Alright, listen up, you Bulldog fanatics! Here is the UT Martin game all cooked down like granny's stew.
Early on, Brock Bowers is out there snatching passes like a hawk grabbin' a field mouse! He hauls in a 23-yarder that keeps the Dogs barking and then—get this—he scoots around the end for 3 yards and sticks it in the end zone like a tick on a coon dog!
But then, oh boy, it's like we've stepped in quicksand. Carson Beck's out there lookin' like he’s tryin' to tune an old radio—just can't find the right frequency.
Not until the curtain's about to fall on the second quarter do the Dogs start to growl again.Now, don't forget our young blood, Roderick Robinson! This kid punches in his first college touchdown, can you believe it? With Daijun Edwards and Branson Robinson sittin' this dance out, the freshman makes his mark. Kendall Milton, the elder statesman in the backfield, bursts through like a cannonball for 37 yards, setting up Beck to scramble in for a 4-yard touchdown. You'd think he found a quarter in the end zone the way he dove for it!
Second half rolls around, and finally, it's like somebody greased the wheels! The offense starts clickin', and we see back-to-back scores. That's when they start pullin' folks, giving 'em a break like a teacher on the last day of school.
Brock Vandagriff comes in and—look out—he fires one downfield to Rara Thomas for a jaw-dropping 56 yards! Then he finds Oscar Delp for 21 yards and another touchdown! This kid's arm is as live as a wire on a wet day!Fourth quarter's windin' down, and here comes third-stringer Gunner Stockton. Kid shows he's got some zip on his throws and guides the Bulldogs within field goal range. The kick is up, and it's good! That’s the icing on the cake, the cherry on the sundae!Man, oh man, the secondary was hotter than a two-dollar pistol against those Skyhawks.
Listen to this: all three safeties—yep, every single one of 'em—were like heat-seeking missiles out there. Sophomore Malaki Starks was the ringmaster of this circus with eight tackles. He's got eight! Javon Bullard and Tykee Smith were hot on his heels like hound dogs on a rabbit.Get this: they held those Skyhawks to just 14 yards in the air during the first half. Then, like a cherry on top, freshman Kyron Jones picks off a pass and takes it to the house! First pick-six since Kelee Ringo did it to Alabama. Talk about memories!
Now, don't forget about that defensive line. Mykel Williams starts the season with a sack as if he's knocking on the door saying, "Remember me?" And let me tell you, Zion Logue, Nazir Stackhouse, and Warren Brinson kept UT Martin’s quarterback Sam Franklin bouncin' around like a pinball.
Now, with the linebackers, Smael Mondon Jr., who wasn't even supposed to put on his dancing shoes today, gets in there for a few plays. But the young bloods like C.J. Allen, Jamon Dumas-Johnson, and Xavian Sorey—they're out there sharing the stage like an old-time country band.
Jalon Walker takes over the middle in the second half; he’s everywhere, folks.And as for the receivers, don't think they went to sleep. Bowers is Bowers; he’s catchin' everything, but we're missin' McConkey and Rosemy-Jacksaint like a fish misses water. Dominic Lovett, the transfer, snags three. Mehki Mews, after startin' with negative yards—I mean, how do you even do that?—turns it around with a 54-yard touchdown like he’s shot out of a cannon!
Arian Smith is gettin' the long looks, but him and Beck just couldn’t dial it in today. But that’s alright, folks, they’ve got more chances than a cat with nine lives.
From the D-line to the secondary to the backups comin' off the bench, everybody's in on the action, like a good ol' Southern potluck!
So there it is, folks—the tale of a game that had more ups and downs than a roller coaster at the state fair. But at the end of the day, the Dogs did what they had to do, just like granny makes her cornbread—maybe not pretty, but gets the job done!
For winning the Natty give every Dawg a bone AND prime rib steak.
