UTM came up short as it tried to use that come-from-behind magic against Eastern Kentucky last Saturday afternoon in an OVC football matchup. Host EKU claimed a 41-32 win by taking advantage of 14 unanswered third quarter points.

Trailing 27-16 going into the final quarter, the Skyhawks capped off a 63-yard drive with a 39-yard touchdown run by sophomore quarterback Brady Wahlberg. The seven-play drive cut EKU’s, 34-32, lead to two points with just 2:24 to play in the game.

The Skyhawks two-point conversion attempt failed, and the Skyhawks tried the onside kick, but kicker J.T. Batson’s squib kick didn't go the required 10 yards. EKU set up shop on the Skyhawks’ 38 yard line and used six plays to secure the OVC win and stay in the hunt for the conference title.

C.J. Hudson scored on a 17-yard run for the Colonels and Adam Smith added the PAT.

The Skyhawks had 18 seconds to answer but it wasn’t enough. EKU’s Matt Guice gave the Colonels a 34-23 lead with a 14-yard pass to Andre Ralston. It was the second of two scoring strikes for the tandem in the game.

The Skyhawks used freshman Ben Harrison’s 1-yard TD to begin their rally with 14:09 to play in the game. An 11-yard halfback pass from Glover to Taurean Stephens set up the score.

Although EKU put up 14 unanswered points in the third quarter, the Skyhawks established the 85-yard scoring drive that utilized both the running and passing games with four minutes left in the third quarter.

The Skyhawks outscored EKU 16-14 in the final period of play, but the magic that worked earlier this season against Tennessee Tech wasn’t enough to knock off the perennial OVC power. EKU now leads the all-time series against UTM 15-0.

The Skyhawks used an equal mix of run and pass against EKU, churning out 154 net yards of rushing and relying on 200 yards of passing from Wahlberg. The Skyhawks rattled off 85 offensive plays in the game compared to EKU’s 66.

Wahlberg led the rushing attack with 21 carries for 109 yards and he completed 13 of 29 passes for 212 yards. Freshman Taurean Stephens hauled in eight catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Freshman tight end Cole Duncan had four catches for 64 yards.

Defensively, the Skyhawks were led by Russell Gambrell and Zach Kleinfelder with eight tackles each. Chad McMahan picked off one EKU pass.

Guice threw for 270 yards and two TDs for EKU as he completed 14-of-29 passes, but the Colonels’ running game was stymied. After having two backs rush for 100 or more yards in the past two games, UTM limited EKU to 194 rushing yards. C.J. Hudson led the effort with 13 carries for 87 yards. Along with the time of possession, the Skyhawks dominated all first-half stats. They had 13 first downs compared to EKU’s five. They also rushed for 57 yards compared to EKU’s 19 yards.

The biggest difference in the first-half stat sheet was in the total number of offense plays. The Skyhawks had two offensive plays for every one EKU play.

EKU’s Guice picked up half of his first-half passing yardage when he found Andre Ralston open for a 65-yard touchdown pass. The TD strike cut the Skyhawks’ lead to three, 16-13 with 2:20 to play in the first half.

The Skyhawks continued to dominate the time of possession and used its running attack to take a 16-6 lead as Justin Glover scored on a 2-yard run with 4:30 to play in the second quarter. The Skyhawks used 4:30 on the clock and marched 65 yards on 11 plays for the score.

EKU cut into the lead with a 32-yard field goal by Adam Smith. Duncan grabbed two first-half passes for 44 yards, but his special team play resulted in points on the board for the Skyhawks. Duncan was responsible for making a tackle in the end zone on a bad EKU snap.

With the safety, the first since 2001, the Skyhawks led 9-3 with 6:25 to play in the first quarter.

The Skyhawks rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the first quarter when Wahlberg hooked up with Taurean Stephens for a 15-yard touchdown. The TD strike capped off a nine-play drive that covered 67 yards in 3:05.