The UT Martin Skyhawks dropped their Ohio Valley Conference opener 49-24 to the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.
The Colonels (4-0, 1-0 OVC) came into the matchup ranked #22 and seeking revenge after last years loss to UTM 16-7. The Skyhawks (1-3, 0-1 OVC) had trouble gaining any momentum on defense, giving up 533-yards of total offense.
“We got to get it fixed,” said UTM head coach Jason Simpson. “We’ve got to correct some things, whether it be different people, different schemes, and coach what we have better. But giving up 500 something yards, that’s unacceptable.”
The Skyhawks started the game getting on the board first with 5:30 remaining in the first quarter. Quarterback Jarod Neal dove into the end-zone from 1-yard out to give UTM a 7-0 lead. The Colonels answered back, scoring twice before the end of the first quarter on a 68-yard run and a 14-yard run, both by Dy’Shawn Mobley.
The second quarter saw a lot of scoring by both teams, with the Skyhawks opening the second quarter with a 45-yard field goal by Jackson Redditt. Eastern Kentucky would score two more touchdowns after the field goal, the first coming off a 70-yard pass completion from Bennie Coney to Devin Borders. After recovering a UTM fumble on the next drive, the Colonels scored the second touchdown with a 29-yard pass from Jeff Glover to Deno Montgomery.
Down 28-10, the Skyhawks answered back as Dylan Favre completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Corey Jordan with 8:22 remaining in the first half. UTM would score again with less than a minute until halftime, as Jarod Neal hit wide receiver James Ratliff with a 5-yard touchdown pass. The Skyhawks went to the locker room at halftime, trailing the Colonels 28-24.
The Colonels controlled the second half, scoring three touchdowns in the third quarter off of three straight drives. The first came at 2:33 mark with Coney completing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Channing Fugate. On the next drive, McClain took the ball on a quarterback keeper and ran the ball in from 1-yard out. After a Neal interception, Mobley took the ball on the next play and ran a 75-yard touchdown before the end of the third quarter. Both teams could not find the end-zone in the fourth quarter and Eastern Kentucky secured the win, 49-24.
Offensively, the Skyhawks had 329-yards of total offense off of 45 plays and put up 24 points in the first half. In the second half, the Skyhawks could not find any offense, collecting 155-yards of total offense and, other than a missed field goal, didn’t get close to the end-zone. The Colonels had a career day on offense, racking up 533 yards off of 63 attempts and six touchdowns.
Both UTM quarterbacks, Neal and Favre, saw equal playing time throughout the game and both threw for 294-yards and two touchdowns. Neal also picked up a touchdown on the quarterback keeper in the first quarter. The Colonels were led by quarterback Bennie Coney, who passed for 186-yards and two touchdowns.
Abou Toure lead the Skyhawks in rushing with 87 yards off of 12 runs. Mobley led the Colonels’ rushing attack, running 11 times for 184-yards and three touchdowns.
The Skyhawks were also plagued with four turnovers: two interceptions from Neal, one interception from Favre and a Toure fumble. Eastern Kentucky took advantage of the miscues, scoring 21 points off of turnovers, two touchdowns on the next play after the turnover.
“We don’t value the football right now,” said Simpson. “It’s disappointing. You go through some years where you go several games in a row without turning the ball over. These two quarterbacks are not valuing the football right now. The running back’s putting the ball on the ground. [When] we decide to not do that, then we’ll have a chance to win against some quality opponents.”
The Skyhawks will close out their three-game home stand next week against OVC foe Southeast Missouri, who knocked off #3 Southeast Louisiana over the weekend. The Skyhawks and the Redhawks are scheduled to kickoff at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at Graham Stadium.
