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UT Martin to Play Florida on Saturday

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The University of Tennessee at Martin football team will hit the road for the first time this season with a matchup against Southeastern Conference powerhouse Florida on Saturday, Sept. 7. Kickoff from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CDT and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

UT Martin enters the contest looking to snap a lengthy losing streak to Football Bowl Subdivision members with a matchup against Florida. UT Martin is 1-26 all-time against FBS squads with its lone win coming against Memphis (20-17) in 2012. The Skyhawks have played 22 different FBS games since 2006, including a stretch from 2011-16 and again in 2019 in which UT Martin has played at least two FBS games per year. UTM is 1-21 in games against FBS opponents under the direction of head coach Jason Simpson and 0-9 against SEC foes.

The Skyhawks (1-0) overcame a first half deficit in the season opener against Northwestern State, shutting out the Demons in the second half while scoring 28 unanswered points en route to a 42-20 victory. In the contest, UT Martin scored in every facet of the game including offense, defense and special teams for the first time since Sept. 27, 2008 with four offensive touchdowns, a 78-yard interception return and a 55-yard punt return against NSU.

A pair of Skyhawks picked up OVC Player of the Week honors. Sophomore Wanya Moton was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week after tallying seven tackles and a pair of interceptions – including a 78-yard pick-six. Senior Terry Williamsjoined in the action by tallying 199 all-purpose yards, including a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown to earn OVC Specialist of the Week honors. Another standout performance came from junior running back Peyton Logan who tallied the first 100-yard rushing performance for the Skyhawks since 2017 with 13 carries for 149 yards and two touchdowns.


UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson sits in sixth place on the Ohio Valley Conference's all-time wins leaderboard with a career mark of 81-68 in 14 seasons. He needs five wins to move into sole possession of the program's all-time mark of 85.

Florida (1-0) ranks eighth nationally in FBS prior to defeating Miami (24-20) on Saturday, Aug. 24. Junior quarterback Feleipe Franks posted his third-highest single-game passing yardage total with 254 yards while accounting for all three Gators touchdowns with two passing and one rushing. Additionally, the Gators tallied 10 sacks in the season-opener against Miami, ranking as the most in the SEC since 2008. Five different players tallied six tackles for the Gators while combining for 16 tackles for loss as a team.
Saturday's contest marks the first matchup between the two programs in series history.

The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can also tune into WCMT 1410 AM/100.5 FM to hear Tom Britt (play-by-play), Chris Brinkley (color), John Hatler (color) and John Abel (sideline) provide analysis. WUTM, UT Martin's award-winning student radio station, will also broadcast the game on 90.3 FM. Links for both radio broadcasts, along with live stats can be accessed through their respective links above.