LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI Football team will have its last road game of the season on Saturday, visiting Wofford for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.  
 
VMI BRINGS FIGHT TO NO. 10 SAMFORD, COMES UP SHORT – On a rainy Saturday afternoon in Birmingham, the VMI Football team held a 12-7 lead over 10th-ranked Samford after 30 minutes of play, battling to the last second as the Bulldogs ultimately prevailed 34-15.Offensively, the story of the day for VMI was Jerry Rice, who went a perfect 5-for-5 on field goal attempts to tie his own program record (along with Craig Jones) for made field goals in a game. Samford has since moved to 9^th in the FCS Coaches Poll, remaining 10^th in Stats Perform.
 
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS – Although their record is just 2-7, Wofford has won two of its last three games before battling Western Carolina to the wire last week (L, 29-36). The Terriers are coached by Shawn Watson, who took over for Josh Conklin after a week five loss to Mercer. Ryan Ingram gained just 33 yards on the ground but punched in two touchdowns while Jimmy Weirick threw for 269 yards and a touchdown. Nathan Walker (289 yards) and Kyle Parsons (364 yards) are the typical 1-2 punch on the ground for Wofford while Landon Parker is Weirick's number one target, hauling in 31 catches for 627 yards and two touchdowns this season. David Powers leads the Terriers with 57.0 tackles on the year, while Michael Mason has 5.5 sacks for 31 yards lost. 
 
HOW THEY RANK – Ball security has been a key for Wofford, ranking 11^th in the country with just eight turnovers lost on the season and fifth with just two lost fumbles. An area VMI can look to capitalize on is the ground game, as teams are averaging 209.3 yards per game against Wofford (108^th). Like VMI, Wofford is disciplined, ranking second in the SoCon in fewest penalties per game (5.1).
 
THE SERIES – The two teams have been neck and neck over the years, with Wofford holding the slight 13-12 edge all-time. The Keydets enter this game having won two straight, with their victory in the spring of 2021 having snapped an eight-game skid in the series. In Spartanburg, VMI's record is just 1-7.

RICE IS NICE – After his perfect 5-for-5 performance at Samford, Jerry Rice was named the Southern Conference Special Teams Player of the Week on November 7. A redshirt junior, Rice accounted for all 15 points for the Keydets, tying his own program record (which he shares with Craig Jones) for made field goals in a game. With 189 career points, Rice ranks fifth all-time in program history in that category, and second among kickers.
 
SOCON STATS (League games only) – In SoCon games, VMI is limiting teams to just 37.4 yards while opponents are averaging a league-high 70.0 yards a game against the Keydets. Korey Bridy has hit his stride in SoCon play, ranking sixth in rushing with an average of 62.0 yards through six games and is ninth in all-purpose yards (91.0). After his five makes at Samford, Jerry Rice's average of 1.17 field goals per game is third in league play while Stone Snyder (9.4) and Evan Eller (9.0) rank third and fourth in the league in tackles per game. Alex Oliver has the sixth most passes defended (7) through six contests, ranking second with three interceptions.