Four turnovers, two blocked punts and late field goal brought about the end of an eight-game win streak for the Skyhawks, who had to watch Eastern Kentucky celebrate a last-second victory on their home field on Saturday.

EKU kicker Taylor Long connected on a 39-yard field goal with one second remaining on the clock to send the Colonels to a 31-28 victory in a competitive game that was close from start to finish.

Prior to Long’s heroic kick the Skyhawks had two possessions in the game’s final minutes that presented them with opportunities to win the game. The first of those possessions resulted in a Dexter Anoka interception at midfield. The second resulted in an Adam Ivey punt, which was blocked at the UTM 23 yard line with 28 seconds remaining in the game.

The most alarming statistic from the game was the Skyhawks’ total of four turnovers. While the Colonels only scored as a result of one of those miscues, each one prevented the home team from potentially making a play that could have moved them closer to a ninth straight win.

“We didn’t deserve to win today,” said Skyhawk first-year head coach Jason Simpson.

“You can’t make four turnovers and expect to win.”

A fumble by E.J. Daniel ended the Skyhawks’ first possession of the game, which came on the heels of an EKU touchdown drive. Jesse Burton got the drive off to a good start by carrying the ball to midfield. Quarterback Greg Preston then completed a pass to Burton that was good for 19 additional yards. Following a sack, Preston hooked up with Daniel again, who lost the ball at the EKU 15 yard line for the turnover.

The Skyhawks pulled even thanks to a gift presented to them by the EKU offense. After Colonel running back Bobby Washington fumbled the ball on his own three-yard line, the Skyhawks recovered to set up an extremely short field. Junior tailback Don Chapman made quick work of the touchdown, taking the ball into the end zone on the next play to tie the score at 7-7.

The Skyhawk defense stepped up on the next EKU possession as Brandon Cooper came away with an interception at midfield and made a decent return to give the Skyhawks the ball deep in Colonel territory at the 28 yard line.

Three plays later, Chapman carried the ball into the end zone from 20 yards out to give the Skyhawks a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

With the score tied at 14 late in the second quarter and his team driving down the field, Preston threw an interception at the EKU 15 yard line to prevent a red zone opportunity for the Skyhawks.

The Skyhawks held an advantage on the ground, rushing for 205 yards to EKU’s 165. Chapman led the Skyhawks with 171 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. Chapman’s performance represented his fourth game of at least 100 yards and put him over 1,000 yards for the season. He now has a season total of 1,098 yards and ten touchdowns.

As a result of his performance, the Marietta, Ga., native was named the OVC’s Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season. He also received the honor following the Skyhawks’ Nov. 4 win at SEMO, in which he rushed for 225 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Preston and Dexter Anoka combined to complete only 6-of-15 passes for a total of 81 yards, while the Colonels put up 212 yards through the air. The Skyhawk quarterbacks were responsible for three interceptions compared to the Colonels’ two.

The Skyhawks held the ball for over 32 minutes but struggled on third down, converting only 3-of-12 attempts. The Colonels fared better, coming through on 6-of-11 such attempts.

Senior linebacker David Gilmore contributed in a big way toward the go-ahead touchdown for the Skyhawks, which came on a one-yard run by Preston with 9:41 remaining in the game.

By picking off a pass by EKU quarterback Allan Holland and returning it 27 yards, Gilmore gave Preston and the Skyhawk offense the opportunity to drive down the field for the score.

The Cordova native finished the game with six tackles, four solo tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, the pass breakup and the interception.

The Colonels killed any chance the Skyhawks had of building momentum by responding quickly to the touchdown with one of their own

Quarterback Josh Greco hooked up with receiver Patrick Bugg for a 28-yard completion that put the ball on the UTM 15-yard line.

After a 14-yard run by Washington, Greco found Bugg again for a 1-yard scoring play to tie the score at 28 with 7:16 remaining in the game.

The drive covered 76 yards on eight plays and capped a 14-point rally by the Colonels.

The Skyhawks’ next possession ended when Anoka threw an interception to EKU’s Zach Denton at the Colonels’ 23 yard line, another play that erased a legitimate scoring opportunity for the home team.

Despite the disappointing setback, the Skyhawks cannot afford to dwell on this loss with a huge game this week against regional rival Murray State.

“Sure this loss hurts,” Simpson said. “The guys hurt and I hurt, but we will let this set in for the next 24 hours and then get ready for next week.”

With a win over the Racers and a Tennessee State loss to Eastern Kentucky, the Skyhawks would win their first-ever Ohio Valley Conference championship.

A win against the Racers would also represent the first time the Skyhawks have beaten their rivals in consecutive seasons since 1976-77.

Besides ending a streak of Skyhawk success that dated back to early September, Saturday’s loss affected the team in the national polls, where they dropped from ninth in Division I-AA to 14th.

The Skyhawks are now 0-18 all-time against EKU.