Tech football breaks OVC-winless streak with Senior Day win

Tech succeeded in causing an upset with No. 24 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin’s Skyhawks last Saturday in Tech’s final home game, 45-44 in overtime.
“It was a great way to send our seniors out,” Justin Matheney, student assistant, said.  “It was a hard fought game.”
Tech and Martin went back and forth all game with six lead changes.  The game was forced into overtime after UTM QB Derek Carr hit Chris Thompson on a 46 yard pass, putting the score 38-38.
UTM won the toss in overtime and chose to play defense first, giving the Golden Eagles the ball first.
Tech scored a touchdown on a two-yard run by Doug Page, and Zach Sharp made the extra point, leaving UTM to do the same to continue the game or convert a two-point conversion to win.
Tech forced UTM to a fourth and 16 situation with the ball on the TTU 19.  Tech couldn’t make the stop, and the Skyhawks scored on a 19-yard pass from Carr to Jeremy Butler.
On the extra point attempt to send the game into its second overtime, Tech found fortune as UTM’s holder mishandled the snap and attempted to run the ball into the endzone.  
The Golden Eagles’ special teams unit swarmed to him, forcing and recovering the fumble, ending the game.  
“The team played their tails off, and we were able to pull this one out,” Matheney said.
Sophomore QB Darian Stone won OVC Player of the Week and was selected as the national Football Championship Subdivision’s player of the week by The Sports Network and the College Sports Network.
Stone gained a total of 467 yards of total offense against the Skyhawks.  He passed for 227 yards and rushed the ball 25 times, gaining a total of 190 yards.
“The future is definitively looking good for this kid,” Matheney said.
Tech will wrap up the season tomorrow against archrival Austin Peay State University.
Last season, the Golden Eagles clinched their OVC championship over the Governors with a win at home.  This year they will travel to Clarksville to attempt to win their second straight league game.
Austin Peay enters the season winless in the OVC and with just one win for the season.
The game begins at Austin Peay at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow.