2021 UT Martin Skyhawks football team

2021 UT Martin Skyhawks football
OVC champion
NCAA Division I Second Round, L 7–26 vs. Montana State
Conference	Ohio Valley Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 13
FCS Coaches	No. 12
Record	10–3 (5–1 OVC)
Head coach	Jason Simpson (16th season)
Offensive coordinator	Kevin Bannon (6th season)
Defensive coordinator	Chris Polizzi (2nd season)
Home stadium	Graham Stadium

2021 Ohio Valley Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 13 UT Martin $^		5	–	1					10	–	3
Southeast Missouri State		4	–	2					4	–	7
Austin Peay		4	–	2					6	–	5
Tennessee State		3	–	3					5	–	6
Murray State		3	–	3					6	–	5
Eastern Illinois		1	–	5					1	–	10
Tennessee Tech		1	–	5					3	–	8
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2021 UT Martin Skyhawks football team represented the University of Tennessee at Martin as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 16th-year head coach Jason Simpson, the Skyhawks compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, winning the OVC title. UT Martin received an automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they beat Missouri State in the first round before losing to the eventual national runner-up, Montana State, in the second round. The team played home games at Graham Stadium in Martin, Tennessee.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	7:00 p.m.	at Western Kentucky*		Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, KY	ESPN+	L 21–59	16,236
September 11	6:00 p.m.	Samford*		Graham Stadium Martin, TN	ESPN+	W 33–27	5,869
September 18	6:00 p.m.	at Northwestern State*		Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	ESPN+	W 35–10	9,146
September 25	3:00 p.m.	at No. 9 Jacksonville State*		Burgess–Snow Field at JSU Stadium Jacksonville, AL	ESPN+	W 34–31	18,648
October 9	2:00 p.m.	Murray State	No. 21	Graham Stadium Martin, TN	ESPN+	W 48–24	7,111
October 16	2:00 p.m.	at Eastern Illinois	No. 17	O'Brien Field Charleston, IL	ESPN3	W 28–17	3,189
October 23	2:00 p.m.	Southeast Missouri State	No. 13	Graham Stadium Martin, TN	ESPN+	W 38–30	2,230
October 30	2:00 p.m.	Austin Peay	No. 13	Graham Stadium Martin, TN (Sgt. York Trophy)	ESPN+	W 17–16	2,117
November 6	2:00 p.m.	Tennessee State	No. 15	Graham Stadium Martin, TN (Sgt. York Trophy)	ESPN3	W 41–20	3,712
November 13	1:30 p.m.	at Tennessee Tech	No. 13	Tucker Stadium Cookeville, TN (Sgt. York Trophy)	ESPN+	W 42–3	9,604
November 20	1:00 p.m.	at Southeast Missouri State	No. 13	Houck Stadium Cape Girardeau, MO	ESPN+	L 14–31	3,219
November 27	3:00 p.m.	at No. 12 Missouri State*	No. 16	Robert W. Plaster Stadium Springfield, MO (NCAA Division I First Round)	ESPN+	W 32–31	5,072
December 4	3:00 p.m.	at No. 7 Montana State*	No. 16	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN+	L 7–26	15,327
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time