Momentum is at a season-high for the UT Martin Skyhawks. After a dominant win in Week 8 over the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs, the team got some much needed rest in Week 9. 

Now in Week 10 the team looks to increase their win streak to three and potentially move to second place in the Ohio Valley Conference-Big South. 

*All stats provided by ESPN via UT Martin, ESPN via Eastern Illinois, ESPN via Southern Illinois, ESPN via Gardner-Webb, UTM Sports and EIU Sports.* 

The Eastern Illinois Panthers are on a downward slope, no way around it. After a strong 3-2 start, the team has dropped the past three games with losses to Gardner-Webb, the SEMO Redhawks and most recently the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. 

Eastern Illinois entered the fourth quarter with a 13-3 lead. They extended that lead to start the fourth to 16-3. It was all Charleston Southern after that. Charleston Southern would proceed to score 14 unanswered. Eastern Illinois had a chance to win the game with a 35-yard field goal. Similar to UT Martin’s win over the Western Illinois Leathernecks, Charleston Southern won with a blocked field goal. 

Even with that blocked field goal, this has been a season to forget for Eastern Illinois fans. The team has gone back and forth between two quarterbacks–freshman Connor Wolf and sophomore Cole LaCrue. This seems to be a possible two-quarterback system or a team that has struggled to find their identity. 

Wolf has been what you expect out of a freshman quarterback–the struggles are there but he has shown flashes. LaCrue, on the other hand, has been a different story and used more like a running back–with a season high of 26 carries, 193 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the team’s Week 1 win over the Dayton Flyers. 

LaCrue was the full-time starter at quarterback in Week 9 and from what is known, he is expected to be the starter once again against UT Martin. The last time UT Martin played a quarterback of this dual-threat ability was in the team’s Week 3 loss against the Southern Illinois Salukis. Southern Illinois senior quarterback D.J. Williams rushed for over 100 yards and three touchdowns. UT Martin’s pass rush will need to contain well on the outside in order to win this matchup–more specifically star linebacker junior Keyshawn Johnson.

Johnson has been a difference-maker for UT Martin this season at seven sacks and 33 total tackles. In the team’s win over Gardner-Webb, Johnson once again came up when it mattered most with two sacks–both came in the second half and were drive killers. 

This is another game that could be a chance for the defense to feast. As mentioned, UT Martin dominated Gardner-Webb; in that win the team intercepted the ball three times. LaCrue continues to have an interception problem. While he did not throw one in the team’s loss to Charleston Southern, he threw three in the team’s week eight blowout loss to SEMO. In three games this season UT Martin has forced two or more interceptions. 

UT Martin is set to travel to O’Brien Field in Charleston, Illinois to take on Eastern Illinois on Nov. 1, 2025 at 2 p.m.