LEXINGTON, Va. – Battling back and outscoring the Bulldogs 15-3 in the second half, the VMI Football Team could not connect on a potential game-winning field goal in the last minute of play, ultimately falling 24-22 to Samford on Saturday.
"I'm proud of the effort," said Head Coach
Danny Rocco. "But the outcome is just very painful. I feel bad for our coaches, I feel bad for these kids to be suffering through these defeats. This was a winnable game at home, came down to the end and we missed a chip shot but there were a lot of opportunities throughout the game to create a different outcome."
The Keydets drop to 1-6 and 0-3 in conference play, while Samford improves to 1-6 and 1-4 in the SoCon. VMI will hit the road next week, visiting Mercer.
Key Stats
-
Owen Sweeney returns to action after missing one game, sets new career-highs in receptions (13) and yards (208); Sweeney becomes the 6
th Keydet in history to record a 200-yard game, and his 13 receptions are tied for 4
th-most all-time
- This marks the time this season Sweeney has eclipsed 100 yards receiving and now has over 500 yards receiving on the year
-
Collin Shannon goes 24-of-38 with career-high 419 and two touchdowns
-
Aslin Shipe records career-best 66 yards on the ground, records 106 yards on four returns (26.5 yards per carry) to total 172 all-purpose yards (21-yard run is career long)
-
Leo Boehling first career touchdown with 37-yard scamper (longest run of career)
- VMI misses three field goals, outgains Samford 522 to 398
-
Joe Comello records career-best 10.0 tackles;
Stephen Dean III totals 9.0, 0.5 sacks
-
Amaje Parker has 7.0 tackles and an interception;
Robert Powell,
Kouri Crump each record sacks
Rocco's Remarks
On the Play in the Second Half
"In the first half the offense did not show up, but I thought we breathed life into our performance in all three phases…We were very resilient in the second half. We made some big stops. The path we took to be aggressive in the second half gave us a chance, we just couldn't come through in the big moments."
How it Happened
First Half
- Samford opened with a hurry-up offense going up 7-0 just a few minutes into the game
- The teams traded possessions until Shannon hit Sweeney over the middle for a 55-yard touchdown (14:50, 2
nd)
- Samford would respond with a 10-play, 73-yard drive (14-7, 11:50 2
nd quarter)
- After the Bulldogs scored in less than a minute, VMI worked down to inside the 20, but missed the field goal attempt (21-7, half)
Second Half
- VMI cashed in on its opening possession, working across midfield where Boehling would take a handoff 37 yards for his first career touchdown; Keydets miss two-point conversion attempt (13-21, 12:20 3
rd)
- The teams struggled to move the ball the rest of the quarter, but VMI would move into the red zone, coming away with a field goal early in the 4
th (16-21, 13:36 to play)
- After the VMI defense held serve, Shannon connected with
Traveion Slaughter for 65 yards before hitting
Noah Grevious to give VMI its first lead of the game (22-21, 7:24, 4
th)
-
Amaje Parker came up with an interception, but Samford would take the ball back a few plays later, working down the field and connecting on a go-ahead field goal (24-22, 1:28 4
th)
- Shannon found
Malik McNeely (51 yards) to put VMI inside the red zone
- VMI would run the ball to drain the clock, but miss the field goal to fall short
