Austin Peay Buries UT Martin 35-12 with a Big Third Quarter
UT Martin led 12-7 late in the first half. Then it did not score again. Austin Peay ran off 28 unanswered points and won 35-12 to move to 4-0, after trailing at the half, and winning ugly would be putting it kindly.
The early going was a scramble. UT Martin got a safety, Chris Parson answered with a 66-yard touchdown run, and Tate Surber hit Kaleb Costner from 3 yards out to put the Skyhawks up 9-7. A Brandon Sims field goal made it 12-7 before halftime. The lead changed hands three times, the last at the 10:58 mark of the third quarter, and that was all the drama there was.
The third quarter belonged to Austin Peay. Parson ran 18 yards for a touchdown with 10:58 left, and eight seconds later Ta'Ron Haile returned an interception 18 yards for another. Marvin Sims then caught an 8-yard pass from Parson to make it 28-12, and he added an 8-yard run early in the fourth for the final margin.
UT Martin threw two interceptions (both from Surber) while Austin Peay lost one fumble. The Skyhawks did record four sacks to Austin Peay's three, and the yardage was closer than the score, 362 to 297. UT Martin falls to 1-2.
Fantasy takeaway: Parson was the best player on the field with 36.4 points, and Sims had a season-best day.