By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
MARTIN, Tenn. – Pride will be on the line Saturday as the Tennessee Tech football team hits the road for the final time in the 2018 campaign, taking on UT Martin at Hardy M. Graham Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Roger Ealey and Buddy Pearson will provide the broadcast o 98.5 KISS FM and the Golden Eagle Sports Network, while Tom Britt, Chris Brinkley and John Able will be the crew on the ESPN+ broadcast (subscription required).
Both teams coming into the contest Saturday have seen their fair share of losses, both saddled with identical 1-8, 1-5 Ohio Valley Conference marks.
The Golden Eagles finally got to shed its winless label last week, knocking off Murray State 27-24 in Tech's annual Homecoming game to break an 11-game losing streak. With a reenergized lineup, the Golden Eagles could be looking at finishing 2018 with a little run.
However, even with its record, getting a win against the Skyhawks is not a given. UTM has won the last five meetings in the series, even as Tech owns a 22-15-2 record in the all-time series. While it isn't the longest-running battle in Tech's record book, it is one of the oldest – the first meeting came all the way back in 1926, Tech's fifth season of play, with the Golden Eagles earning the 12-0 win.
The Golden Eagles are 8-10-2 in games played in Martin.
On the season, the Skyhawks are averaging 397.2 yards of total offense and 264.1 yards through the air, but starting quarterback Dresser Winn will miss the rest of the season after a shoulder injury. Joe Hudson has started the last two games, throwing for 534 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions on 38-of-67 passing.
However, the Skyhawks also have a solid running back in Ladarius Galloway, who has rushed 103 times for 443 yards and four touchdowns, as well as catching 14 passes for 190 yards and two scores. Jaimiee Bowe leads UTM with five touchdowns on the ground, 15 in his career.
Jaylon Moore has six touchdown catches among his 42 receptions for 579 yards, while Terry Williams has 60 catches for 670 yards and three TDs. Defensively, James Gilleylen (63 tackles, 7 TFLs) and Kevin Prather Jr. (61 tackles, 13 TFLs) lead the Skyhawks.
Ryan Courtright is the Skyhawks' leading scorer with 58 points, going 10-for-12 on field goals and 28-of-31 on PATs.
UTM has dropped its last five games, last picking up a 37-7 win over Austin Peay on Sept. 22. But the Skyhawks have had tough luck, dropping a 45-38 decision to Murray State, a 35-34 loss to Eastern Kentucky, a 24-21 defeat at Eastern Illinois, a 56-33 loss to Southeast Missouri and a 21-14 loss at Jacksonville State.
Tech, meanwhile, has been a gauntlet of a schedule that includes five teams that are currently ranked in national polls. Those five teams have a combined record of 36-9, which has led to some skewed numbers on the stat sheet, but the Golden Eagles finally put together a complete game last week to earn their first win of the season.
Bailey Fisher has put together the best season in program history for a true freshman quarterback and still has two games remaining this season as the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award nominee has put up impressive numbers. Fisher has thrown for 1,613 yards and 11 touchdowns, completing 132 of his 254 passes. He also has 338 yards and two touchdowns on a team-high 99 carries.
Andrew Goldsmith leads Tech with 365 yards and a score on 97 carries, while David Gist has two touchdowns and 160 yards on 45 carries. Josh Cunningham is Tech's leading receiver with 21 catches for 215 yards and a touchdown, while Darrius Stafford and Jeremiah Edwards each have three touchdown receptions.
Nick Madonia is Tech's leading scorer with 59 points as he has made 13 of 20 field goal attempts and all 20 PATs attempted this season and has made a Tech-record 65 consecutive PATs. Madonia has made three field goals over 50 yards this season and is one of two FCS kickers with multiple 50-yard field goals this season and has two of the 25 longest kicks made in all of Division I football.
Defensively, Deontay Wilson and Josh Poplar both lead the Golden Eagles with 87 tackles each. Wilson also has three pass breakups, while Poplar scored Tech's first touchdown of the season with an interception return for a score against Chattanooga.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
