Posted: Wednesday, September 5, 2012 12:00 pm

By KEVIN WEAKS
Messenger Sports
MEMPHIS — UT Martin’s trip to Memphis turned out to be a marathon. And, it was decided by a foot.
Shaking off two earlier field goal misses from close range and a botched snap on another attempt, Skyhawk senior kicker Cody Sandlin nailed a 43-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to give UTM a stunning 20-17 win over Memphis at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Saturday.
“Honestly, I didn’t even feel like I hit that well,” Sandlin said of his first-ever collegiate game-winning kick. “I’d been having trouble from the left hash the whole game, and I told Sat (holder James Satterfield, also the team’s punter) that we were about due one. I watched the ball from (Austin) Hopper’s hands to Sat’s, and I put my foot on it. I knew it had the distance, and when I saw it was straight, I just took off running.”
The win earned UTM enough votes to be ranked 28th in The Sports Network’s FCS poll and 30th in the coaches’ poll.
Beating Sunday morning by a mere 16 minutes, the kick and stop on the ensuing kickoff, UTM claimed its first-ever win over a Football Bowl Subdivision team, spoiling the Tigers’ opener and debut of former Murray State quarterback Justin Fuente as head coach.
The game took three hours and five minutes to play and was interrupted in the third quarter by a lightning delay that lasted two hours and 40 minutes.
“Both teams had to sit, so I don’t think there was any advantage or disadvantage to that,” UTM head coach Jason Simpson said. “Our team has a lot of maturity. We’ve had a lot of guys who have played a lot of snaps for us. All you could ask was to get it into the end of the second half with an opportunity. It’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
After being less than special most of the night, UTM’s special teams play gave Simpson that one chance he wanted.
Memphis tied the game at 17-all with 52 seconds remaining when Marcus Rucker scored on a 13-yard pass from Jacob Karam to cap an 11-play, 71-yard possession that took four minutes.
The tying TD came after Sandlin knocked through a 26-yard field goal, coming after he had already missed from 19 yards earlier in the fourth quarter as well as from 28 yards on the game’s opening drive.
After three plays failed to produce anything positive for the Skyhawks, the punt then produced the game’s second biggest play when Keiwone Malone fumbled as he was hit and going down and Nate Rotero recovered for UTM at the Tigers’ 27 with 17 seconds left.
Tevin Barksdale’s run from the right hashmark to the left produced just one yard, bringing on Sandlin for the game-winner.
The end was relief for a UT Martin team plagued by missed opportunities on its first two possessions and then bad field position the rest of first half and the opening two series of the second half.
And then, just when the Skyhawks had Memphis on the ropes, Mother Nature took sides.
Lightning strikes within seven miles of the Liberty Bowl sent the teams back to their respective locker rooms and fans to the tunnels at 7:58 p.m. More than two hours and two separate rain storms later, the game finally resumed at 10:38 with UTM on the move, in possession at the Tigers’ 35 with 7:51 to play in the third quarter.
Those diehards who, well, weathered the storms — a very small portion of the announced 39,076 in attendance — were treated to basically more of the same leading up to the thrilling finish.
The Skyhawks eventually scored on a five-yard run by DJ McNeil with 4:45 left in the quarter for their first lead of the game at 14-10.
UTM then forced a quick punt and took the ball to the Tigers’ 2-yard-line only to fail again when Sandlin missed from 19 yards.
That had been the night’s theme as UT Martin missed two golden opportunities on its first two offensive tries of the night, driving to the Tigers’ 11 only to miss a field goal and then moving to the Memphis 3 before a bad snap squelched a second field goal try.
Jason McNair ripped off a 52-yard run as part of that first drive, and then Barksdale went up for a 22-yard pass from Derek Carr to begin the second.
Memphis capitalized after the second special teams’ miscue with an impressive 97-yard drive that took 12 plays and used only 4:51 of the clock. Showing a wide variety of offensive looks, Memphis scored on Jerrell Rhodes’ 3-yard run at 5:43 of the first period.
Spanning intermission, UTM then started its next seven possessions at its own 25, 20, 20, 3, 28, 3 and 2 yard lines.
UT Martin’s lone score of the first half, meanwhile, matched the Memphis one in terms of yards.
Beginning with a 26-yard pass from Carr, rolling right from the end zone, to Dylan Davis, the Skyhawks covered 97 yards in nine plays to tie the game at 7-all. Barksdale had an 11-yard run, and Carr finished with a 9-yard pass to Quentin Sims on an inside slant with 7:02 to play in the half.
UTM couldn’t take advantage of a fumble recovery that resulted in its best field position at the 28, giving it back with an interception.
Still, UTM was tied at 7-all at the half and fell behind 10-7 when Paul Henriques hit a 33-yard field goal with 9:03 remaining in the third.
“We’ve got a lot of things to clean up,” Simpson said. “Last year, we would have lost that game by 30 points, with that many mistakes. To find a way to win, it doesn’t do us any good in the OVC, but it gives us the confidence that we can overcome adversity.”By KEVIN WEAKS
Messenger Sports
MEMPHIS — UT Martin’s trip to Memphis turned out to be a marathon. And, it was decided by a foot.
