Seth Morgan vs Citadel 8 Randall
Randall K. Wolf/VMI

Football

VMI vs. Davidson Gameday Central

LEXINGTON, Va. – Ready to ride the momentum from an incredible 2020-21 season, the VMI football team kicks off the 2021 season on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Foster Stadium hosting fellow FCS playoffs qualifier Davidson College.

For fans planning to attend the game, information regarding parking, tailgating or other gameday festivities, please visit vmikeydets.com.

The game will also be broadcast on ESPN+.

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 | Directions
Broadcasts
Watch on ESPN+
Live Radio Broadcast on 96.7 3WZ 
Live Stats
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VMI (0-0, 0-0 SoCon)
Roster
Coaching Staff
Schedule/Results
Statistics
Game Program
Game Notes 
2021 Fact Book
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Davidson (0-0, 0-0 Pioneer)
Roster
Schedule/Results
Coaching Staff
Statistics
Game Notes
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KEYDETS OPEN SEASON AGAINST WILDCATS – VMI returns to Foster Stadium Saturday to open the season against The Davidson Wildcats in the first of five home games slated for the fall 2021 year. It will be the first home game for the Keydets since clinching the SoCon football title against The Citadel last April 17 that awarded them their first league title since 1977. VMI went 3-1 at home in spring 2021 for their first winning campaign in Lexington since going 4-2 at Foster Stadium in 2008.
 
VMI RANKED IN PRESEASON – VMI carries a national ranking of #17 in the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Poll and holds the #19 spot in the initial AFCA poll. It is the first time the Keydets enter a football season with a national ranking. VMI finished the 2020-21 spring season ranked #12 in the Stats Perform FCS poll.
 
HOMECOMING FOR ABELL – Davidson head football coach Scott Abell is no stranger to Lexington after having spent ten years on the football staff of neighboring Washington & Lee University including six seasons as head coach which also included three ODAC titles.
 
TWO FCS PLAYOFF TEAMS – Saturday's matchup showcases two FCS playoff teams from the 2021 spring season. VMI earned the SoCon's automatic berth to the postseason after winning the league title while Davidson advanced to the FCS playoffs as the Pioneer League champions, their first conference crown in 50 years.
 
 
A VMI Win over Davidson would ...
---Give the Keydets their 11th straight win in the series and 12th over the last 13 meetings.
---Give VMI back-to-back season opening home wins for the first time since 2009-10. 
 
 
VMI RADIO NETWORK: WWZW – 96.7 FM (Lexington, Lynchburg), WJFN – 820 AM, 92.7 FM, 107.7 FM (Richmond), WPMH 1010 AM, 100.5 FM, 96.9 FM (Hampton Roads). A free audio broadcast of the game is available at 3wzfm.com. Jeremy Franklin will call the play-by-play and Rick Cruze will be color commentator.
 
TELEVISION/ VIDEO STREAMING: Saturday's game can be seen on ESPN+. The service is available for a $6.99 monthly subscription. Wade Branner will call the play-by-play and Chip Tarkenton will provide analysis.
 
SATURDAY'S?GAME?VERSUS DAVIDSON
 
THE SERIES: Saturday's meeting against the Wildcats will be the 60th matchup between the schools with many taking place when both schools held memberships in the Southern Conference. The schools first met in 1904. VMI leads the rivalry 39-17-3 and took the last meeting, 52-24, on Sept. 13, 2014 in Lexington. The Keydets have won 10 straight in the series. Davidson last defeated the Keydets, 18-14, on September 16, 1972 in Lexington.
 
EXPERIENCE RETURNS – Many faces who contributed to VMI's historic Southern Conference Championship last spring will be back on the field contributing this fall. Most of the returnees in the starting lineup will be on the offensive side of the ball where ten with substantial starting experience return. On defense, the Keydets will have to replace five key performers including both starting safeties, but return six starters who played a key role in VMI's championship run. The Keydets also return all three key special teams positions.
 
