Preseason Previews: Game #11 - VMI Keydets

Throughout this preseason, we will preview all of  Western Carolina's 2023 football opponents. For the 2023 season's tenth and final regular season game, the Catamounts travel to Lexington, VA to face the Virginia Military Institute Keydets in Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium.

The Bulldogs finished the 2022 season with a 1-10 overall record. The Keydets were picked to finish ninth in the 2023 coaches & media polls. 

            

               Game # 11

                           VMI Keydets

When: Saturday, November 18, 2023

Time: TBA

Where:  Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium, Lexington, VA
Radio: Catamount Sports Network

   -Play-by-Play:  Gary Ayers • Daniel Hooker • Producer: Jeff Bryson

TV/video: ESPN3

  -Play-by-Play:  Kevin Gehl  •  John Mount Shoop 

Live Stats:  VMI Live Stats

Fan Message Board:  Keydet Sportstalk
Game Notes:    Western Carolina    -     VMI      -    SoCon Notes
Mascot:  Moe (Kangaroo) 

Enrollment: 1,685

School Colors:  Red, Yellow & White

The Series: Western currently leads the series with VMI, by a 24-4 margin. The Cats and Keydets first played on the gridiron in 1978, and the Cats owned a sixteen-game winning streak over the Keydets until the spring of 2021 when the Keydets broke that streak on their road to a SoCon Championship.  The Cats do hold an 11-3 record for games played in Lexington and are 8-1 over the Keydets since their return to the Southern Conference in 2014.  

The last game played vs. VMI:  October 1, 2022 -  Lexington, Va.  - Davis, Defense Lead Western Carolina Past VMI, 38-17 -  Cullowhee, N.C. – Carlos Davis tossed four touchdown passes to four different receivers in guiding the Catamount offense while the defensive unit created three takeaways and seven sacks as Western Carolina claimed a 38-17 victory over VMI on Saturday afternoon in Southern Conference play at Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.

Head Coach: Danny Rocco -  VMI Athletics announced its new head football coach on Saturday, hiring Danny Rocco as the 33^rd head coach in Keydet football history. Rocco brings a decorated coaching history with him to Lexington, with experience at the FBS and FCS level, as well as the NFL. A six-time national coach of the year finalist, Rocco has won seven conference championships (4 Big South, 3 CAA) in his 16 years at the helm. Some of Rocco's other accolades include: five FCS playoff appearances, four Big South Conference Championships, three Colonial Athletic Association Championships, 10 top-25 finishes and 12 seasons with seven or more wins while coaching 42 All-Americans.

Danny Rocco's record vs. Western Carolina:  0 - 0

Kerwin Bell's record vs. VMI:  2 - 0  

Last Season's Record 2021 (VMI):   1-10 overall, 1-5 home, 0-5 away,  0-8 SoCon

Starters Returning/Lost: 11/11

Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 70/15

VMI was picked to finish 9th in the 2023 Coaches' & media preseason polls, with Alex Oliver (defense) and Jack Culbreath (specialist) being named to the first team SoCon honors, while Evan Eller (defense) and Tyriq Poindexter (offense) garnered second team honors. Just a short day after the Southern Conference Media Day, Phil Steele announced his 2023 Preseason Football All-American and All-Conference teams. Jack Culbreath was named a fourth-team All-American, while eight Keydets were named to his All-SoCon preseason teams. Alex Oliver earned a first team nod, with Evan Eller and Christian Dunn getting second-team defensive honors. Offensively, Tyriq Poindexter (OL) was slated on third-team offense, while Rashad Raymond (RB), Aidan Twombly (TE), and Will Reid (OL) were named third team. Culbreath, meanwhile, was named to the first team special teams squad.  So, while losing 18 players to the transfer portal after the last season, the cupboard is certainly not bare for the Keydets. 

2022 VMI Statistics  (11 games)

Rushing Offense: 852 yards
Yards per game: 75.5
Yards per rush: 2.4 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 59
TDs rushing: 12
Passing Offense: 2291 yards or 208.2 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 6.2 yards
Passing 1st downs: 95
Passing Att-Comp-Int: 371-210-17

TDs Passing: 7
Total Offense: 3143 yards or 285.7 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 16-11
3d Down Conversions: 48 of 162 (29.6%)
4th Down Conversions: 9 of 19 (47.4%)
Field goal attempts 11 - 15
PAT-Attempts: 16 of 17
On-side kicks: 0 - 4
Red Zone Scores: 23 of 31  
Red Zone Touchdowns: 14 of 31 
Punts - Yards: 69 - 2292 - Avg per punt: 43.0