KENNESAW, Ga. – A stout defense and another stellar game by senior running back Patrick Smith helped lead the University of Tennessee at Martin to its second win over a Football Bowl Subdivision program history, defeating Kennesaw State by a 24-13 score.
The Skyhawks struck for their first triumph over a FBS school since a 20-17 victory at Memphis on Sept. 1, 2012. UT Martin committed just two penalties on the night and limited the Conference USA opponent to only 215 total yards, forcing a pair of second-half turnovers while allowing only six points on a pair of field goals in the contest.
Oshae Baker stepped in front of an Owl pass and took the interception back 63 yards for the go-ahead score with 10:13 to go in the third quarter as the Skyhawks (2-3) would not trail from that point forward. Chris Hunter, Jr. also came up with his third pick of the 2024 campaign to ice the victory in the waning moments while Tevin Shipp (game-high 12 tackles) and Jaylon Sharpe (two tackles for loss) consistently disrupted the Kennesaw State offense.
A 5-9, 195-pound Egg Harbor Township, NJ native, Smith rushed for 123 yards on 24 carries with a pair of touchdowns. It marked his third 100-plus yard performance this season as he has now found the endzone six times in the last four games.
Kinkead Dent passed for 132 yards while almost half (six) of his 13 completions went to tight ends. Tyler Dostin accounted for a team-best 41 receiving yards as eight different UT Martin receivers tallied catches.
Jaren Van Winkle booted a 24-yard field goal in the first half and continually flipped the field by averaging 42.2 yards over four punts this evening with a long of 51 yards for the Skyhawks.
“We challenged ourselves to play ‘Martin Made’ football – that means gritty, tough, be a team you don’t want to play against because of how physical you are at the line of scrimmage,” UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson said. “We’ve shown glimpses of that this season but not for four quarters. It was a complete team win – they have 85 scholarship players, we have 63 and I’m proud of them all. We needed to play our brand of football and that’s what we did tonight.”
It was a scoreless first quarter as the Skyhawk defense flexed their muscles, allowing just two total yards in the opening 15 minutes. UT Martin’s offense methodically managed the clock, possessing the ball for 13:07 in the first quarter on the way to its first scoring drive.
On the second play of the second quarter, Smith barreled into the endzone from seven yards out to make the score 7-0 after Van Winkle’s successful PAT.
The Skyhawk defense forced a three-and-out and then forced a punt on the Owls’ next possession. Two plays later, Kennesaw State evened the score with a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown.
UT Martin’s defense held strong on a 4th-and-2 late in the second quarter and the Skyhawks took advantage as Van Winkle split the uprights with 59 seconds to go before the halftime break. Smith broke loose for a 58-yard run to set up the go-ahead field goal.
The Owls (0-4) tied the score at 10-all thanks to a 49-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
After Kennesaw State received the ball first in the second half, the playmaking Baker gave UT Martin a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way. A week after setting the school record with 31 career pass breakups, Baker’s seventh career interception was a pick-six.
Following yet another three-and-out by the Skyhawk defense, UT Martin padded its lead out to 24-10 at the 1:40 mark of the third quarter after a 21-yard scoring run from Smith on 3rd-and-1.
The Owls kicked a 38-yard field goal with 11:07 remaining but that would be the last points conceded by the vaunted Skyhawk defensive unit. A quarterback hurry from Shipp on 4th-and-8 ended Kennesaw State’s next drive while Hunter made a spectacular diving interception on the Owls’ final drive of the night.
UT Martin holds its annual Homecoming contest next Saturday, Oct. 5 when it hosts Big South-OVC foe Gardner-Webb. Kickoff from Hardy Graham Stadium is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
