Chattanooga at VMI Football
Randall K. Wolf

Football

VMI vs. Furman Gameday Central

LEXINGTON, Va. – In a season like no other, the VMI football team finally kicks off the 2020-21 season Saturday at Foster Stadium hosting No. 10-ranked Furman as both the season and SoCon opener for VMI. Kickoff in Lexington is slated for a 1:30 p.m. start.

The debut game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

The total number of spectators allowed, 250, is based on currently enforced Executive Order #72 published by the Governor of Virginia. At this time, spectators are only allowed access to Foster Stadium & Cameron Hall Ticket Office; all other areas of post remain closed to visitors. For further information regarding the attendance policy and CoVid-19 regulations in place for the game, please visit the VMI Outdoor Spectator Policy.

Links to the broadcast, radio and live stats are listed below in addition to other links that provide gameday information for both programs.
 
Attending the Game
Tickets | Weather | VMI Outdoor Spectator Policy | Directions
Broadcasts
Watch on ESPN+
Live Radio Broadcast - 96.7 3WZ 
Live Stats
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VMI (0-0, 0-0 SoCon)
Roster
Coaching Staff
Schedule/Results
Statistics
Game Notes 
2020-21 Fact Book
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#10 Furman (1-0, 1-0 SoCon)
Roster
Schedule/Results
Coaching Staff
Statistics
Game Notes
Media Guide
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KEYDETS LAUNCH SPRING SEASON – Program history will be made Saturday when VMI football starts its first ever spring football season against the Furman Paladins at Foster Stadium. It will be the first football competition for the 2020-21 school year as VMI opted not to play a 2020 fall schedule along with ETSU, Samford, Furman and Wofford. Four SoCon members institutions - The Citadel, Mercer, Chattanooga, Western Carolina - played fall non-conference games that count toward their overall 2020-21 record. All 2021 spring football competition will be conference games.  

VMI OPENER VS. CHATTANOOGA POSTPONED – VMI was slated to start its 2020-21 football season February 20 at Chattanooga but the game was postponed due to COVID-19 issues with the Mocs program. No makeup date has been announced. 

SPRING FOOTBALL TICKET POLICY - In accordance with the Commonwealth of Virginia's executive order 72, which mandates a reduced capacity to 250 persons, VMI athletics has decided that season tickets will not be available for the 2020-21 football season. Due to these limitations, the majority of this ticket allotment will be provided to the families of the participating cadet-athletes. Fan capacity for outdoor events in the Commonwealth is scheduled to be increased effective March 1, and VMI athletics will reassess any opportunities for additional fans.  

A VMI win over Furman would ...
Give VMI its first win over the Paladins since the 2014 season.

THE SERIES: Saturday's meeting between VMI and Furman will be the 38th meeting between the schools with the Paladins holding a 28-9 advantage. Furman has taken 26 of the last 27 matchups with VMI's lone win coming in 2014 in Lexington, 31-15. The teams first met in 1946 before resuming the series in 1970.

VMI LOOKS TO BUILD ON BREAKTHROUGH 2019 CAMPAIGN – The 2019 season stood as a significant step forward for the VMI football program and the 2020-21 edition of the Keydets looks to build upon that success. VMI football posted five wins overall in 2019 – the most since 2003 when VMI posted a 6-6 mark. The Keydets closed out the regular season with a 31-24 win over Chattanooga to finish with a 4-4 mark in SoCon play which marked the first time since 1979 that the VMI had secured four conference wins in a season. The Keydets also reclaimed the Silver Shako trophy for the first time in 13 meetings after an October win over The Citadel in the Military Classic of the South. The 2019 squad established a new VMI school single season mark with for total offense (4,887) and passing yards (3,429) and the 370 points scored was the second highest in Institute history. Coach Scott Wachenheim was voted 2019 Southern Conference Coach of the Year by the league coaches and became the first VMI coach to achieve the honor since Cal McCombs in 2002.

UDINSKI HEADLINES ALL-SOCON PRESEASON SELECTIONS – VMI quarterback Reece Udinski was named the Southern Conference Preseason Offensive Player of the Year at the SoCon Football Media Day held virtually in late January. Udinski was named to the preseason First Team Offense along with VMI offensive lineman Nick Hartnett. On the defensive side, Keydet lineman Jordan Ward and safety AJ Smith were named to the First Team Defense. Junior wide receiver Jakob Herres was named to the Second Team Offense and junior kick returner Korey Bridy was named to the Second Team Special Teams unit. The second-team All-SoCon quarterback last season, Udinski threw for a league-best 3,276 yards in 2019, pacing the SoCon in passing yards per game with 273.0 and total offense with 262.9 yards per game. The senior from North Wales, Pennsylvania, also threw for a SoCon-best 19 touchdowns, completing 306 of his 479 pass attempts with just five interceptions. Udinski set an FCS single-season record for consecutive passes without an interception, opening the season with 368 passes without one to surpass the previous FCS mark by 26 and smash the SoCon record by 165. Udinski enters his senior season ninth in league history with 658 completed passes, tied for sixth with nine games of at least 300 yards passing and tied for fourth with three games of 400 yards passing or more.

DEFENSIVE STANDOUT JORDAN WARD TO WEAR "0" IN 2020-21 - The number zero plays a central role in mathematics and physics and serves as a placeholder in value systems. Its importance cannot be overstated. The same could be said of the VMI football cadet-athlete who will wear the jersey "0" for the first time in program history. Senior defensive end and team captain Jordan Ward leaves jersey "94" behind and wear the new number "0" into competition when VMI football takes the field in the spring. It's a responsibility the mechanical engineering major from Frederick, Maryland gladly accepts with pride. In 2019, he led the team in tackles for loss with 11 for 41 yards and produced six quarterback hurries which was second on the team and fourth in the conference. All this while seeing the most plays of all Keydet defensive linemen with 773 total snaps. In addition to serving as a team captain, Ward also serves on the SoCon Racial Equity and Justice Task Force. 

BREAKING DOWN THE ROSTER - VMI returns seven offense starters and six defensive starters plus one specialist for the 2020-21 spring football season. Of the 97 cadet-athletes on the current football roster, 63 are freshman eligibility although 21 are designated redshirt freshmen. Of those 21 redshirt freshmen, eight saw game action in 2019 during their "true" freshmen season. The rest of the roster breaks down to 15 sophomores, 12 juniors, and six seniors. 











 
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Players Mentioned

Korey Bridy

#1 Korey Bridy

RB
6' 0"
Junior
Nick Hartnett

#65 Nick Hartnett

OL
6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
Jakob Herres

#14 Jakob Herres

WR
6' 4"
Junior
Reece Udinski

#2 Reece Udinski

QB
6' 4"
Senior
Jordan Ward

#0 Jordan Ward

DL
6' 1"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Korey Bridy

#1 Korey Bridy

6' 0"
Junior
RB
Nick Hartnett

#65 Nick Hartnett

6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
OL
Jakob Herres

#14 Jakob Herres

6' 4"
Junior
WR
Reece Udinski

#2 Reece Udinski

6' 4"
Senior
QB
Jordan Ward

#0 Jordan Ward

6' 1"
Senior
DL