Improved UT-Martin awaits Redhawks

~ The Skyhawks are trying to post their first winning season since 1993.

Tennessee-Martin's best football season since 1995 has hit a snag, but that doesn't mean suddenly revived Southeast Missouri State expects the Skyhawks to be easy pickings today.

"They're better than they've ever been," said Southeast coach Tim Billings.

Which tells Billings that the Redhawks (1-7, 1-4 Ohio Valley Conference) will need to continue playing well if they want to beat the Skyhawks (4-4, 2-3) in the noon kickoff in Martin, Tenn.

"No question," said Billings, whose squad is coming off its first win of the season, a 52-21 rout of Murray State on Saturday. "It's going to take another really good game by us."

While a .500 overall record at this point in the year might not seem like anything earth-shattering, it certainly is by recent UTM standards.

Entering this season, the Skyhawks had not won more than two games since the 1995 team went 5-6. The program's most recent winning record was a 6-5 mark in 1993.

In OVC play, things had been even worse for the Skyhawks, who before this year had been 3-61 in the conference over the past nine years, finishing either last or tied for last every time.

"Matt {Griffin} has really done a great job," Billings said.

Griffin, UTM's third-year coach, acknowledges that he is pleased with the program's progress -- but certainly not the Skyhawks' current three-game losing streak, after they began the season by winning four of their first five games.

The Skyhawks' major problem recently has been turnovers. Through five games, UTM led the nation in turnover margin. But 14 of the Skyhawks' 18 turnovers this year have come during the last three contests.

"It's obvious why we're not having success," Griffin said. "You turn it over 14 times in three games, it's hard to win.

"I think our kids realize we have to go back to what we were doing the first part of the season."

Hampering UTM during Saturday's 26-7 loss at first-place Eastern Illinois was the absence of quarterback Brady Wahlberg, one of the Skyhawks' few seniors.

Wahlberg, who missed the game with a hamstring injury, is one of the OVC's top dual-threat quarterbacks, having passed for 1,182 yards and rushed for 375 yards, although he threw 10 of his 11 interceptions in the two games prior to Eastern Illinois.

Griffin said earlier in the week that Wahlberg's status for today is up in the air. If he can't play, then sophomore Drew Jackson will get his second straight start. He completed just 11 of 24 passes for 60 yards and three interceptions against Eastern Illinois.

"Wahlberg is a good player. He gives them another dimension," Billings said. "We'll have to prepare for both quarterbacks."

The Redhawks, who have beaten the Skyhawks the past eight years, will also have to prepare for one of the OVC's top running backs in sophomore Don Chapman as he closes in on his second straight 1,000-yard season.

Chapman, who already ranks fourth on UTM's career rushing list, is the OVC's second-leading rusher and ranks eighth nationally with 977 yards while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Chapman has five 100-yard games this season, and last year he torched Southeast for a school-record 272 yards, although the Redhawks rolled 35-7.

"He's as good as any running back in the conference," Billings said. "Not too many people have stopped him. We've got to slow him down and make them throw the ball."

For Southeast, the focus will be to continue its recent turnover-free play and to continue getting big performances from freshman tailback Tim Holloman.

The Redhawks committed 22 turnovers in their first six games -- all losses by at least 14 points. But they have only one turnover in their past two games, including one against Murray State and none during a near-upset of Eastern Kentucky the previous week.

Holloman rushed for 181 yards against Murray State, after having 155 yards against Eastern Kentucky, as the Redhawks have placed a greater emphasis on their running attack.