korey bridy td at wcu
Jason Hall Photography
30
Winner VMI VMI 2-0 , 2-0
7
Western Caro. WCU 0-6 , 0-3
Winner
VMI VMI
2-0 , 2-0
30
Final
7
Western Caro. WCU
0-6 , 0-3
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
VMI VMI 7 6 14 3 30
WCU Western Caro. 0 0 0 7 7

Game Recap: Football |

Keydets Take Down Western Carolina, 30-7

Keydets earn win for the first time in program history in Cullowhee

Box Score
 
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Looking to start league play 2-0 for the first time since 2005, the VMI football team defeated host Western Carolina by a 30-7 score Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
 
The win gave the Keydets (2-0, 2-0) their first victory in program history in the city of Cullowhee and marked the first time defeating Western Carolina since 1991, snapping a 17-game losing streak to the Catamounts.
 
VMI senior quarterback Reece Udinski finished the game completing 30 of 41 passes for 239 yards, marking his 20th career game throwing for more than 200 yards. The Keydets ran the ball for 199 net yards led by Korey Bridy's 91 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
 
The Keydets built a 13-0 lead by halftime following a six-yard rushing touchdown by Bridy in the first quarter and two Jerry Rice field goals in the second.  Rice would finish the game a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts as he proved successful on a season-high 32-yarder in the fourth quarter to put VMI up, 30-0.
 
VMI struck early in the third quarter as Udinski connected with Jakob Herres on a 17-yard touchdown pass to put VMI up 20-0 at the 12:01 mark of the third stanza. The Keydets went on another scoring drive late in the third quarter that set Bridy up for a 1-yard run to put the game out of reach at 27-0 with one quarter remaining.
 
The Catamounts (0-6, 0-3) avoided a shutout by scoring on a Mikai Stanley 5-yard run for the game's final tally of 30-7.
 
VMI earned 33 first downs to Western Carolina's 11 and finished with 492 yards of total offense to 256 for WCU. The Keydets also dominated the time of possession battle with 36:01 to Western's 23:59. The Keydets were successful on seven of 16 third-down conversions and a perfect 3-3 on fourth down attempts. Moving the ball effectively up field, the Keydets wound up scoring on six of seven red zone chances.
 
Defensively, the Keydets were led by Connor Riddle in tackles for a second straight week as he finished with eight.  A.J. Smith and Abdul Jawara both finished with five takedowns while Ethan Caselberry had three tackles, one interception and a pass breakup.
 
The Keydets return to Southern Conference action next Saturday at home as they play host to the Mercer Bears. Kickoff is slated for a 1:30 p.m. start at Foster Stadium.
 
Head Coach Scott Wachenheim Postgame Quotes:
 
"I'm very excited – it's the first time we've ever won in Cullowhee. It's the first time we've beaten a Western Carolina team since 1991. I thought the players stepped up and played really well. Our defense was outstanding and shut them down in the first half. We were able to run the ball on offense which we needed to do this week. I'm very happy with the way we played.
 
"We had players get on the field for the first time. I thought Seth Morgan came in and did a nice job and extended some plays for us. It was great to give him some more game experience. We had more running backs get in and Abdul Jawara came in and did a nice job at middle linebacker. That will help us as we move along in the season.
 
"We were moving the ball up field but penalties hurt us early in the game so we weren't able to sustain drives. Our defense stepped up and played well for the shutout in the first half and continued to play well in the second half.
 
"Ethan Caselberry is an incredible player and is playing with a lot of confidence right now - I was happy to see him get that interception."









 
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