Who the heck is Tennessee-Martin?

Auburn will take a much needed break from SEC action this weekend to play its homecoming game against the University of Tennessee at Martin. Who?

The University of Tennessee at Martin is located in the northwest corner of Tennessee. UTM has approximately 7,000 students. The University began as a Baptist junior college in 1900, but became part of the state university system after experiencing financial difficulties.

The university mascot was changed from "Pacers" to "Skyhawks" in 1995. The reasoning behind the "Skyhawks" moniker: (1) The first educational institution on the site of UT Martin was Hall-Moody Bible Institute. The school's athletic teams were called "sky pilots", a frontier term for preachers in that day, but perhaps the students were thinking of the glamorous flying aces of World War I; (2) During World War II, UT Junior College contracted with the Naval War Training Service to help train pilots, who completed their flight training at an airport located on the current site of Westview High School; and (3) Red-tail hawks are indigenous to the West Tennessee region. Prior to being known as "Pacers" the university's teams were called "Volunteers." The name was changed in 1971, largely due to fact that, on account of the former junior college status of the school, the teams were often referred to as the "Baby Vols." Notable alums include Pat Summitt (head coach, women's basketball, Tennessee), Leonard Hamilton (head coach, men's basketball, Florida State), and Jerry Reese (general manager, New York Giants).

The Tennessee at Martin football team has moved up to No. 20 in both The Sports Network Poll and the FCS Coaches Poll. Both polls were released Monday afternoon. The Skyhawks, 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference, debut in both polls last week after claiming a 31-30 victory over Jacksonville State on Oct. 23. The Skyhawks were No. 24 in The Sports Network Poll and No. 23 in the Football Championship Series (formerly Division I-AA) Coaches Poll.

You might think the photos above are of Auburn players. You'd be wrong. The Skyhawks' colors are orange and navy blue, and they wear jerseys identical to Auburn. UT Martin's uniforms are provided by Russell Athletic, and the jerseys are undoubtedly old stock from the company's prior affiliation with Auburn. The team's helmets are also virtually identical, except for the UTM logo on the side of the helmet. This Saturday's game will look more like A-Day than Homecoming.