UTM suffered a 41-24 loss to host Indiana State Saturday. With the loss the Ohio Valley Conference’s hope of claiming a win in the two-year OVC-Gateway Challenge Series was dashed.

With the win Indiana State improves to 3-1 overall, while UTM falls to 1-3 overall. The Skyhawks will return to OVC play Saturday when it travels to Tennessee Tech.

The Skyhawks scored 17-second half points but it wasn’t enough to overcome the host Sycamores who claimed their third consecutive win over an OVC foe this season.

UTM junior quarterback Brady Wahlberg and sophomore wide receiver Taurean Stephens connected for three touchdown passes in the game. Despite three interceptions, Wahlberg completed 29-of-45 passes for 327 yards.

Wahlberg has thrown three touchdown passes in each of the Skyhawks’ last two games. None of Wahlberg’s interceptions led to Indiana State points.

With the 339 total yards of offense, Wahlberg moves up to No. 3 on the Skyhawks’ career-ladder list.

Stephens tied his career-high mark with 12 receptions and set a new career high with 163 yards.

With 3:05 to play in the third quarter, Wahlberg and Stephens connected for the third time in the game, this time on a 15-yard route. The TD pass cut the Indiana State lead to six points, 27-21.

Indiana State opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown to stretch the lead to 34-21.

The Skyhawks answered the score with a Taylor Brown field goal two minutes later, but with 7:02 left in the game, the Sycamores score their final touchdown.

Indiana State built a 24-7 lead in the first half and dominated the time of possession, forcing the Skyhawks to play catch-up early.

Indiana State claimed a 7-0 lead with 2:12 to play in the first quarter when Sam Logan hauled in a 22-yard TD pass from Phillip Johnson.

The drive covered 84 yards in 10 plays. ISU’s Jake Shield had eight carries for 57 yards of rushing in the drive, and the TD pass was the first of the season for Indiana State in three games.

The host Sycamores opened the second quarter with a 26-yard Kyle Hooper field goal.

Jake Shields put the Sycamores up 17-0 with a 15-yard touchdown run with 4:50 to go in the first half. The drive covered 74 yards on 12 plays.

The Skyhawks cut the Sycamores lead to 10 points with 3:48 to go in the second quarter. Wahlberg found a wide open Stephens in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown strike. The TD pass was the second of the season from Wahlberg to Stephens.

The Sycamores closed out the first half with a 21-yard TD run by quarterback Phillip Johnson, a career-long run for the sophomore quarterback. The drive covered 55 yards in seven plays.