After a bounce-back season that saw the Skyhawks improve from 2-9 in 2018 to 7-5 in 2019, the Skyhawks now boast a talented roster that contains 11 preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) players, which is tied for second-most in the conference.
Of the first team honors, all-purpose running back (RB) Peyton Logan, fullback (FB) Davin Dyal, offensive guard (OG) Aries Davis and defensive back (DB) JaQuez Akins were highlighted. The Skyhawks added three more players to the OVC’s second team, including wide receiver (WR) Rodney Williams II, tight end (TE) Colton Dowell and defensive lineman (DL) Austin Picket.
Rounding out the list on the OVC’s third team, the Skyhawks are represented by quarterback (QB) John Bachus III, WR Donell Williams, DL Korbin Harmon and linebacker (LB) D’Carrious Stephens.
Logan had a breakout season in 2019, racking up 784 yards and six touchdowns on 109 carries while averaging 87.1 yards per game. Logan also tallied four 100-yard games, three of which coming against OVC opponents in Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee Tech and Eastern Illinois.
Logan was also effective in the passing attack for the Skyhawks, averaging 10.8 yards per reception and 119 yards on 11 receptions, helping him land on the 2019 All-OVC second team as a RB and third team as an all-purpose player.
Dyal played all 12 games in 2019, starting as a TE in seven of those appearances. Dyal recorded 70 yards on five receptions in his sophomore season, recording his first collegiate touchdown along the way against Eastern Illinois.
Davis cracks the list as the cornerstone of UTM’s offensive line. Davis started all 12 games for the Skyhawks at right guard after missing the 2018 season due to injury. Along with his fellow offensive linemen, Davis helped Bachus and Logan achieve their breakout seasons. Davis was graded at 86% per game in 2019, according to Sports Information.
Akins, who transferred to UTM for the 2019 season after winning back-to-back national championships with East Mississippi Community College, excelled at the safety position in his first year as a Skyhawk. The All-OVC first team safety ranked second on the team and sixth in the OVC with 92 tackles. In addition, Akins recorded 5.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
Despite only playing in four games in 2019 due to a medical redshirt, Rodney Williams tallied 111 yards on only nine receptions, including a season-high 52-yard reception against Southeast Missouri.
Dowell’s breakout sophomore season saw the TE amass 38 receptions, culminating in 765 yards and four touchdowns. Dowell averaged 20.1 yards per reception and 63.8 receiving yards per game. In addition, Dowell had four 100-yard games, all of which against OVC competition.
Bachus, after waiting in the wings behind fellow QBs Dresser Winn and Joe Hudson in 2018, took over the full-time starting job in 2019 and lead the Skyhawks to a 7-5 record in a year that saw him win OVC Freshman of the Year.
Fifth-year senior Pickett returns to the team after making his way onto the All-OVC first team list in 2019. Pickett was a focal point on a stout defensive line that ranked first in sacks in the OVC last year. To go along with 38 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, Picket compiled 34 yards of loss on the season.
Bachus started all 12 games in 2019, completing 188 of 332 pass attempts for 2,549 yards and 18 touchdowns while being ranked first nationally among freshmen in passing yards.
Donell Williams played in all 12 contests last season, earning two starts at WR. Over the course of the season, Williams caught 13 passes 164 yards and one touchdown. His best performance came against OVC foe Murray State, recording a season-high six receptions, 78 yards and his lone touchdown.
Across 11 games played last season, Harmon racked up 23 total tackles while terrorizing opponents’ backfields with 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Against Eastern Illinois, Harmon recorded a forced fumble, five QB hurries and one pass breakup. Additionally, Harmon led the nation in blocked kicks with three, according to Sports Information.
Stephens, who made the switch to LB for the 2019 season, earned eight starts across nine appearances. Despite the change, he managed to rack up 24 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack. Additionally, Stephens added three interceptions to his stat line, with one of those being a 26-yard pick-six against Eastern Illinois.
The Skyhawks are tentatively set to practice 11 times before the start of fall classes on Aug. 11. Due to health and safety concerns, all practices are closed to the public, according to Sports Information.
Photo Credit / Sports Information
