LEXINGTON, Va. – Falling into an early 14-0 hole, the VMI Football team battled back and controlled much of Saturday's game against nationally-ranked Chattanooga (No. 17/15), taking the Mocs all the way down-to-the wire but falling just shy 24-23.
"We got off to a bad start. Didn't tackle well, a little bit out of control and offensively we were out of sorts early, but fought our way back," said VMI Head Coach
Danny Rocco. "The second half we played a really solid half of football. Didn't put enough points on the board, we gotta score… Down the stretch the defense got us the ball back, but we punted the ball and to Chattanooga's credit they were able to get two first downs."
Key Stats
- VMI holds Chattanooga to its lowest time of possession of the season (23:38, 5
th nationally entering Saturday), holding the ball for over 36 minutes
- Keydets go 10-of-18 on third-down conversions (Chattanooga ranks 13
th nationally in that category)
-
Hunter Rice posts career-high 208 rushing yards and three TDs, eclipsing the 100-yards mark for the third consecutive game including a career-long 67-yard touchdown run
- Rice's three touchdowns marks his fourth career game with two or more scores, is the third time this season he has scored two touchdowns (11
th player to accomplish that feat), and second three-score game of career (Mercer, 2021)
-
Ivan Thorpe has a team-high 7 catches and 66 yards, with
Egypt Nelson (56 yards) and
Aidan Twombly (38 yards) each recording four catches
-
Eric Rankin leads the VMI defense with 8.0 tackles, 1.0 sacks
-
Alex Oliver,
Evan Eller,
Josh Knapp each collect 6.0 tackles
What's Next
The Keydets will hit the road next Saturday, traveling down the highway to Johnson City, Tennessee, to face the ETSU Bucs at 1:00 p.m.
Catching up with Coach (Rocco)
On the end of the Game
"This was a winnable game and it's disappointing we weren't able to come away with the victory. We miss the extra point to tie the game late and that changes the complexion of the game. You're probably going into overtime where you can try and solve it."
On Turning the Page
"I told the guys this – what happened today is not nearly as important as tomorrow…Today's game is over, it's behind us. There's a lot to see, there's a lot to correct – there's a lot to be proud of…there was a moment early where it looked like we might get run out of the stadium, and that's not who we are or who these young men are. The biggest thing is tomorrow, and our ability to respond and remain united.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
- Keydets move the ball but miss a field goal on the first possession, Chattanooga scores two rushing touchdowns to take a 14-0 lead
- Rice takes a 67-yard rush (career-long) to the house for his fifth touchdown in his last five games, cutting the deficit in half after one quarter (7-14)
-
Collin Ironside hits
Egypt Nelson for a 22-yard gainer, setting up a Rice 4-yard touchdown run (14-14, 7:21 in the 2nd)
- Chattanooga adds a third touchdown on a broken play, but a
Dorien Starnes forced fumble allows
Caden Beck to connect on a field goal as time expired in the first half (17-21 end of 2nd)
Second Half
- After both teams started slow offensively, the Mocs would get on the board with a field goal at the 2:27 mark in the third (17-24 end of 3
rd)
- A red zone interception stalled a VMI drive in the fourth, as
Collin Shannon entered the game and helped lead an 8-play, 54-yard drive that ended in Rice's third touchdown of the day (7-yard run from the wildcat, 23-24 with 3:34 to play)
- VMI would miss the ensuing PAT, allowing Chattanooga to pick up a pair of first downs and close out the game
