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Skyhawks may surprise many Saturday


Going into the 2002 football season, Tennessee State was picked to finish third along with Tennessee Tech.

Going into the eighth week of the season, Tennessee State sports a 1-6 worksheet, and is winless in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Going into the eighth week of the season, Tennessee-Martin sports a better overall record than TSU (2-5).

Going into Saturday's OVC matchup against Tennessee State, UTM's Skyhawks want to accomplish a few things. For starters, the Skyhawks would like to claim their third victory of the season.

They would also like to end their current four-game slide and put a screeching stop to their six-game losing streak against the Tigers. And, of course, they would love to spoil the Tigers' homecoming affair.

After all, TSU has outscored the Skyhawks 271-54 over the past six years.

Both Tennessee State and UTM enter the game after an open date last week. Both also have an OVC loss to Southeast Missouri State.

“I don’t think there is any doubt this is a tough game for us,” said Sam McCorkle, UTM head coach. “They’ve played some good games against some really good teams. They’ve had some close games and tough times. They’re a really good football team with really good athletes and they’ve always been tough for us. We’ve got our hands full.”

UTM will attack the TSU defense with an offensive attack that features a good balance between the run and the pass.

Two weeks ago, against Southeast Missouri State, the Skyhawks gained 440 yards and scored 35 points. Freshman Brady Wahlberg threw for 163 yards of the Skyhawks’ 314 passing yards. He completed eight-of-12 passes and he had eight rushes for 19 yards. He ran for one of the Skyhawks’ four touchdowns.

When Wahlberg passes, his favorite target is senior Troy Phillipps, who is averaging 39.8 yards per catch.

The Skyhawks will also utilize sophomore Brent Harris for all the place kicking chores. Harris kicked three field goals against SEMO, including a 49-yarder. His season-best is a 51 yarder. Harris is the OVC’s leading field goal kicker this season.

Tennessee State will try to stop the Skyhawks’ upstart offense with a defense that has been hit hard by injuries. Tennessee State ranks fifth in the league in total defense, giving up 400 yards per game. Jermaine Beale will anchor the defense.

He has 62 stops, 11 of which have been for negative yards.

Aaron Harris leads the OVC with 12 tackles for loss and Scott Cunningham leads the conference in pass breakups with 13.

“We definitely plan to cover a much improved Martin team,” said James Reese, TSU head coach. “Coach McCorkle has been doing a great job.”

The Skyhawks will have to turn in a stellar defensive effort to stop the Tigers Saturday. Freshman quarterback Dwayne Buchanan is expected to start against the Skyhawks.

He leads the team with a 53 percent completion rate and 503 passing yards. He has tossed four TD passes and three interceptions.

To the Skyhawks’ advantage, TSU ranks last in the league in pass efficiency, and that has kept the Tigers from getting the ball in the hands of their talented receiving corps.

Receiver C.J. Johnson is averaging 69 receiving yards a game to lead the team. Charles Anthony is the squad’s leading rusher, averaging 61.6 yards per game.

The Skyhawks will rely on seniors Levi Duncan, Perez Boyd and Marc Calixte on defense. The Skyhawk defense ranks third in the OVC in pass defense, allowing only 203 yards per game. Boyd leads the Skyhawks with four interceptions and 72 total tackles.

McCorkle said the Skyhawks will have to do several things to beat TSU this season.

“We have to control the football, and we can’t let them have it,” McCorkle said. “Hopefully we can get into the fourth quarter with a close game where we’ve got a shot at a win.”

It will be the first step in pulling out of the rut that the Skyhawks have currently been in. The game will be played in Nashville Saturday Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. at the home of the Tennessee Titans, the Coliseum.