LEXINGTON, Va. – Year one of the Danny Rocco era has one game left, as the battle-tested Keydets will host another nationally ranked opponent in Western Carolina (No. 14) to end the 2023 season. Kickoff will be NOON at Foster Stadium.
SENIOR SATURDAY – Prior to the game, VMI will honor 27 of its seniors for their contributions to the program the last four years. The list includes:
Travis Buchanan,
Stephen Castle,
Jack Culbreath,
Julio DaSilva,
Austin Doyle,
Christian Dunn,
Evan Eller,
Ben George,
Jacob Griles,
Cole Holtz,
Collin Ironside,
Josh Knapp,
Chance Knox,
Jake Liberatore,
Jimmy Murphy,
Alex Oliver,
Justin Peterson,
Kaleb Priddy,
Elijah Quamiley,
Rashad Raymond,
Will Reid,
Mark Shelton,
Grant Swinehart,
Tahj Summey,
Aidan Twombly,
Shane Washko and
Austin White.
FALLING TO FURMAN – The Furman Paladins showed why they are the number two team in the country over the weekend, controlling the game against ETSU and earning a 37-3 win, moving to 9-1 and 7-0 in the league. Having already locked up the automatic qualifier to the FCS Playoffs, Furman's win gave them the outright Southern Conference Championship.
KEY STATS (vs. Furman)
-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
SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS – Western Carolina, who is fighting for a berth in the FCS playoffs, has taken the next step under head coach Kerwin Bell, who is in his third year at the helm for the Catamounts. Western Carolina's losses have come at the hands of Arkansas (FBS), Furman and Mercer – both of whom are currently in the top 25. The Catamounts currently lead the nation in total offense (510.5) and first downs (266), with the second-ranked passing offense (325.8) and the third-ranked scoring offense (38.9 ppg).
A VMI Win over Western Carolina would ...
-- Give VMI its fourth conference win of the season
-- Give the Keydets a 5-win season for just the fourth time in 20 years
-- Be VMI's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since October 2021 (Chattanooga, 37-34 OT)