HOME OPENER AGAIN – Saturday's game with Davidson will be the first time VMI has played back-to-back home openers at Foster Stadium since the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The Keydets opened on the road from 2012 through 2019 before starting the 2020-21 spring season at home against Furman when they defeated the #10 ranked Paladins, 14-13, for their first win over a ranked opponent since 2002.
 
TWO-DEEP NOTES – VMI's projected starting lineup Saturday against Davidson will have 11 offensive projected starters who have all had at least one start in the college careers. On defense, the look is different as four Keydets are projected to make their first college start against the Wildcats – Christian Dunn and Aladdin Elroumey at outside linebackers, Josh Knapp at free safety and Evan Eller at strong safety.
 
KEYDETS PLACE SIX ON ALL-CONFERENCE PRESEASON SQUADS – Six Keydets earned spots on the Southern Conference Preseason All-Conference teams announced at the league's kickoff event in Asheville, North Carolina. Landing All-SoCon preseason first team spots were wide receiver Jakob Herres, offensive lineman Marshall Gill, Snyder at linebacker, and defensive back Ethan Caselberry. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Seth Morgan was voted on the preseason second team along with senior defensive lineman Warren Dabney. The teams were voted on by the conference coaches.
 
SNYDER NAMED SOCON DEFENSIVE PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR - VMI junior linebacker Stone Snyder was named 2020-21 SoCon Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and looks to build on his breakthrough All-America season established in VMI's championship season last spring, Snyder emerged as one of the top defensive players in FCS. He was named the 2020-21 Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year in both the media and coaches' polls after leading the league in tackles per game (11.0) – 76 in seven regular season games, including a career-high 21 versus The Citadel. Snyder had 9.5 tackles for loss (64 yards), eight sacks (62 yards) and four QB hurries. He also had 12 tackles in the first round of the playoffs against #1 James Madison on April 24 and finished third in voting for the Buck Buchanan FCS defensive Player of the Year honor. Snyder was a multiple All-American after being named to Stats Perform, Athlon, and Hero Sports first teams. He was also named State Defensive Player of the Year by VASID, the Commonwealth's sports information directors.
 
HERRES LEADS VETERAN RECEIVING CORPS – Senior wide receiver Jakob Herres returns as one of the top performers in FCS after earning 2020-21 SoCon Offensive Player of the Year in both the coaches' and media voting. Herres led the Keydets in receiving during the season with 80 catches for 978 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 12.2 yards per grab and 122.2 yards per game, all of which led the Southern Conference. Herres was a consensus All-America first team selection to include Stats Perform, AFCA, and Athlon teams and was also one of 16 finalists for the Stats Perform Walter Payton Award for the national FCS Offensive Player of the Year and finished fourth in voting.
 
MORGAN ON THE MARK – Redshirt sophomore Seth Morgan, Morgan, who took over for the injured Reece Udinski at quarterback in mid-season and guided the Keydet offense to a SoCon title the rest of the way, returns to the starting signal caller role in the fall 2021 campaign. In his first college start at Wofford March 27, he accounted for 375 yards passing and 451 yards of total offense which was the second most in a single game in program history. On the season, he completed 122 of 171 passes for 1,374 yards and 10 touchdowns with just four interceptions. Morgan's .713 completion percentage ranked second in FCS, while his 153.46 pass efficiency ranked ninth in the nation. He was named co-SoCon Freshman of the Year and State of Virginia Freshman of the Year. 
 
THREE KEYDETS EARN ALL-AMERICA PRESEASON HONORS – Three VMI Keydets were represented on the 2021 Stats Perform Preseason FCS All-America Squad announced in mid-August. After a stellar 2020-21 spring season, Keydet wide receiver Jakob Herres and linebacker Stone Snyder were named to the First Team and long snapper Robert Soderholm was named to the Second Team. All 15 FCS conferences and 60 schools are represented among the 120 All-Americans, who are split into three 40-player teams. Over 80 percent of the players earned a spot on a previous Stats Perform preseason or postseason All-America squad. In June, both Snyder and Herres were announced to the Athlon FCS Preseason All-America team.
 