Shaking off two earlier field goal misses from close range and a botched snap on another attempt, Skyhawk senior kicker Cody Sandlin nailed a 43-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to give UTM a stunning 20-17 win over Memphis at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Saturday.
“Honestly, I didn’t even feel like I hit that well,” Sandlin said of his first-ever collegiate game-winning kick. “I’d been having trouble from the left hash the whole game, and I told Sat (holder James Satterfield, also the team’s punter) that we were about due one. I watched the ball from (Austin) Hopper’s hands to Sat’s, and I put my foot on it. I knew it had the distance, and when I saw it was straight, I just took off running.”
The win earned UTM enough votes to be ranked 28th in The Sports Network’s FCS poll and 30th in the coaches’ poll.
Beating Sunday morning by a mere 16 minutes, the kick and stop on the ensuing kickoff, UTM claimed its first-ever win over a Football Bowl Subdivision team, spoiling the Tigers’ opener and debut of former Murray State quarterback Justin Fuente as head coach.
The game took three hours and five minutes to play and was interrupted in the third quarter by a lightning delay that lasted two hours and 40 minutes.
“Both teams had to sit, so I don’t think there was any advantage or disadvantage to that,” UTM head coach Jason Simpson said. “Our team has a lot of maturity. We’ve had a lot of guys who have played a lot of snaps for us. All you could ask was to get it into the end of the second half with an opportunity. It’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
After being less than special most of the night, UTM’s special teams play gave Simpson that one chance he wanted.
Memphis tied the game at 17-all with 52 seconds remaining when Marcus Rucker scored on a 13-yard pass from Jacob Karam to cap an 11-play, 71-yard possession that took four minutes.
The tying TD came after Sandlin knocked through a 26-yard field goal, coming after he had already missed from 19 yards earlier in the fourth quarter as well as from 28 yards on the game’s opening drive.
After three plays failed to produce anything positive for the Skyhawks, the punt then produced the game’s second biggest play when Keiwone Malone fumbled as he was hit and going down and Nate Rotero recovered for UTM at the Tigers’ 27 with 17 seconds left.
Tevin Barksdale’s run from the right hashmark to the left produced just one yard, bringing on Sandlin for the game-winner.
The end was relief for a UT Martin team plagued by missed opportunities on its first two possessions and then bad field position the rest of first half and the opening two series of the second half.
And then, just when the Skyhawks had Memphis on the ropes, Mother Nature took sides.
Lightning strikes within seven miles of the Liberty Bowl sent the teams back to their respective locker rooms and fans to the tunnels at 7:58 p.m. More than two hours and two separate rain storms later, the game finally resumed at 10:38 with UTM on the move, in possession at the Tigers’ 35 with 7:51 to play in the third quarter.
Those diehards who, well, weathered the storms — a very small portion of the announced 39,076 in attendance — were treated to basically more of the same leading up to the thrilling finish.
The Skyhawks eventually scored on a five-yard run by DJ McNeil with 4:45 left in the quarter for their first lead of the game at 14-10.
UTM then forced a quick punt and took the ball to the Tigers’ 2-yard-line only to fail again when Sandlin missed from 19 yards.
That had been the night’s theme as UT Martin missed two golden opportunities on its first two offensive tries of the night, driving to the Tigers’ 11 only to miss a field goal and then moving to the Memphis 3 before a bad snap squelched a second field goal try.
Jason McNair ripped off a 52-yard run as part of that first drive, and then Barksdale went up for a 22-yard pass from Derek Carr to begin the second.
Memphis capitalized after the second special teams’ miscue with an impressive 97-yard drive that took 12 plays and used only 4:51 of the clock. Showing a wide variety of offensive looks, Memphis scored on Jerrell Rhodes’ 3-yard run at 5:43 of the first period.
Spanning intermission, UTM then started its next seven possessions at its own 25, 20, 20, 3, 28, 3 and 2 yard lines.
UT Martin’s lone score of the first half, meanwhile, matched the Memphis one in terms of yards.
Beginning with a 26-yard pass from Carr, rolling right from the end zone, to Dylan Davis, the Skyhawks covered 97 yards in nine plays to tie the game at 7-all. Barksdale had an 11-yard run, and Carr finished with a 9-yard pass to Quentin Sims on an inside slant with 7:02 to play in the half.
UTM couldn’t take advantage of a fumble recovery that resulted in its best field position at the 28, giving it back with an interception.
Still, UTM was tied at 7-all at the half and fell behind 10-7 when Paul Henriques hit a 33-yard field goal with 9:03 remaining in the third.
“We’ve got a lot of things to clean up,” Simpson said. “Last year, we would have lost that game by 30 points, with that many mistakes. To find a way to win, it doesn’t do us any good in the OVC, but it gives us the confidence that we can overcome adversity.” Published in The WCP 9.4.12