COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Jarod Neal threw four touchdown passes, two each to Rod Wright and William Tanner, and the UT Martin had eight sacks and bottled up the Tennessee Tech offense as the visiting Skyhawks (2-2/1-1 OVC) claimed a 31-17 Ohio Valley Conference victory over the Golden Eagles (2-3/1-1 OVC) Saturday night in the rain in Tucker Stadium.
The Golden Eagles worked their way back into the contest in the first quarter with two quick touchdowns after falling behind 14-0, and had a chance to go to halftime tied. UTM came up with a stop at the one-yard line on the final play of the first half and carried a 21-14 edge into the break.
Tech cut it to four points with a third quarter field goal, but the Skyhawks scored the next 10 points for the final margin.
Neal was 25-for-43 for 248 yards with four touchdown passes, and was not sacked. Wright caught nine balls for 112 yards with two scores, while Tanner had seven catches for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
The Skyhawks added 228 yards on the ground, with Ladevin Fair rushing for 99 yards on 18 carries and Trent Garland getting 91 yards on 18 carries.
UTM finished with 476 yards of offense on 89 plays while the Golden Eagles managed 199 yards on 64 plays, with 123 rushing and 76 through the air.
Tech quarterback Jared Davis, under heavy pressure all night long, was 8-for-34 for 76 yards with one interception on a deflected pass. He was sacked eight times. Brock McCoin caught six of the eight completions for 69 yards and both Tech touchdowns.
Ladarius Vanlier, who had a 67-yard touchdown run called back on a holding penalty, finished with 118 yards rushing on nine carries.
Tra'Darius Goff, who ranks first in the OVC in total tackles, added 18 more stops in the contest. James Gillyelen led UTM with seven total tackles and grabbed an interception, while Damani Taylor had 2.5 sacks.
UT Martin took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, driving 75 yards in 15 plays on the opening possession of the game for its first score, a seven-yard pass from Neal to Wright. The Skyhawks took advantage of Gillyelen's interception to set up an easy second touchdown, with Tanner grabbing a three-yard pass to cap a 12-yard scoring drive.
The Golden Eagles answered quickly, driving 80 yards in nine plays for their first touchdown, a 20-yard pass to McCoin. Tech used a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, forced by Johnnie Anderson and recovered by Demario Donnell at the 25, to set up the tying score. This time it was an eight-yard toss from Davis to McCoin to knot the game at 14-14.
Another long Skyhawk drive put the visitors ahead 21-14 after moving 74 yards in nine plays, with Neal hitting Tanner from 22 yards for a 21-14 lead.
The Golden Eagle defense stopped UT Martin at the goal line, preventing the Skyhawks from taking a two touchdown lead after they had earned a first-and-goal at the Tech three-yard line. The Golden Eagles stopped UTM twice from the one-yard line.
Tech had a chance to tie the game before halftime, getting another turnover on a fumbled punt return, but the Golden Eagles couldn't convert. Dorian Carter was stopped at the one-yard line and the clock ran out.
John Arnold's 32-yard field goal cut the lead to 21-17 early in the third quarter but UTM moved 61 yards in nine plays, ending with a 12-yard TD pass to Wright for a 28-17 lead.
That's when Vanlier snapped off a 67-yard run, but the play was nullified by a holding call. The only scoring after that was a 34-yard field goal by Jackson Redditt for the final 31-17 margin.
The Golden Eagles turn things around quickly, with a short week leading up to a Thursday night game at Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels lost at Kentucky in overtime Saturday night
