The UT Martin Skyhawks fell to 1-4 on the season against the Austin Peay Governors, losing 35-12.
The Skyhawks struck first in Clarksville, Tennessee, scoring on a safety by junior outside linebacker Malik Brown.
With the score being 2-0 Skyhawks, the Governors got to work. Redshirt junior quarterback Chris Parson made his presence felt with a 66-yard rushing touchdown. The extra point by redshirt junior kicker Hamilton DiBoyan was good, making the score 7-2 Governors.
The Skyhawks had a successful drive in the last minutes of the first, resulting in a three-yard passing touchdown from redshirt freshman quarterback Tate Surber caught by graduate tight end Kaleb Costner. The successful kick by sophomore Brandon Sims gave the Skyhawks the lead, 9-7.
The following Governors drive resulted in an unsuccessful 47-yard field goal attempt by DiBovan.
The Skyhawks looked to capitalize on the scoreless Governors drive but were forced to punt the ball. On the subsequent drive, the Governors were forced to a fourth-and-20 punt by the Skyhawks.
Surber’s passing and the Skyhawks’ running game got them to the Governors redzone but had to settle for a field goal from Sims, extending their lead to 12-7 at halftime.
In the third quarter, everything fell apart for the Skyhawks. The Governors started the second half with a 18-yard rushing touchdown by Parson, his second of the night. The Governors snatched the lead, and DiBoyan made it 14-12.
In the following Skyhawks drive, Surber threw a pass that was intercepted by redshirt sophomore defensive back Ta’Ron Haile, who returned the pick for a touchdown. DiBoyan’s extra point is good, and the Governors led 21-12.
Looking to bounce back, the Skyhawks failed to secure a first down on the next drive, forcing a punt.
The Governors train kept on chugging, with a redzone pass from Parson connecting to redshirt senior wide receiver Marvin Sims. DiBoyan’s extra point hit once more, and the Governors stretched their lead to 28-12.
The Skyhawks turned the ball over on downs on the next drive, despite a nice rushing performance by redshirt freshman Greg Ard.
In the Skyhawks’ first drive of the fourth quarter, Surber threw his second interception, caught by Governors redshirt senior linebacker Keith Charney. Marvin Sims scored an eight-yard rushing touchdown on the following play. The kick by DiBoyan made it 35-12, the final score of the game.
Surber was the sole Skyhawk quarterback in this game, straying away from the usual multi-quarterback offense the team has ran this season. Surber threw for 175 yds, one touchdown and 20/27 pass completions.
Redshirt junior running back Chris Franklin led the Skyhawks in rushing yards with 64. Graduate wide receiver Makhia Sherrard had 85 receiving yards.
The Skyhawks had four sacks total in their performance, with two coming from Brown. Redshirt junior linebacker Jamarcus Smith and redshirt sophomore safety Zamaryion Farmer-McCray tied for seven tackles each.
Parson had a dominant performance leading the Governors. He totaled 336 combined rushing and passing yards.
UT Martin head coach Jason Simpson gave his thoughts about the Skyhawks’ performance post game.
“They have a good football team. I was proud of the kids in the first half,” said Simpson. “They were really competitive and fought hard to take a 12-7 lead into halftime. It has to be coaching if we get outscored 28-0 in the second half. We’ve got to regroup, reassess what we do well, who does it well and see if we can coach it better heading into conference play.”
The Skyhawks will look to reassess things over their bye week before heading to Nashville, Tennessee, to start conference play against the Tennessee State Tigers on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026.
