The UTM football team took the first step in the right direction under the leadership of first-year head coach Matt Griffin and a cast of young guns who proved they could play in the OVC.

The Skyhawks return 35 lettermen from a team that finished 2-10 last season.

The two wins were over Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech. The 21-20 win over Austin Peay was a great way to open the 2003 season. Unfortunately for the Skyhawks they gave up 13 fourth-quarter points and survived a late scare. The other unfortunate twist in the game was an arm injury to sophomore quarterback Brady Wahlberg. It was an injury that would force the Panama City, Fla. native to the bench for four consecutive games.

During the four-game stretch the Skyhawks suffered losses to Arkansas State, East Tennessee State (in overtime), Western Illinois and OVC foe Tennessee State. The absence of Wahlberg was apparent. The Skyhawks were outscored 174-23 in the four games.

During Wahlberg’s absence the Skyhawks continued to mature. Wahlberg made his return to the starting lineup on Oct. 4, homecoming. His presence was evident. He led the Skyhawks to a 30-23, come-from-behind, homecoming victory that ended a 43-game OVC losing streak. Before the Tech win, the last UTM win was Nov. 2, 1996, when the Skyhawks defeated Southeast Missouri State, 7-6.

The victory over Tennessee Tech was fueled by Wahlberg who rushed for 100 yards on 19 carries, threw for 188 yards and a touchdown, completed 22-of-35 passes with two interceptions and earned two national honors for his effort in the game.

Wahlberg continued to provide the Skyhawks with the necessary leadership in conference games against Jacksonville State, Samford, Eastern Illinois, Southeast Missouri State, Eastern Kentucky and Murray State. He set new school records with 44 completions and 65 passing attempts against Jacksonville State.

The Skyhawks staged a fourth-quarter run and kept the eventual OVC champs on the rope. The fourth-quarter rallies became a habit in four of the Skyhawks’ last five games of the season. The rallies were like icing on a cake. They signified the Skyhawks were a team that was going to play each play and adhere to Griffin’s newly instilled philosophy of hard work pays off.

In the last five games of the season, Wahlberg and the Skyhawk receivers kept baffling defenses. Freshmen Taurean Stephens, Blake Butler and Cole Duncan played like upper classmen. The Skyhawks racked up 1,326 yards of passing in the stretch.

Stephens emerged as one of the top receivers in the country, averaging 10.1 yards per catch. He hauled in 66 passes for 665 yards. The young talent was the result of Griffin and his staff’s outstanding recruiting effort, an effort that usually spans a year, but because Griffin was hired right before Christmas 2003, the process was packed into six months. And now that the Skyhawks are standing on the first step, plans are set for the 2004 season.

Griffin has 15 offensive starters returning, including Wahlberg and Duncan. Running backs Andrew Staten and Justin Glover are also back.

The biggest chore for the 2004 season could be replacing the experience of Lee Lawrence and Michael Jackson on the offensive line.

With Lawrence and Jackson the Skyhawks finished among the top five teams in the OVC for pass offense. The line made it possible for Walhberg to throw for at least 200 yards per game. Stephens benefitted the most from the protection and finished second in the conference with 53 catches. He was Division I-AA’s second leading freshman receiver.

Defensively, the Skyhawks return nine starters including defensive tackle Joseph Threats, DE Andre Plummer, linebackers Makeseo Jackson, John Castillo, Russell Gambrell and cornerbacks Jason Coleman, Chad McMahan and Rayvon Sims.

The Skyhawk defense was fourth in the conference with 25 sacks, while Plummer, a sophomore was among the league’s leaders in sacks with six. McMahan, a sophomore, was second in the conference with five interceptions.

The Skyhawks also return kicker/punter J.T. Batson and punt returner Jason Coleman, who was among the nation’s top return men this past season.

Coleman was the league’s leading punt returner. He averaged 13.6 yards per punt return and 26.3 yards per kickoff return. He was second in the OVC for kick returns.

Griffin said fans and foes should know the Skyhawks plan to work hard and play a physical game. “We are going to be a blue-collar, hard-nosed bunch,” Griffin said.

“There will not be a lot of glitz and glitter. We will be a blue-collar bunch.”

As blue-collar workers, the Skyhawks have also added a new piece to the puzzle this season with the opening of a new 10,000-square-foot weight room and the hiring of a strength and conditioning coach.

“I think our new facility is one of the top five complexes in the country at the Division I-AA level,” Griffin said. “It certainly gives us the opportunity to recruit better students and better athletes, and I think we are doing that.”