Tennessee-Martin rallies with 13 straight points to defeat Eastern Illinois 20-10

Tennessee-Martin defeats Eastern Illinois 20-10

MARTIN, Tenn. — Tevin Barksdale’s 49-yard second-quarter touchdown run sparked 13 straight points for Tennessee-Martin in a 20-10 win over Eastern Illinois in the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams on Saturday night.

Barksdale finished with 75 yards on five carries as part of 191 yards rushing by the Skyhawks (1-2).

Jason McNair, who ran for a 68-yard touchdown, added 130 yards on 25 carries for Tennessee-Martin.

The Panthers (0-3) went ahead 10-7 on Cameron Berra’s 27-yard field goal with 5:59 left in the first half.

Barksdale’s score put the Skyhawks ahead with 3:48 left until halftime. Cory Sandlin then added field goals of 31 and 26 yards.

Brandon Large had 138 yards on 16-for-32 passing for Eastern Illinois, which has not won a game at Tennessee-Martin since 2001 when Tony Romo led the Panthers to a 56-16 victory.