For the regular season final, the Catamounts travel to Lexington, VA to face the Virginia Military Institute Keydets in Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium. The Keydets finished the 2022 season with a 1-10 overall record but with a new coach and staff, the Keydets are 4-6 overall and 3-4 in Southern Conference games in 2023.
Game # 11 - VMI Keydets
Time: 12 noon
Where: Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium, Lexington, VARadio: 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)
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 33rd head coach in Keydet football history. Rocco brings a decorated coaching history with him to Lexington, with experience at the FBS and FCS levels, 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. While losing 18 players to the transfer portal after the last season, the cupboard is certainly not bare for the Keydets.
The Keydet defense – which recently suffered the loss of All-SoCon corner Alex
Oliver – ranks 4th in the SoCon, holding teams to 368.7 yards per game and continues to rank in the top 50 nationally in various categories:
-16th in passing yards allowed (178.2)
-40th in first down defense (179)
-46th in Red Zone defense (0.788)
-47th in scoring defense (25.0). Evan Eller is third in the SoCon and 29th nationally with 9.1 tackles per game,
while Eric Rankin is 39th in that same category (8.4). Josh Knapp (7.7) and
Christian Dunn (7.1) are just a behind Eller and Rankin, sitting 7th and 11th in the
league entering the final week.
Twice this season, Jack Culbreath was
named the SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week. The Charlottesville native
punted seven times against Samford, averaging 48.1 yards per kick, including a
program-record 76-yard punt that was downed at the Samford nine-yard line. Culbreath’s current season average of 43.6 yards per punt ranks 8th in the nation
at the FCS level, while his career punt average of 42.9 is 3rd among active FCS
players. Evan Eller has been a key component to the VMI defense since
his sophomore campaign. After ranking second in the SoCon in tackles in 2022,
the Roanoke native is thriving in a hybrid linebacker/safety role this year with 91
tackles (3rd SoCon, 29th nationally)
Rushing Offense: 1121 yards
Yards per game: 112.1
Yards per rush: 3.1 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 75
TDs rushing: 11
Passing Offense:1815 yards or 181 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 6.2 yards
Passing 1st downs: 79
Passing Att-Comp-Int: 291-177-9
Yards per rush: 3.1 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 75
TDs rushing: 11
Passing Offense:1815 yards or 181 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 6.2 yards
Passing 1st downs: 79
Passing Att-Comp-Int: 291-177-9
TDs Passing: 7
Total Offense: 2936 yards or 294 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 12-6
3d Down Conversions: 46 of 140 (33%)
4th Down Conversions: 4 of 12 (33%)
Field goal attempts 6 - 12
PAT-Attempts: 14 of 16
On-side kicks: 0 - 1
Red Zone Scores: 17 of 24
Red Zone Touchdowns: 13 of 24
Punts - Yards: 63 - 2660 - Avg per punt: 42
Total Offense: 2936 yards or 294 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 12-6
3d Down Conversions: 46 of 140 (33%)
4th Down Conversions: 4 of 12 (33%)
Field goal attempts 6 - 12
PAT-Attempts: 14 of 16
On-side kicks: 0 - 1
Red Zone Scores: 17 of 24
Red Zone Touchdowns: 13 of 24
Punts - Yards: 63 - 2660 - Avg per punt: 42
No comments:
Post a Comment