By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – A dominant rushing performance out of redshirt sophomore running back Sam Franklin set the tone for the University of Tennessee at Martin football team this evening as the Skyhawks defeated Missouri State by a 38-31 margin on Family Weekend at Hardy Graham Stadium.
UT Martin cruised to a 24-7 halftime advantage before the visiting Bears scored 17 unanswered points to even the score with 9:39 remaining. Both sides swapped touchdowns on their ensuing possessions before a Franklin touchdown from 20 yards out – his third score of the night – with 1:45 to go and one final defensive stand sealed the triumph. The victory increased the Skyhawks’ record to 16-2 in home openers under head coach Jason Simpson.
“Any time you get a win, obviously we’ll take them,” Simpson said. “We’re still figuring out who we are but that’s a good football team that we beat tonight from a good conference. I’m proud of the guys for finding a way – wins are hard to come by and there are a lot of positives to take away. Sam had a really good camp – he takes care of his body and really concentrated on details of being consistent. He’s one of the fastest guys on the field and tonight he kind of willed his way – there were a lot of holes there and he broke tackles. I’m proud of that running game and our offensive line.”
Franklin ended his night with a career-best 259 rushing yards on 20 totes, averaging a whopping 13.0 yards per carry. The Little Rock, Ark. native ranked second in school history in single-game rushing yards, trailing only Don Chapman’s 272 yards at Southeast Missouri on Oct. 30, 2004. Franklin took the opening play of the game 81 yards untouched for a rushing touchdown and also scored on a 49-yard scamper in the fourth quarter before his game-winning touchdown.
As a unit, the UT Martin (1-1) offensive line showed out to the tune of 405 yards on 41 carries tonight – averaging 9.9 yards per rush. That performance on the ground was the most by a Skyhawk team since UT Martin ran for 531 yards against Murray State on Nov. 10, 2007 – a span of 171 games.
Kinkead Dent passed for a pair of touchdowns this evening, hitting Austin Bray and Marlon Cook, Jr. for scores in the first half. Devonte Tanksley set team-highs with four receptions and 44 yards as eight different UT Martin receivers hauled in passes.
Defensively, Carson Evans tallied a career-high 13 tackles while Oshae Baker (two tackles for loss) accumulated a career-best 10 tackles. Daylan Dotson piled up 10 stops, a fumble recovery and a game-high four quarterback hurries while tying Giovanni Davis for the team lead with 2.5 tackles for loss. JaMichael McGoy came away with the first Skyhawk interception of the season while Jarid Johnson had a sack and forced fumble. The trio of Josh Hastings, Jack Lucas and Tevin Shipp registered two pass breakups apiece for UT Martin, who limited the Bears to 155 total yards in the opening half.
Aidan Laros continued the spectacular start to his Skyhawk career as the redshirt sophomore from Cape Town, South Africa booted four punts to a 44.5-yard average and made a 29-yard field goal. He also split the uprights on all five PAT attempts.
Missouri State (0-2) was led by quarterback Jacob Clark, who passed for 332 yards and three touchdowns. Raylen Sharpe posted seven receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown while Jacardia Wright (team-high 46 rushing yards), Jmariyae Robinson and D’Vontae Key each found the endzone while Todric McGee amassed a game-high 15 tackles with three pass breakups.
UT Martin stays at home next week when it hosts Houston Christian at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16. The Skyhawks defeated the Huskies, 52-28, in the first-ever meeting between the two schools last season in Houston.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information
