The UTM football team will look to cap off Ohio Valley Conference play with a Senior Day matchup against Tennessee State on Saturday, Nov. 16. Kickoff from Hardy Graham Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+. All active military and veterans will be admitted to the game for free with ID.
Prior to the contest, UTM will honor the team’s 20 seniors. The Skyhawk group includes Jaylon Moore, DaVonte Maura, Jaimiee Bowe, Terry Williams, Cam Ordway, Devan Hollins, Sherrod Pitman, Joe Hudson, David Little, Christian Philpott, Josh Dodd, Malik Harris, Cecil Cherry, TJ Jefferson, Austin Pickett, Zane Cox, Terry Fultz, Austin Newsom, Joseph Murray and Julian Crutchfield.
Saturday’s game marks the third and final game in the coveted Sergeant York Trophy series which goes to the winner of the quadrangular season football series between the four OVC football-playing schools located in the state of Tennessee – Austin Peay, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin. UTM has won or shared the Sgt. York Trophy six times in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018. The Skyhawks hold a 26-11 all-time record in the series – the best mark of the four Tennessee OVC schools. That includes a 17-5 mark since 2012.
The Skyhawks (6-4, 5-2 OVC) are looking to rebound after a 38-24 setback to No. 24 Austin Peay last week on the road. UTM struggled offensively as the running game was limited to negative-25 yards while the defense allowed 491 yards of total offense and 257 rushing yards. On the bright side, John Bachus III completed 20 pass attempts for 286 yards while finding senior wide receiver Jaylon Moore for three touchdowns – ranking as the best scoring performance for a wide receiver since 2015. Also highlighting the game was a 50-yard field goal by Ryan Courtright which ranked as the longest attempt since 2014.
Tennessee State (2-8, 1-5 OVC) enters the contest with its Sgt. York Trophy hopes still alive after recording its lone league victory against Austin Peay. In the team’s most recent contest, the Tigers dropped a heartbreaker at previously winless Eastern Illinois 49-38. The Tigers are led by the receiving duo of Chris Rowland (92 receptions, 1,289 yards and seven touchdowns) and Steven Newbold (50 receptions, 748 yards and six touchdowns) while quarterback Cameron Rosendahl has completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,675 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Both teams feature veteran head coaches in the duo of UTM head coach Jason Simpson and Tennessee State’s Rod Reed. Simpson ranks sixth in OVC history with a career mark of 86-72 in his 14 seasons. Reed boasts a 53-48 mark in his 10th season at his alma mater.
This weekend’s matchup marks the 29th meetings between the two programs in a series which dates back to 1976. Tennessee State leads the all-time series 17-11 while UTM has posted an 8-5 mark against the Tigers at home.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can also tune into WCMT 1410 AM/100.5 FM to hear Tom Britt (play-by-play), Chris Brinkley (color), John Hatler (color) and John Abel (sideline) provide analysis. WUTM, UTM’s award-winning student radio station, will also broadcast the game on 90.3 FM.
