The Skyhawk football team will return to the nest on Oct. 19 with the hopes of continuing their three-game conference win-streak against the Eastern Illinois (EIU) Panthers.
The Skyhawks are coming off of a dominating performance against regional Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) opponent Tennessee Tech (TTU). The Oct. 12 matchup against the Golden Eagles saw UTM put up a staggering 55 points against TTU, which is the most amount of points the Skyhawks have scored in a single game since their 84-6 victory victory over Bacone College in 2016.
After that blowout win, freshman quarterback (QB) John Bachus III and junior placekicker Ryan Courtright received several honors.
Bachus was named OVC Offensive Player of the Week, College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS National Performer of the Week, and OVC Newcomer of the Week. The freshman out of Pulaski recorded five touchdowns and threw for 331 yards, with no interceptions, en route to a UTM win.
Lexington native, Courtright earned OVC Specialist of the Week honors with his impressive offensive performance against TTU as well. Courtright remained perfect on the season, notching two field goals and seven points-after-touchdown to help the Skyhawks reach victory.
This weekend’s matchup against EIU, the 25th between these two programs, should be an easy one for the Skyhawk football squad. The Panthers have had a rough season so far and have yet to win a single game.
The Panthers are coming into Martin after a close loss to last season’s OVC champion Jacksonville State (JSU), and sit at 0-7 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
The stout UTM defense, which has kept OVC opponents 14 points or under two out of three times so far in 2019, shouldn’t have much of an issue dealing with the Panthers as EIU has averaged only 12.1 points per game, according to Sports Information.
Despite this, the Panthers have fallen to OVC opponents by relatively close margins, with their last two conference losses (against TTU and JSU) ending in one-possession scores.
Look for the Skyhawks, who stand at first place in the OVC, to be favorites in this matchup against the last place Panthers. Kickoff from Hardy Graham Stadium will happen at 2 p.m. The game can also be viewed on ESPN+.
Photo Credit / Sports Information
