Box Score
LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI Football Team played the second leg of its two-game home stand on Saturday when it hosted the 16th-ranked Mercer Bears, falling by a score of 55-14.
The Keydet defense totaled five takeaways, the most since 2019, led by Alex Oliver who recorded two interceptions for the second time in a row against Mercer. Seth Morgan and Stone Snyder returned to the lineup, while Korey Bridy punched in two touchdowns. VMI now drops to 1-7 on the season and 0-5 in league play, while Mercer moves to 7-2 with a 5-1 mark in the SoCon.
Key Stats
- Defense collects a season-high five turnovers (3 INT, 2 Fumbles recovered, 3 forced)
- The five turnovers are the most since the Keydets collected five turnovers against Mars Hill in 2019, and the most against a Division I team since 2013 (Gardner-Webb)
- Alex Oliver has two interceptions against Mercer for the second straight season
- Tahj Summey registers a pick; Dorien Starnes, Evan Eller each recover fumbles
- Korey Bridy scores season-high two rushing TDs
- Aljareek Malry leads team with 9.0 tackles; Dunn, Snyder and Oliver all get 8.0 tackles
How it Happened
The Keydet defense made plays early, as
Alex Oliver hauled in his second interception of the season. VMI couldn't cash in, and Mercer would take a punt to the house to go ahead 7-0. Mercer struck again to open the second quarter, tacking on two more touchdowns and a field goal to take a 31-0 lead into half.
On the opening possession of the third, Mercer would fumble and the VMI offense turned the takeaway into seven points, as Bridy rumbled in for the touchdown on a 4
th and 1 rush. On the next possession, Oliver stole another one from the Mercer offense, leading to a second touchdown rush by Bridy. The Bears were able to get back on track, scoring 14 unanswered of their own to regain the momentum before taking the contest 55-14.
Words from Wach
On the Message to the Team
"We talked about this poem called 'The Race' which says every time you get knocked down, you should rise. Friday's pregame speech I asked all the players to imagine that in 20 or 30 years, maybe their son is playing here, and I challenged them to play how they would want their son to play, and I think they did that."
On the Defensive Effort
"Our defense came out ready to play. They set us up for success, and we just never took advantage. But we did fight in the second half and got 14 quick points."
What's Next
"The loss is on me. We didn't execute well enough to win this ball game on multiple levels and when that happens that's on the head coach so I will look on how to become better this week."
What's Next
The Keydets will hit the road for the next two weeks, visiting Samford on Saturday for a 3:00 p.m. (Eastern) kickoff.