BRIDY BACK – The Keydet running game got a boost in 2020-21 when junior Korey Bridy was on the field. After a two-game absence because of injury in late season. Bridy caught a 17-yard screen pass from Seth Morgan for VMI's first score against The Citadel in VMI's title clinching game April 17. Earlier last season,  Bridy posted his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game with 109 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown against Samford March 20.  One week after a career-high 91 yards against Western Carolina, Bridy topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career with 113 yards on 27 carries against Mercer March 13 as VMI netted 212 yards rushing against the Bears for its best rushing outing as a team since 220 yards against Mars Hill on September 7, 2019. Bridy led  the team in rushing in 2020-21 with 344 yards and four touchdowns.
 
VMI SECURES WINNING SEASON, AND A LOT MORE – With the 36-31 come-from-behind win over Wofford March 27, VMI started the 2020-21 season at 5-0 for the first time since 1960. The Keydets also secured their first winning season since 1981 ending a span of nearly four decades where the closest the Keydets could come to winning marks were a pair of consecutive 6-6 records in 2002 and 2003. VMI had also won six straight games dating back to the 2019 season finale which was the longest consecutive win streak for the program since 1959-60 when the Keydets reeled off 12 straight wins over two consecutive SoCon championship seasons. The subsequent Southern Conference championship that followed in the 2020-21 spring season was VMI's eighth conference football championship and it earned the program its first FCS playoff appearance.
 
WACHENHEIM RECEIVES CONTRACT EXTENSION – Following a historic season leading VMI to its first Southern Conference title in 43 years and voted as the nation's top FCS coach, Virginia Military Institute acting director of athletics Lenny Brown announced September 1 that head football coach Scott Wachenheim has agreed to terms for a contract extension that will run through the 2025 season. Wachenheim, who led VMI football to a historic season last spring by leading the Keydets to their first Southern Conference football championship since 1977 and first FCS playoff appearance, received a three-year extension beyond the existing contract which was set to expire following the 2022 season.
Entering his seventh season as VMI's head football coach, Wachenheim guided the Keydets to a 6-2 season mark and the 2020-21 Southern Conference football championship after going 6-1 in league play – securing the Institute's first outright league championship since 1974. VMI also attained its first FCS national ranking and completed the year ranked 12th in the polls while also earning its first ever FCS playoff appearance. The season was VMI's first winning campaign since 1981. The Keydets also successfully defended the Silver Shako trophy, awarded to the winner of the series with The Citadel, for the first time since 1995-96. Wachenheim was named 2021 Spring FCS national coach of the year by Stats Perform which presented him the prestigious Eddie Robinson Award and was also named FCS national coach of the year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Wachenheim was a consensus Southern Conference Coach of the Year voted by both the media and coaches and was tabbed top Division I coach in the Commonwealth of Virginia by both the Virginia Sports Information Directors and Touchdown Club of Richmond. Wachenheim was also named Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 2019.
 
ROAD WARRIORS – VMI finished its 2021 spring football season with a perfect 3-0 road mark in regular season games and went undefeated on the road for the first the first time since 1922 when the "Flying Squadron" under coach Blandy Clarkson went 3-0 in road tests. All three VMI football regular season road victories this year occurred where VMI had never won before and ended winless droughts at Western Carolina (13 games), Samford (three games) and Wofford (seven games).
 
