MARTIN, Tenn. – The vaunted University of Tennessee at Martin defense once again flexed its muscles this afternoon as the Skyhawks shut out Big South-OVC Football Association rival Charleston Southern for a 17-0 victory at Hardy Graham Stadium.
The shutout was UT Martin’s first since Nov. 18, 2017 at Tennessee Tech (won 24-0). It marked the Skyhawks’ first home shutout since Sept. 15, 2011 (63-0 against Union College) while UT Martin blanked its first home conference opponent since a 37-0 result against Tennessee State on Nov. 13, 2010.
The No. 17 ranked Skyhawks (6-1, 3-0 Big South-OVC) extended their winning streak to six games after limiting the visiting Buccaneers to 242 yards of total offense. That includes 55 rushing yards on 27 carries as UT Martin held its fourth opponent under 100 yards on the ground in 2023.
Tevin Shipp paced the Skyhawks with nine tackles (four solo), including one tackle for loss, a pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. Calvontay Key snagged his first interception in a UT Martin uniform and Josh Hastings corralled seven tackles with a pair of pass breakups. Bryce Dailey and Toby Camp teamed up for a sack while Daylan Dotson forced a fumble for the Skyhawks.
“It was a hard-fought game,” UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. “We’re very proud of our defense to answer the bell and to be able to get the shutout. Every week gets harder and harder – we played complimentary football today and we know that we have to play better. We’re going to get everybody’s best and you earn the right to have pressure.”
Both of the Skyhawk touchdowns came in the fourth quarter as Sam Franklin found paydirt from four yards out before Kinkead Dent hit DJ Nelson for a nine-yard scoring strike. UT Martin held a 3-0 lead through the first three quarters courtesy of an Aidan Laros 26-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining before the halftime break.
Franklin produced his fifth 100-plus yard rushing performance of the season with 101 yards on 29 carries. Dent combined for 160 yards (116 passing, 44 rushing) while Trevonte Rucker hauled in five receptions for a team-best 52 yards.
On special teams, Laros booted five punts for an average of 49.0 yards – including a key season-long 70-yarder from his own endzone that completely flipped the field during a one-possession game in the third quarter.
Charleston Southern (3-4, 1-1 Big South-OVC) was led by reigning Big South-OVC Freshman of the Week Zolten Osborne (187 passing yards). Jaden Scott tallied five catches for 81 yards while Omari Jenkins made a game-high 14 tackles for the Buccaneers.
The Skyhawks go on the road next week when they head to Boiling Springs, NC for the first time since 2005, taking on league rival Gardner-Webb. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m.
