The Skyhawks didn’t disappoint in their first road conference game of the year, as UTM escaped Kentucky with a 38-28 win over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (EKU).
UTM’s typically strong ground attack came out in full force on Oct. 5. The Skyhawks racked up 234 total yards rushing – the most so far this season. On 40 total carries, the Skyhawks managed an average 5.9 yards per rushing attempt.
The Colonels also didn’t disappoint offensively. Both teams eclipsed 400 total yards of offense, though EKU relied more on their passing game as 313 of their 409 yards came from the air.
Both teams also went neck-and-neck in possession time, with UTM getting the edge with 30:04 while EKU managed 29:56.
Freshman quarterback (QB) John Bachus III once again started for the Skyhawks under center, making his fifth career start. Bachus played well enough for the Skyhawks’ ground game to dominate the offense.
The freshman QB, despite taking a sack in the first quarter and throwing an interception in the third, completed 15 of his 21 passing attempts and compiled 167 passing yards.
UTM’s offense was completely devoid of any passing touchdowns. The running back (RB) core tallied three touchdowns with Bachus providing a rushing touchdown of his own.
Junior RB Peyton Logan ate up 115 yards while fellow runners junior Lamarcus Young and graduate Jaimiee Bowe added 84 yards of their own. All three RB’s had their own individual touchdown, with Young scoring his first career touchdown and Bowe recording his 19th, according to Sports Information.
The receiving core played admirably despite experienced senior wide receiver (WR) Jaylon Moore being absent from play. Junior WR Donnell Williams paced the receivers in total yards with 58 on four receptions.
Freshman tight end (TE) Davin Dyal made good on his second reception of the season, racking up 32 yards on one reception and coming in second on the receivers list in total yards.
The Skyhawk defense performed well against EKU’s ground-game. Similar to last week, the Skyhawks kept their opponent to under 100 rushing yards in 40 attempts. The opposite rang true for the passing game, as the Colonels managed to put up 313 passing yards against UTM.
EKU QB Parker McKinney put up 313 yards and three touchdowns against UTM’s defense, but was also sacked four times and picked off once.
UTM senior defensive lineman (DL) Austin Pickett contributed two sacks, including a third quarter strip-sack that senior linebacker (LB) TJ Jefferson would recover and run 44 yards to the house to help UTM pull away from EKU.
UTM head coach Jason Simpson spoke highly of his team despite not blowing up the stats sheet.
“I’m very proud of our kids,” Simpson said to Sports Information. “We take pride in being a bunch of no-names. Our stats aren’t great in any phase, but you better buckle up when you play us because these kids will play you hard. I’m proud of our special teams, our defense forcing some turnovers and our run game getting going today. That’s how you win games. We found ways to win and I’m proud of our team.”
The Skyhawks will travel to Cookeville to take on the Tennessee Tech (1-1 OVC) Golden Eagles on Oct. 12. The game can be viewed on ESPN3.
