2020-21 VMI FOOTBALL GAME 6: VMI vs. ETSU ALL-TIME SERIES: ETSU leads 15-10 APRIL 3, 2021 - 1:30 P.M - FOSTER STADIUM LAST MEETING: W, 31-24 (OT) (9/14/19) 2020-21 VMI Schedule Overall: 5-0 SoCon: 5-0 Home: 2-0 Away: 3-0 Date Opponent Time/Result F20 at Chattanooga Postponed F27 Furman W, 14-13 M6 at Western Carolina W, 30-7 M13 Mercer W, 41-14 M20 at Samford W, 38-37 (OT) Game 6 - #10/10 VMI vs. ETSU M27 at Wofford W, 36-31 April 3, 2021 - 1:30 pm - Lexington, Va. A3 ETSU 1:30 p.m. QUICK HITS A17 The Citadel 1:30 p.m. KEYDETS TO PLAY FOR SOCON TITLE – VMI football will have an opportuni- 2020-21 ETSU Schedule ty to clinch the Southern Conference football title this Saturday as it faces ETSU Overall: 3-1 SoCon: 3-1 at Foster Stadium. If the Keydets prevail over the Bucs, they would claim their eighth Southern Conference football championship and first since 1977. This will Date Opponent Time/Result be the first game played in Lexington with conference title implications involving F20 Samford* W, 24-17 VMI since 1981 when the Keydets squared off against Furman but came up short against the Paladins. ETSU has only one path to a SoCon football title and M6 at Wofford* Postponed must win its remaining two games and hope for a VMI loss against The Citadel M13 Furman* L, 17-13 April 17 to claim the crown. HERRES NAMED NATIONAL AND SOCON PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Junior M20 at The Citadel* W, 28-21 wide receiver Jakob Herres was named Stats Perform National and SoCon Offensive Player of the Week for his outstanding play in last Saturday’s 36-31 M27 Western Carolina* W, 24-17 win over Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C. Herres caught a career-high 15 passes A3 at VMI* 1:30 p.m. out of 18 targets for 207 yards and three touchdowns – all career bests – and hauled in the 14-yard game winning catch from quarterback Seth Morgan with A10 at Mercer* 6:00 p.m. :35 remaining in the contest. He also generated 30 yards after catch against the A17 Chattanooga* 3:30 p.m Terriers. It’s the second time this year a Keydet has been named National Player of the Week as outside linebacker Connor Riddle earned the honor for his play against Furman February 27. (See more Herres notes page 3). VMI MOVES TO 5-0; SECURES WINNING SEASON – With the 36-31 come- from-behind win over Wofford Saturday, VMI is 5-0 for the first time since 1960. The Keydets also secured their first winning season since 1981 ending a span of nearly four decades where the closest the Keydets could come to winning marks VMI Athletic Communications were a pair of consecutive 6-6 records in 2002 and 2003. VMI has also won six straight games dating back to the 2019 season finale which is the longest con- SID/Football Contact ............... Wade Branner secutive win streak for the program since 1959-60 when the Keydets reeled off Email ...................... [email protected] 12 straight wins over two consecutive SoCon championship seasons. ROAD WARRIORS – VMI finished its 2021 spring football season with a perfect Office Phone ...................... 540-464-7253 3-0 road mark in regular season games and went undefeated on the road for the Cell Phone ........................ 540-319-1271 first the first time since 1922 when the “Flying Squadron” under coach Blandy Clarkson went 3-0 in road tests. All three VMI football regular season road vic- Fax ............................... 540-464-7583 tories this year occurred where VMI had never won before and ended winless Secondary Contact ............. Daniel Whitehead droughts at Western Carolina (13 games), Samford (three games) and Wofford (seven games). Website ................... www.VMIKeydets.com Press Box Phone ................... 540-464-7834 A VMI Win over ETSU would ... ---Give VMI its first Southern Conference football title since 1977 and eighth Twitter .......................... @VMIATHLETICS overall in program history ETSU Media Relations HOW TO FOLLOW Football Contact ....................... David Fox VMI RADIO NETWORK: WWZW – 96.7 FM (Lexington, Lynchburg), WJFN- Email ..................... [email protected] 100.5/92.7 FM (Richmond), and WJFN 820 AM (Hampton Roads). A free audio broadcast of the game is available at 3wzfm.com and via the Tune-In app. Chris Office Phone ....................... 423-767-3607 Graham and Rick Cruze will be on the call. Website ...................... www.etsubucs.com TELEVISIO/ VIDEO STREAMING: Saturday’s game can be seen on ESPN+. Wade Branner will call the play-by-play and Chip Tarkenton will provide analysis. - SATURDAY’S GAME VERSUS ETSU - VMI’s 2020-21 Record When THE SERIES: This will be the 26th meeting between the schools that first Home ........................................... 2-0 met in 1979. ETSU leads the series 15-10. VMI claimed the eight of the first Away ............................................ 3-0 14 of the rivalry before the Bucs took seven straight from the Keydets. The Playing On Grass ................................. 