The University of Tennessee at Martin football program picked up its first win of Big South-OVC Football Association action with a commanding 35-17 home victory over Gardner-Webb on Saturday.
The Skyhawks picked up their first win in association play with an impressive showing in front of a large Homecoming crowd. UT Martin eclipsed 400 yards of total offense while rushing for 235 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. With the win, the Skyhawks improved to 13-5 in Homecoming contests during the Jason Simpson era.
After Gardner-Webb jumped on the scoreboard first with a field goal early in the first quarter, UT Martin scored 35 unanswered points to control the game. Running back Patrick Smith played a big role in the victory after tallying his third multi-touchdown performance of the season with 15 carries for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Smith became the ninth individual during the Division I era to tally three or more rushing touchdowns in a contest.
UT Martin will hit the road again next week, traveling to new Big South-OVC member Western Illinois for a first-time league matchup. Kickoff from Macomb is slated for 3 that afternoon with the broadcast to begin at 2:30 on WCMT-AM.
