UT MARTIN GAME NOTES | TENNESSEE TECH GAME NOTES
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By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
MARTIN, Tenn. – The road for the Ohio Valley Conference championship begins this week for the Tennessee Tech football team as the Golden Eagles get set to head to UT Martin for Saturday's contest.
With some tough competition under its belt, Tech (1-2) opens up the 2022 conference campaign with UT Martin this week and Southeast Missouri next week – both on the road --- before returning to the friendly confines to take on Tennessee State on Oct. 15.
Kickoff against the Skyhawks on Saturday for their Homecoming contest is set for 2 p.m. Roger Ealey and Dylan Vazzano will have the call on 98.5 KISS FM, while John Hatler, Chris Brinkley and Eddie Suiter will handle broadcast duties on ESPN+ (subscription required).
The Golden Eagles are coming off of their open date following two last-minute results – a thrilling 26-25 victory over Texas A&M-Commerce out of the Southland Conference, then a heartbreaking 33-28 defeat at the hands of Samford.
Tech will also be looking to avoid its 10th straight loss to the Skyhawks as the Golden Eagles' last victory came in Cookeville in 2012. The Golden Eagles still hold on to the lead in the all-time series as 22-19-2.
UT Martin (2-2) are coming off of a 56-26 victory last week over Lindenwood in its first OVC contest. It was a close game until the second half as the Skyhawks used 35 points in the final two quarters to pull away. UTM is currently ranked 15th in the STATS FCS poll, 17th in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
UTM had 541 yards of offense, including 204 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries for running back Zak Wallace to make him the reigning OVC Offensive Player of the Week. Among those 11 carries was a 97-yard touchdown run – tied for the longest by a Football Championship Subdivision player this season.
Redshirt freshman Sam Franklin also ran for three touchdowns in the game – the eighth UT Martin player to accomplish that feat. Quarterback Dresser Winn also threw for two touchdowns in the rout.
For the season, Wallace has rushed for 430 yards on 60 carries – an average of 7.2 yards per carry – with six total touchdowns and is averaging 107.5 yards per game. Winn had thrown for 963 yards and nine touchdowns – averaging 240.8 yards per outing – with one interception. Colton Dowell (371 yards on 26 catches) and E.J. Smoot (157 yards on 11 catches) each have three touchdowns.
John Ford and Rob Hicks are both averaging 10 tackles a game with 40 each. Ford has five tackles-for-loss for 27 yards, including 3.5 sacks for 25 yards. The Skyhawk defense has been able to penetrate its way to the quarterback, collecting 14 sacks for 100 yards across four games, while Winn has been sacked once.
The Skyhawks currently rank first in the OVC in scoring offense (33.8 ppg), second in total offense (424.8 ypg), first in rushing offense (178.5 ypg), third in passing offense (246.2), second in scoring defense (29.0 ppg), third in total offense (395.5 ypg), second in rushing defense (107.5 ypg), and sixth in pass defense (288.0 ypg).
Contrasting with the Golden Eagles' numbers: fifth in scoring offense (21.3 ppg), sixth in scoring defense (38.0 ppg), fourth in total offense (367.3 ypg), sixth in total defense (466.7 ypg), second in rushing offense (160.7 ypg), sixth in rushing defense (224.7 ypg), fourth in passing offense (206.7) and second in passing defense (242.0 ypg).
Running back David Gist leads Tech in rushing with 194 yards and two touchdowns on 44 carries, while quarterback Jeremiah Oatsvall is right behind with 154 yards on 41 carries and a score. Oatsvall has also completed 49 of his 78 passes for 557 yards and five touchdowns. Receiver Willie Miller (130 yards on nine catches, two TDs), receiver Metrius Fleming (112 yards on 10 catches) and tight end Hunter Barnhart (127 yards on six catches) have all three broke the century mark in yardage.
Seth Carlisle leads the Golden Eagles on defense with 25 tackles, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry, while Josh Reliford has 21 tackles and two pass breakups. Daniel Rickert has two sacks for 17 yards.
The Golden Eagles return home on October 15 to take on Tennessee State. Tickets for that game are available by calling (931) 372-3940, visiting the Hooper Eblen Center ticket office or by visiting TTUsports.com.
Photo | Jim Dillon
