The Skyhawks move to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the OVC after a 45-17 blowout win over division opponent Western Illinois.
The Skyhawks put up their highest scoring output of the season with 45 points against the Leathernecks with five separate players getting on the scoreboard.
The offense got their biggest play out of the day early with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Kinkead Dent to TE Max Dowling 63 seconds into the game. The Skyhawks wouldn’t let up from that point on and at one point the Skyhawks were up 45-3 over the Leathernecks.
Starting quarterback Kinkead Dent clocked another efficient day with his arm and legs for the Skyhawks. Dent totaled 222 yards and four touchdowns on the day for the Skyhawks, two through the air and two on the ground. That makes back-to-back games with a touchdown on the ground for the first time in his career.
Running back Patrick Smith did what has almost become expected of him at this point, putting up 145 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries for the Skyhawks, including a 63-yard run in the second quarter that set up a Skyhawk touchdown. Following Smith in rushing was senior Glover Cook III with 69 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Through the air, sophomore tight end Max Dowling had a day for the Skyhawks. The second year tight end out of Buffalo, NY set a career high with 88 receiving yards and tied a career high with two touchdowns against the Leathernecks. Dowling blew his previous career high of 30 yards against SEMO earlier this season out of the water and matched his freshman year two touchdown performance against EIU. Behind Max were season-receiving leaders Trevonte Rucker and Asa Wondeh with 42 and 29 yards on three catches respectively.
Defensively, the Skyhawks ran an airtight operation. They held Western Illinois to three points all the way up until eight minutes left in the game or as most would call it, garbage time.
The biggest discrepancy between the two teams was rushing offense and defense. The Skyhawks managed a massive 306 yards to the Leathernecks’ 40, averaging 7.5 yards per carry to the Leathernecks’ 1.8 yards per carry.
Playmakers for the defense included LB Jaylon Sharpe, DE Davonte Murray and CB JaMichael McGoy. Sharpe led all UT Martin defenders with seven total tackles and a tackle for loss, something he’s become familiar with as he leads the OVC this season with 11. Murray joined in on Sharpe’s fun in the backfield with a strip sack to go along with four tackles of his own.
In the defensive backfield, JaMichael McGoy shut down the Western Illinois receivers, tying a career-high three passes defensed to go along with two tackles for the junior cornerback.
Saturday’s win over Western Illinois moves the 2-1 Skyhawks to third place in the OVC standings behind 3-1 TSU and 3-0 SEMO. Next week the Skyhawks get a bye week to rest and recover before the long stretch through November.
“We control our own destiny; looking forward to catching our breath a little bit and healing up some banged-up guys and I’m proud of this football team,” said Coach Simpson after Saturday’s game.
Controlling their destiny continues with the Eastern Illinois Panthers coming to Martin, TN on Oct. 26, at 2 p.m.