RICE HAS IMPRESSIVE DEBUT – Redshirt sophomore Jerry Rice looks to build on an impressive debut after taking over the Keydet placekicking chores in 2020-21. Rice had his successful field goal string of six straight conversions end in the first half against Wofford on March 27, but later came back to kick a 28-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. He was two for two against ETSU April 3 and finished 11 of 14 overall on the year converting five of his last six attempts. Rice earlier kicked three field goals against Western Carolina March 6 in Cullowhee connecting on attempts of 27, 29, and 32 yards for his first converted field goals of his college career. It marked the first time that a VMI kicker had three field goals in a game since Barrett Way against Charleston Southern on October 21, 2006.
 
OT STRING CONTINUES – With a 38-37 overtime win over Samford March 20, VMI continued its string of extra play success since the rules were adopted in the 90's. The Keydets moved to 9-4 in overtime play and have won their last three contests that have gone beyond regulation time. VMI is also 4-0 all-time in road overtime games.
 
VMI ATTAINS FIRST FCS RANKING – For the first time since joining the FCS college football classification, VMI finished the season with a national ranking after the 2020-21 spring football season. The Keydets were ranked 12th in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 final poll released May 17. 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 last spring, but did receive votes in 1991, 2002, and 2019.
 
DEFENSIVE STANDOUT ERIC WEAVER TO WEAR "0" IN 2021- With 2020-21 team captain Jordan Ward now graduated and continuing his college football career as a graduate transfer at Ball State, redshirt junior Eric Weaver now takes over the "0" jersey reserved for a top performing defensive lineman. Weaver, who wore "52" his first three years at VMI, developed into a key performer along the D-line and started all eight games at nose tackle and generated 22 tackles on the year and helped channel big tackle numbers for linebackers in the defensive scheme. He had three games of four tackles each (Samford, The Citadel, James Madison) and was credited with tackles for loss at Samford (1-2 yards) and Wofford (0.5 - 3 yards). Weaver also produced a quarterback hurry against Mercer and broke up passes against ETSU and James Madison.
 
BREAKING DOWN THE ROSTER – The 2021 VMI Football roster sports a youthful look with 29 true freshmen, 29 redshirt freshmen, 27 sophomores, 12 juniors, and 9 seniors.



 
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Players Mentioned

Reece Udinski

#2 Reece Udinski

QB
6' 4"
Senior
Jordan Ward

#0 Jordan Ward

DL
6' 1"
Senior
Korey Bridy

#1 Korey Bridy

RB
6' 0"
Senior
Ethan Caselberry

#35 Ethan Caselberry

OLB
6' 4"
Senior
Warren Dabney

#56 Warren Dabney

DL
6' 1"
Senior
Christian Dunn

#4 Christian Dunn

LB
6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Marshall Gill

#74 Marshall Gill

OL
6' 4"
Senior
Jakob Herres

#14 Jakob Herres

WR
6' 4"
Senior
Josh Knapp

#17 Josh Knapp

DB
6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Seth Morgan

#4 Seth Morgan

QB
6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
Jerry Rice

#93 Jerry Rice

K/P
5' 7"
Redshirt Sophomore
Stone Snyder

#5 Stone Snyder

LB
6' 3"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Reece Udinski

#2 Reece Udinski

6' 4"
Senior
QB
Jordan Ward

#0 Jordan Ward

6' 1"
Senior
DL
Korey Bridy

#1 Korey Bridy

6' 0"
Senior
RB
Ethan Caselberry

#35 Ethan Caselberry

6' 4"
Senior
OLB
Warren Dabney

#56 Warren Dabney

6' 1"
Senior
DL
Christian Dunn

#4 Christian Dunn

6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
LB
Marshall Gill

#74 Marshall Gill

6' 4"
Senior
OL
Jakob Herres

#14 Jakob Herres

6' 4"
Senior
WR
Josh Knapp

#17 Josh Knapp

6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
DB
Seth Morgan

#4 Seth Morgan

6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
QB
Jerry Rice

#93 Jerry Rice

5' 7"
Redshirt Sophomore
K/P
Stone Snyder

#5 Stone Snyder

6' 3"
Junior
LB