LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI Football Team battled The Citadel in the 80th Military Classic of the South matchup on Saturday afternoon, leading early in the fourth quarter but were ultimately edged out 13-10.
"Really disappointing ending," said Head Coach Danny Rocco. "Our defense played well enough to win. They negated the run game, controlled the tempo of the game, took the ball away…We're struggling offensively with continuity and you almost have to win a game like that 13-10 to turn things around, and that's kind of what it came down to."
Key Stats
- The Citadel outgains VMI 227-188 on total offense
- Hunter Rice (70 yards, TD) moves into a tie for second place all-time at VMI with 27 career rushing touchdowns
- Eric Rankin records career-high 18.0 tackles, 2.0 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss
- Kouri Crump totals 7.0 tackles, two forced fumbles; Jacob Moore has 6.0 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery
- Ethen Horne has two receptions, 44 yards; Egypt Nelson has two catches, 42 yards
- Chandler Wilson goes 7-for-19 and 83 yards in relief; Brady Hammonds goes 5-for-5 and 52 yards
- Tyler Cherry totals 78 yards and a touchdown as The Citadel goes 0-11 on third down, 2-for-3 on fourth downs
What's Next
VMI (0-7, 0-3 SoCon) returns to the road next week, visiting the Chattanooga Mocs (4-3, 3-1 SoCon). Kickoff is slated for 4:00 pm.
Rocco's Remarks
On Being Held to 10 Points
"They changed things up coverage-wise and we really couldn't get into a rhythm passing the ball…at the end of the day we have first and goal from the one and we didn't put the ball in."
On the Message Post Game
"I said in the locker room it's rock bottom right now. 0-7 and just lost our rivalry game so the biggest thing for us is just to remain united, not allow ourselves to get divided. Guys need to step up and be accountable and get ourselves ready to finish the season."
How it Happened
First Half
- VMI recovers a fumble for a touchdown, but it's overturned due to offsides; Bulldogs connect on a field goal (3-0, 6:24 1st)
- After Hammonds gets hurt, Chandler Wilson connects with Ethen Horne for a 39-yard gain, setting up a Rice 2-yard touchdown run (7-3, 11:58 2nd )
- Beck hits 44-yard field goal to move the lead to 7 with 9:25 to play in the second quarter; Citadel pulls three points back before the break (10-6, Half)
Second Half
- VMI misses a field goal early, but Jacob Moore (sack) and the defense remain strong to get the ball back to VMI with just over 6 minutes in the third
- A botched Bulldog punt, facemask and pass interference set up the Keydets at 1, but Citadel stopped the Keydets four straight times, ultimately cashing in with a 43-yard reception from Tyler Cherry (10-13, 9:57 4th)
