BOILING SPRINGS, NC – The University of Tennessee at Martin football team overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to put itself in position for another road win today but unfortunately Gardner-Webb scored the go-ahead game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds remaining to hand the Skyhawks a 38-34 setback.
Ranked No. 13 in the AFCA Coaches poll, UT Martin struck for second-half touchdowns by Zoe Roberts (15-yard pass from Kinkead Dent) and Sam Franklin (seven-yard rush), nudging ahead with 13:15 to go in the contest.
The stingy Skyhawk defense held strong on two ensuing fourth-quarter possessions before the final drive as the Runnin’ Bulldogs went 16 plays for 90 yards – including a 3-for-3 success rate on fourth-down conversions.
UT Martin (6-2, 3-1 Big South-OVC) took the kickoff back to the Gardner-Webb 48-yard line to set up one final Hail Mary with seven seconds to go. However, the pass attempt was broken up as time expired.
“Hats off to Gardner-Webb,” Skyhawk head coach Jason Simpson said. “We didn’t coach well enough to win today. It’s disappointing because we saw how much the kids fought. We had a couple chances to get some turnovers there at the end and had an opportunity to run the clock out late but couldn’t capitalize on it. We won six in a row as a team but we lost today as a team.”
Dent threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns today, adding 36 yards on the ground on just four carries. Franklin rushed for a game-high 77 yards on 19 totes while DeVonte Tanksley registered a season-best seven catches for a game-high 81 yards. Marlon Cook, Jr. also hauled in his third receiving touchdown of the season as UT Martin outgained the Runnin’ Bulldogs by a 344-341 margin in total yards.
Defensively, Chris Hunter, Jr. wrapped up a game-high nine tackles while the duo of Jaylon Sharpe (three tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups) and Daylan Dotson (2.5 tackles for loss, one sack) stood out early and often. Charles Perkins tacked on a sack with six tackles while Tevin Shipp (eight tackles – all solo), Josh Hastings (seven solo tackles) and Giovanni Davis (tackle for loss) each contributed to a Skyhawk defensive attack that held Gardner-Webb to just 28 second-half yards until the game-winning drive.
On special teams, Narkel LeFlore accumulated 112 kickoff return yards while Aidan Laros unleashed four punts for an average of 56.8 yards – including a long of 70. Laros also added a pair of field goals (from 30 and 43 yards out) and was a perfect 4-of-4 on PAT attempts.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs (4-4, 2-1 Big South-OVC) were led by freshman quarterback Jaylen King, who scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 10-yard scamper. He added 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air, finding Karim Page and Jayden Brown for scores in the opening half, leading to a 31-20 lead at the break. The Gardner-Webb defense produced a second-quarter touchdown on a 36-yard fumble return and was guided by the duo of Jamari Brown (nine tackles) and Ty French (seven tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, five quarterback hurries).
UT Martin will go for the Sgt. York Trophy next Saturday, Nov. 4 when it heads across the state to take on Tennessee Tech. Kickoff from Cookeville, Tenn. is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
