LEXINGTON, Va. – Searching for its first victory of the 2024 season, the VMI Football Team took matters into its own hands against the Furman Paladins on Saturday, using a blocked kick, a forced fumble and a game-sealing interception to catapult the Keydets to a 21-17 victory at Foster Stadium.
"We're really excited. These guys have worked really hard. We've been through a lot of adversity," said VMI Head Coach Danny Rocco. "The team has really come together. Our senior leadership has been really good. They made a conscious decision that they were going to keep fighting and we found ourselves in a dogfight today…I'm just glad for our players that we can celebrate victory."
Key Stats
- VMI goes 3-for-3 in the red zone as the defense sacks Furman four times for 29 yards and the special teams unit blocks a field goal
- Furman wins time of possession battle 39:35-20:25, outgains VMI 412-177
- Hunter Rice (52 yards, TD) passes Sean Mizzer and Floyd Allen to move into second place all-time at VMI with 28 career rushing touchdowns
- Chandler Wilson goes 9-for-16 with 135 yards and a touchdown in the start, finding Egypt Nelson for a career-long 51-yard reception
- Ethen Horne has four catches, 59 yards and a score
- Shamus Jones records 13.0 tackles, 1 break up, and an interception; Kouri Crump has 13.0 tackles and two break ups
- Eric Rankin totals 12 tackles, 2.0 TFL, a forced fumble and fumble recovery
What's Next
VMI (1-8, 1-4 SoCon) will remain home, hosting the 12th-ranked Mercer Bears next Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Rocco's Remarks
On the Comforts of Home
"I had a really good feeling today. We had a really good week of practice. We were back at home. We had a celebration honoring the 1974 team as well. And we've really been talking a lot about legacy so we had a lot to play for and are really excited about getting the win."
On the Play of the Defense
"Our defense was just warriors out there on the field. The defense had to keep answering the bell. We had our back against the wall. But those guys rose up and made really big plays."
On the Game of Football
"Football reveals so much in your DNA. The game brings you to a breaking point. If you have a weakness, football will find it. If you have a character flaw, football's going to find it. It's just so unique how it happens like that but today, despite some of our errors, we deserved to win this football game and really glad we did."
How it Happened
First Half
The Keydets attacked the air early, opening up with a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a 17-yard strike to Ethen Horne. After the VMI special teams blocked a field goal attempt, Furman would get on the board during its next possession to tie the game at 7-7 as the first quarter winded down.
The Paladins opened the second with a field goal, but Wilson and Nelson's strong connection carried the Keydets to another score, with Nelson's 51-yard reception and drawn pass interference setting up a Hunter Rice score. Defensively, Rankin took matters into his own hands, forcing a sack-fumble and taking it down the four, where JoJo Crump would ultimately punch it in to give VMI a 21-10 lead at the break.
Second Half
Neither team could move the ball much early in the third, but the Paladins would get aggressive, converting a fourth down, later recording a touchdown after the Keydets would jump offside (21-17, 3:39 in the 3rd).
On the opening possession of the fourth quarter, Furman worked the ball down to the VMI 23 and would go for it on fourth and two, but miss the receiver in the end zone. Furman would work down the field on its next possession, but with time dwindling down were forced to go for it on fourth down as Joe Comello came up with a pass break up to stymie the Paladins again. Furman would have one more crack with 1:41 to play, but Jones read the quarterback and closed the game out with an interception.
