Redhawks face UTM in final home game

Southeast Missouri State's success against an Ohio Valley Conference leader makes Tennessee-Martin coach Jason Simpson wary entering today's game at Houck Stadium.

While Southeast (3-7, 1-5) will try to send its seniors out with a win in their final home appearance, UT-Martin (7-3, 5-1) will try to keep its OVC championship hopes alive.

In order to do that, the Skyhawks need to avoid the fate that met Tennessee State at Houck Stadium on Oct. 25.

Southeast stunned the Tigers in overtime for their only OVC loss so far. TSU remains deadlocked atop the conference with UT-Martin and Eastern Kentucky. All three teams have two conference games remaining.

"It's a very dangerous Southeast Missouri team that beat the team that beat us," said Simpson, whose squad lost to TSU in overtime for its lone OVC defeat. "They were up 16-9 on Eastern Kentucky in the third quarter. ... They've obviously got some very capable football players.

"We can lose the last two and not feel very good about our year. Or we can concentrate on one play at a time, like we've done to this point."

UT-Martin was picked to finish fifth in the nine-team OVC after the Skyhawks went 4-7 last season.

But the 2007 Skyhawks rebounded after losing their first three conference games by three points each to finish 4-4 in the league, including three straight wins to end the year.

Among UT-Martin's victims late last season was Southeast, which the Skyhawks routed 55-20 in Martin, Tenn.

That result left an impression on Southeast coach Tony Samuel, who said before the season that he felt UT-Martin was as good as any team in the conference.

"When we played them last year, we were down [healthwise] and they were just healing up," Samuel said. "We probably got the best look at them.

"They were very good that day. I just assumed they would be good [this year] if they stayed healthy. To me it's no surprise."

UT-Martin is coming off a respectable 37-20 defeat at Auburn in which the game was tied 20-20 midway through the third quarter.

"You don't get a whole lot of opportunities to pull out one of those types of victories," Simpson said. "We had some opportunities believe it or not.

"The kids played hard. It was a positive. We came out with some confidence."

Junior quarterback Cade Thompson completed 27 of 46 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns at Auburn.

Thompson, who saw little action at South Carolina in 2006 before transferring, has thrown for 2,121 yards and an OVC-best 20 touchdowns. He torched Southeast for 317 yards and three TDs last year.

Two other Division I-A transfers also help lead UT-Martin's offense, which leads the OVC with an average of 38.6 points per game.

Junior tailback Brandyn Young, who redshirted at South Carolina in 2005 before leaving the program, has rushed for 595 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver Mike Hicks, who caught 22 passes at Mississippi the past two seasons before transferring, is tied for third in the OVC with 52 receptions. He has scored nine touchdowns.

Hicks caught 12 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns against Auburn.

"They've got a real good backfield, their quarterback is doing a good job distributing the ball, they've got a dangerous wide receiver, a great kick returner [Roren Thomas] and they're good on defense," Samuel said. "To me, they're the complete package."