wilson at idaho state
Liv Burbidge
10
Virginia Military Institute VMI 0-1 , 0-0
38
Winner Idaho State ISU 1-0 , 0-0
Virginia Military Institute VMI
0-1 , 0-0
10
Final
38
Idaho State ISU
1-0 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
VMI Virginia Military Institute 0 0 0 10 10
ISU Idaho State 3 7 28 0 38

Game Recap: Football |

Keydets fall in season opener at Idaho State

POCATELLO, Idaho – Down by a slim 10-0 score at the half, the VMI football team fell behind in the second half as Idaho State pulled away for a 38-10 victory over the Keydets Saturday afternoon at the ICCU Dome in Pocatello, Idaho.
 
The Bengals (1-0) scored four touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away from the Keydets (0-1) en route to their season-opening win.
 
VMI Head Coach Ashley Ingram
"I was very pleased with how our defense played in the first half. It was about as good as we could have played against a high-powered team. Offensively, we needed to get a first down right before the half so we wouldn't have to punt the ball right before they scored. During the third quarter, give them credit as they made some plays. They blocked a punt and got a touchdown out of it so we'll need to do some things better there.
 
"I'm proud of the way we kept battling and kept fighting. This is the first step in a long, long process. We'll just keep battling and I'm proud of our guys."
 
Key Stats
* VMI quarterback Chandler Wilson led the Keydets with 62 rushing yards on seven carries
* Idaho State slinger Jordan Cooke finished with 325 passing yards and four touchdowns and one interception
* Bengal receiver Julina Mason led ISU with 77 receiving yards on eight grabs for a 9.6 average
* VMI safety Nic Land led all Keydet tacklers with six – all solo takedowns – to go with one interception
 
Game Summary
First Quarter
After VMI was held on fourth down on its opening drive, the Bengals marched a short way down the field before the Keydets held on to force an Idaho State field goal. ISU's Mason Lindberg knocked it in from 38 yards to give the Bengals an early 3-0 advantage. The schools punted away each ensuing possession the remainder of the period.
 
Second Quarter
Both teams exchanged punts for the entire second quarter and the Bengals took advantage of their final drive with just 1:29 before the half. Jordan Cooke connected with Eli Aragon-Cruz for a deep 37-yard pass down the right sideline to the VMI five-yard line. This set up a Cooke nine-yard pass to Julian Mason on a left slant to increase the Bengal lead to 10-0 with 27 seconds remaining in the half.
 
Third Quarter
The Bengals got off to a quick start on their opening drive of the second half when Cooke ran to the right and connected on a deep pass to Chedon James who snuck behind the VMI secondary for a 49-yard touchdown to give ISU a 17-0 lead at the 13:22 mark.
 
Idaho State forced a punt deep in Keydet territory on the ensuing VMI possession, which Bengal Jacob Perez got a hand on and teammate Noa Calaycay caught at the six-yard line and ran in for a score to give the Bengals a 24-0 advantage at the 11:06 mark.
 
Following a Shrewsbury punt, the Bengals scored on their next possession when Cooke found Zedekiah Anahu-Ambrosio across the middle who rushed down the sideline for an 83-yard touchdown reception with 6:34 in the quarter.
 
On ISU's next drive, Cooke found Aragon-Cruz behind the VMI defense for a 38-yard touchdown strike to put the Bengals up 38-0.
 
Fourth Quarter
The Keydets got on the board midway through the fourth period. Receiver Halim Hardnett registered a 47-yard rush on an end-around to the ISU 31-yard line to set up excellent field position in Bengal territory. On the next play, VMI quarterback Chandler Wilson rushed up the middle for 31 yards to find paydirt for the Keydets at the 7:11 mark for VMI's first touchdown of the season.
 
VMI safety EJ Wilborne picked off Bengal quarterback Davis Harsin on ISU's ensuing possession at the 45-yard line and returned it to the 34-yard line to again give the Keydets a short field to work with.
 
Wilson then rushed around the right side for 22 yards to the ISU 12 before he was hit late to get VMI to the Bengal six-yard line.
 
VMI was unable to punch it but settled for a 23-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 38-10 with 1:57 on the clock.
 
Up Next
The Keydets will travel 90 minutes south to Blacksburg to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies next Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.





 
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