christian dunn vs furman
Heidi Adams
3
VMI VMI 4-6 , 3-4
37
Winner Furman FUR 9-1 , 7-0
VMI VMI
4-6 , 3-4
3
Final
37
Furman FUR
9-1 , 7-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
VMI VMI 0 0 0 3 3
FUR Furman 17 17 3 0 37

Game Recap: Football |

#2 Furman defeats VMI in final road game

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The VMI football team took on the Southern Conference leader and nation's #2-ranked team Saturday afternoon at Furman, falling by a 37-3 score at Paladin Stadium in Greenville, South Carolina.
 
Already having clinched a piece of the SoCon title last week with a win over #13 Chattanooga, the Paladins (9-1, 7-0) claimed the outright league title and automatic bid to the FCS playoffs with today's win over VMI, which falls to 4-6 overall and 3-4 in conference.
 
Key Stats
* Furman earns 351 yards of total offense – including 226 through the air – while holding VMI to 30 rushing yards on the day
* VMI offense struggles to stay on the field, finishing 2-12 on third down conversions. Furman also forces two VMI turnovers – one fumble and one interception
* VMI allows eight sacks on the afternoon as Furman earns a total of 12 tackles-for-loss totaling 77 yards
* VMI QB Collin Shannon finishes 14-27 for 148 yards and one INT
* VMI RB Hunter Rice ends up with 47 rushing yards on 15 carries, and WR Ivan Thorpe leads the receiving corps with 48 yards on three receptions
* Furman QB Carson Jones finishes 18-23 for 226 yards and four touchdowns
 
VMI Head Coach Danny Rocco
"We got off to a bad start. I was expecting us to play a lot better than we did today. I give Furman a lot of credit. They are well-coached and have a lot of senior leadership. They have over 40 players who are seniors or graduate students. They're a good team, certainly the best-looking team in our league and they played like it today.
 
"We never got in sync offensively and didn't protect our quarterback very well. Collin Shannon didn't make good decisions and he didn't get the ball out on time. It was uphill all game. The defense fought hard and made some key stops. They had a blocked punt, which allowed the game to get away from us. We could never reel them back in after that.
 
"We've got one more chance this season to get things right and finish the season on a good note next week against Western Carolina."
 
Game Summary
The Paladins scored 17 points in the opening quarter and tallied 17 more in the second to build a 34-0 lead by halftime. Furman scored on its opening drive with a 14-yard TD reception by Mason Pline at the 11:07 mark.
 
After holding VMI to a three-and-out, the Paladins scored on their next drive with a 27-yard field goal by Ian Williams to go up, 10-0, with eight minutes to play in the opening period. Carson Jones then found Nick Cannon for a 34-yard touchdown reception on the ensuing Furman possession.
 
In the second quarter, Jones hooked up with Luke Shiflett for a 12-yard TD reception with five minutes left before break to put Furman up, 24-0. The Paladins tacked on another touchdown with under two minutes left – a Kyndel Dean 34-yard TD grab – before Ian Williams kicked a 49-yard field goal with four seconds on the clock before halftime.
 
VMI locked down on defense in the second half to hold the Paladins to just one field goal over the final two quarters – a 36-yard Ian Williams field goal at the 6:30 mark of the third quarter.
 
The Keydets avoided a shutout with a 27-yard Caden Beck field goal late in the fourth quarter for the game's final score. The kick capped a 12-play, 80-yard drive to end the game on a positive note for VMI.
 
Up Next
The Keydets finish up the 2023 season next Saturday at home when they take on Western Carolina at noon at Foster Stadium.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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