the contest the preseason OVC favorite and proved just that in the game.
“We knew what they were coming in here. They are a deep and talented playoff football team so we give them credit,” said UTM head coach, Jason Simpson.
Despite not taking a snap last week against Southeast Missouri, Dylan Favre started the game for the Skyhawks at quarterback. UTM got the ball first to start the game and quickly punted the ball back after going three-and-out. The Gamecocks were able to march down the field on their next drive and get on the board first after a 26-yard touchdown pass from Eli Jenkins to Markis Merrill.
Neither team were able to find the end zone until the beginning of the second quarter when they Gamecocks scored another touchdown, this time a 34-yard pass from Max Shortell to Ruben Gonzalez. After a 2-yard touchdown run from Miles Jones on the next JSU drive, the Gamecocks extended their lead to 21-0 halfway through the second quarter. After a positive but stalled drive by the Skyhawks, UTM was forced to punt the football back. On the next play, defensive lineman Ryan Isom stripped the ball from JSU running back Troymaine Pope and UTM linebacker Tony Bell was able to pick up the fumble and run it 24-yards for a touchdown.
The score remained 21-7 through halftime and the entire third quarter. Quarterback Jarod Neal replaced Favre at the 6:20 mark in the third quarter, but like Favre, was unable to gather any momentum on offense.
Jacksonville State was able to break up the scoring drought in the fourth quarter when Jenkins hit Bo Brummel for a 12-yard touchdown pass. Neal threw an interception on the next play and the Gamecocks took advantage, tacking on three points with a 31-yard field goal.
It wasn’t until the 3:58 mark when the Skyhawks scored their first and only offensive touchdown, a 2-yard rush from Trent Garland. The Gamecocks were able to close the game late in the fourth quarter by recovering a UTM fumble and scoring a 3-yard rushing touchdown by Pope on the next play, sealing a 38-14 win.
The Skyhawks collected 216-yards of total offense while the Gamecocks had 497-yards of total offense. Coach Simpson mentioned the disappointment he had in the offensive performance.
“Very disappointing performance offensively,” said Simpson in his post game press conference. “It’s the first time this year I feel like we’ve really laid an egg.”
The Skyhawks played all three of their quarterbacks, racking up a total of 93-yards passing with zero touchdowns and two interceptions, one by Neal and the other by Manny Stocker. Despite not getting the start and playing part of the second half, Neal lead the Skyhawks passing, completing six out of 13 passes for 63-yards. Jenkins and Shortell led the Gamecocks passing attack, completing 19 out of 29 passes for 213-yards and three touchdowns.
Trent Garland led the rushing attack for the Skyhawks, running the ball three times for 39-yards and a touchdown. Miles Jones led the Gamecocks’ running game, carrying it 24 times for 152-yards and a touchdown.
Coach Simpson also spoke praises about the defense in the game.
“Proud of our defense. I thought even though it was 30-something points you can’t put that all on our defense. I thought they played hard,” said Simpson.
The Skyhawks did see some positive in their performance when punter James Satterfield broke the school’s single game punting record with 487-yards.
The Skyhawks will have another short week to prepare before they host the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Thursday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from Hardy Graham Stadium.
