July 29, 2011

Golden Eagle Football Countdown: York Trophy race starts at UT Martin

Tennessee Tech’s quest to reclaim the Sgt. York Trophy officially begins on Saturday, Oct. 1, as the Golden Eagles head to Martin, Tenn., to battle the reigning trophy holders, the UT Martin Skyhawks.

Are you ready for Golden Eagle football? With fall camp just around the corner, we're counting down the days to the start of The Fastest 60 Minutes in Football. Do you have your season tickets yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Please call (931) 372-3940 to order your tickets.

With 35 days to go until the pigskin (officially) flies through the air for the first time, we'll be previewing all 10 TTU opponents here on TTUsports.com.

Countdown to camp: 10 days
Countdown to season opener: 35 days
Countdown to home opener: 40 days

Game 5

Who: UT Martin Skyhawks
What: Game 5, Sgt. York Trophy Game
When: Saturday, October 1, Game time TBA
Where: Hardy Graham Stadium, Martin Tenn. (7,500)

Tennessee Tech’s quest to reclaim the Sgt. York Trophy officially begins on Saturday, Oct. 1, as the Golden Eagles head to Martin, Tenn., to battle the reigning trophy holders, the UT Martin Skyhawks.

One year prior the roles were reversed, as the Skyhawks began their journey to claiming their first Sgt. York Trophy traveling to Tucker Stadium to take on the reigning Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles took an 11-point lead into the halftime, but a pair of UTM touchdowns in the third quarter spawned a Skyhawk comeback as the visitors took the game, 27-24.

The Skyhawks went on to four more victories and a 6-5 record, which included a pair of convincing victories against Austin Peay (28-12) and Tennessee State (37-0), to lock up its first Sgt. York Trophy.

Predicted to finish sixth in the OVC Preseason Poll, just nine points behind TTU, the Skyhawks welcome back a pair of preseason all-OVC selections in Kenny Jones and Kendall Harper.

Last season, Jones played in 10 games as a tight end and tallied 248 receiving yards, averaging 15.5 yards a catch. Harper, a defensive end, made three interceptions last season, while making 42 tackles.

Tech leads the all-time series with a mark of 18-10-2. In their last five matchups, the teams have alternated road victories, including UTM’s recent 27-24 victory last season, and TTU’s 35-28 win in 2009.