3-0 series took a 12-year hiatus when VMI left the SoCon for the Big South and Playing On Turf .................................. 2-0 ETSU dropped its football program before reinstating it in 2015. The Bucs Winning The Coin Toss ........................... 2-0 and VMI are 2-2 since resuming the series in 2016 with the Keydets prevail- ing in the last meeting, 31-24 in overtime in Johnson City. Losing The Coin Toss ............................. 3-0 Coin Toss Unknown .............................. 0-0 NOTING THE KEYDETS Receiving The Ball First ........................... 3-0 Kicking Off First .................................. 2-0 VMI MOVES UP IN POLLS – Two weeks after attaining its first ever FCS Leading After the 1st Quarter .................... 3-0 Top 25 ranking, VMI Football is ranked 10th in the Stats Perform and the Trailing After the 1st Quarter ..................... 2-0 AFCA coaches’ poll. The Keydets moved up four spots in the Stats Perform Tied After the 1st Quarter ........................ 0-0 poll and three spots in the coaches’ poll from last week. The #10 spot is the Leading at Halftime .............................. 2-0 highest national ranking in program history surpassing the #13 AP poll rank- ing in the 1957 season. Trailing at Halftime. 2-0 MORGAN SPECTACULAR IN FIRST START – Taking over for SoCon Tied at Halftime .................................. 1-0 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Reece Udinski who is out for the Leading After the 3rd Quarter .................... 4-0 season with injury, redshirt freshman Seth Morgan shined in his first college Trailing After the 3rd Quarter ..................... 1-0 start by completing 25 of 34 passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns in the Tied After the 3rd Quarter ........................ 0-0 36-31 win over Wofford last Saturday. Morgan also rushed for 76 yards and Leading with 2:00 Left ........................... 4-0 finished with 451 yards total offense – the second-best single game in school Trailing with 2:00 Left ............................ 1-0 Head Coach Scott Wachenheim - Sixth Season Tied with 2:00 Left ............................... 0-0 Scoring First ..................................... 3-0 Entering his sixth season as VMI’s head football coach, Scott Wachenheim continues to guide the Opponent Scores First ........................... 2-0 program toward new heights in one of the toughest conferences in the FCS. Scoring 40 or more points ........................ 1-0 Scoring 30-39 points ............................. 3-0 Wachenheim guided the Keydet football team to five wins overall in 2019 – the most since 2003 when VMI posted a 6-6 mark. The Keydets closed out the regular season with a 31-24 win over Scoring 20-29 points ............................. 0-0 Chattanooga to finish with a 4-4 mark in SoCon play which marked the first time since 1979 that Scoring less than 20 points ....................... 1-0 the VMI had secured four conference wins in a season. The Keydets also reclaimed the Silver Shako Allowing Opponent less than 20 points ........... 3-0 trophy for the first time in 13 meetings after an October win over The Citadel in the Military Classic Allowing Opponent 20 or more points ........... 2-0 of the South. The 2019 squad established a new VMI school single season mark with for total offense Allowing Opponent less than 30 points ........... 3-0 (4,887) and passing yards (3,429) and the 370 points scored was the second highest in Institute his- Allowing Opponent 30 or more points ........... 2-0 tory. Rushing for 100 yards or more ................... 4-0 Wachenheim was voted 2019 Southern Conference Coach of the Year by the league coaches and Rushing for less than 100 yards ................... 1-0 became the first VMI coach to achieve the honor since Cal McCombs in 2002. He was also named Passing for 200 yards or more .................... 5-0 one of 15 finalists to the STATS FCS 33rd annual Eddie Robinson Award which honors the FCS Passing for less than 200 yards ................... 0-0 Coach of the Year. Totaling 400 yards or more in offense ............ 4-0 Wachenheim received a three-year contract extension following the 2019 campaign and was also Totaling less than 400 yards in offense ........... 1-0 awarded the Distinguished Coaching Award bestowed annually among Institute coaches. Allowing Opp. 150 or more rushing yards ........... 1-0 Allowing Opp. less than 150 rushing yards .......... 4-0 A 1984 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and veteran coach with over 26 years of Allowing Opp. 200 or more passing yards ............. 2-0 experience in the college ranks, Wachenheim came to VMI from the University of Virginia where he Allowing Opp. less than 200 passing yards ........ 3-0 had served for five seasons, including being the Cavaliers offensive line coach since 2011.