UT Martin drops to 0-4 for the first time since 2007 after 42-10 loss to Missouri State
The Skyhawks fell 42-10 in a matchup with their third FBS opponent of the season, the Missouri State Bears.
Mistakes killed UT Martin as they attempted to avoid a fourth straight loss to start the season. Three turnovers from the offense quelled any chances the Skyhawks had on offense, while the defense struggled to contain Bears redshirt senior quarterback Jacob Clark as he ran and threw his way to five touchdowns and 293 yards on the Skyhawk defense.
Aside from the turnovers, the Skyhawks offense struggled to find its footing with just 71 rushing yards and a touchdown on 25 attempts. Leading rusher, sophomore Thomas Ansley, accounted for just 18 of those yards, averaging three yards per attempt on six attempts. This stems from the offensive line’s continued struggle to move opposing defenses, leaving little room for running backs to run.
Senior quarterback Jase Bauer continued to hit his receivers at a high clip, completing 19 passes for 112 yards and an interception. Still, he has yet to find the consistent explosive plays in the Skyhawk offense.
Defensively, the Skyhawks struggled to contain the mobility of Clark, who rushed for two touchdowns to go along with his three through the air.
The Skyhawks have yet to hold any opponent to less than 27 points in a game this season—the same number of times that they allowed 27 or more points in all of the regular season in 2024.
UT Martin’s fourth straight loss marked the first time since 2007 that the team started 0-4. That was head coach Jason Simpson’s second season with the team.
For fans of the Skyhawks looking for a bright side to this, here it is. The team has yet to start their conference schedule, and they have played a schedule that most FCS teams would not dare to take on. Hardly any FCS teams, if any, are playing three FBS teams in their entire schedule—let alone the first 4 games of the season.
Next week, the Skyhawks return home to take on the 1-3 Southeast Missouri Redhawks in their first Big South-OVC game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 6 p.m.
