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For the second time in as many games, Tennessee Martin held a lead in the second half against a higher-level opponent.
And like their season-opening loss at Cincinnati, the Skyhawks saw their momentum — and eventually the lead — evaporate in the third quarter in Saturday’s matchup with Hawaii.
They seized both back in a seesaw fourth quarter and threatened to steal the win before making the 4,200-mile trek back to Tennessee before the Rainbow Warriors defense finally halted their final possession and held on for a 41-36 win in their home opener.
“Momentum got away from us. We could make plays and at the time they didn’t fall through, but we still should have come out with a better outcome,” said UT Martin running back Jaimiee Bowe, who ran for 113 yards and a touchdown.
“It was a great trip. I never thought I would come to Hawaii. A lot of people never thought they would come to Hawaii. But we came to play, just didn’t finish.”
UT Martin of the Football Championship Subdivision Ohio Valley Conference, twice opened up 10-point leads before UH rallied in the third quarter. The Rainbow Warriors appeared poised to pull away with a 35-24 lead early in the fourth. They responded with a 65-yard touchdown pass from Troy Cook, who began the season as the backup, to senior receiver Ben Axline.
Londell Lee then stunned the Aloha Stadium crowd with a tightrope punt return along the Skyhawks sideline for a 79-yard score that gave UTM a 36-35 lead with 9:02 left.
UH answered with a 63-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Marcus Kemp to reclaim the lead. The Skyhawks extended their final drive with a fourth-down conversion after facing second-and-24. But back-to-back sacks and an interception finally sealed the outcome with 1:03 left.
“We’re talented, but we’re not very efficient,” UT Martin coach Jason Simpson said. “But you don’t win close games when you’re not detail-oriented.
“Just busted coverage. That’s what my frustration is. If a guy makes a play I can live with that, but we busted two coverages. … I’m the head coach. I have to make sure our defensive staff is coaching well enough where we’re covering those guys and contest every play and we didn’t do it.”
Bowe led a rushing attack that generated 214 of the Skyhawks’ 418 yards in total offense and they set a school record for points scored against an FBS opponent.
They nearly picked up the program’s second win over an FBS foe in 23 contests despite the absence of injured starting quarterback Gunnar Holcombe and having their top defensive player, safety Kahlid Hagens, sidelined for the first half due to a targeting penalty the week before.
While the win eluded them, Simpson is making sure the Skyhawks won’t return home empty-handed.
“Like I told them, we’re not going to sulk. We’re getting up and 6 a.m. and we’re going to Pearl Harbor (today), because that was part of the deal,” Simpson said. “We’re going to educate ourselves, we’re going to honor those before us and we’re going on a plane to go home and get ready for the next one.”
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