VMI Football vs. Samford – Preview

LEXINGTON, Va. – Looking to move to a 4-0 record for the first time since 1981, the #18/19 VMI football team hits the road for the second time this season on its way to Birmingham, Alabama, to face the Samford Bulldogs in Southern Conference action Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT at Siebert Stadium.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

For fan attendance policies and Covid regulations in place, please visit the following site provided by Samford Athletics.

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 | Samford Covid-19 Guidelines

Broadcasts

Watch on ESPN+

Live Radio Broadcast on 96.7 3WZ 

Live Stats

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VMI (3-0, 3-0 SoCon)

Roster

Coaching Staff

Schedule/Results

Statistics

Game Notes 

2020-21 Fact Book

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 Samford (2-2, 2-2 SoCon)

Roster

Schedule/Results

Coaching Staff

Statistics

Game Notes

Media Guide

Game Program

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VMI ATTAINS FIRST FCS RANKING – For the first time since joining the FCS college football classification, VMI is nationally ranked. The Keydets, off to a 3-0 start for the first time since the 1981 season, were ranked 19th in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll released Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, the first AFCA coaches poll released had the Keydets at 18th. It's not the first ever national ranking for the program as VMI finished the 1957 season ranked 20th in the Associated Press poll after going 9-0-1 under legendary coach John McKenna. The Keydets attained a ranking as high as 13th during that season. In 1982, VMI was reclassified into the Division I-AA ranks which later became the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). It never attained a national ranking as an FCS member before this year, but did receive votes in 1991, 2002, and 2019.

HIGH SCORING MATCHUP – Saturday's VMI-Samford game features the top two scoring teams in the Southern Conference. Samford is averaging 36.5 points per game while the Keydets are at 28.3 points per contest. The last time these teams met in 2019, the Keydets prevailed in OT, 48-41.

DEFENSE CONTINUES TO SHINE – VMI's defense has continued to be a key component to the fast start and leads the SoCon in scoring defense allowing 11.3 points over the first three games.
 
A VMI Win over Samford would ...
-Move VMI to 4-0 overall for the first time since 1981.
 
THE SERIES: This will be the eighth meeting in the rivalry and Samford holds a 6-1 lead. The Bulldogs claimed the first six matchups including a 73-22 win in Birmingham on VMI's most recent trip to Birmingham, but the Keydets broke through in 2019 in Lexington with a 48-41 overtime win on Parents Weekend. The teams first met in Lexington in 2001 and that was the only time they met as non-conference rivals. The series resumed in 2014 when VMI rejoined the SoCon and the teams have met each year since.
 
UDINSKI MOVING UP THE CHARTS - After completing 30 of 41 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown against Western Carolina in week two of VMI's 2020-21 football season, senior quarterback Reece Udinski continues to march upward on the VMI record charts and moved past his predecessor Al Cobb (2014-16) in three VMI all-time passing categories. Against Mercer in week three Udinski completed 26 of 36 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown and notched his 21st career 200-yard game and has now thrown 45 touchdown passes which ranks first on the VMI all-time list. Udinski also ranks first for most career pass attempts (1,211) and also has 742 career completions for the #1 spot in that category. Udinski now has 7,524 passing yards, which is 203 yards shy of current record holder Cobb.
 
DYNAMIC DUO ON "D" – Keydet linebackers Connor Riddle and Stone Snyder top the VMI defensive tackles charts with 28 and 27 tackles respectively, but it's in the negative yardage plays where they are both having a significant impact on VMI's defensive play this year. The pair have accounted for 12.5 of VMI's total 28 TFL's this year and 7.5 of the unit's 16 sacks. Through three games, Riddle has 8.0 TFL/3.5 sacks while Snyder has 4.5 TFL/4.0 sacks.

RUN, REECE, RUN – Senior quarterback Reece Udinski's is known as a prolific passer and his career numbers attest, but against Mercer March 13 he also attained some success running the ball and he gained 54 yards (29 net) on the ground with two rushing TD scores of one-yard each. Udinski had only one other rushing touchdown prior to the Mercer game when he rushed one yard for a score against Tusculum on November 3, 2018.

BRIDY GETS CAREER HIGH – One week after a career-high 91 yards against Western Carolina, junior running back Korey Bridy topped the 100-yard rushing mark with 113 yards on 27 carries against Mercer March 13. Bridy also had a four-yard TD score giving him a team leading three rushing touchdowns. VMI netted 212 yards rushing against Mercer for their best rushing outing as a team since 220 yards against Mars Hill on September 7, 2019.