VMI football has been competitive in 2015 under first-year head coach Scott Wachenheim. The Keydets have a chance to show how competitive they can be Saturday with #6 Chattanooga in town.
The Mocs (4-1, 2-0 Southern Conference) come to Alumni Memorial Field off a 31-3 win over Furman, a team that beat VMI, 24-21, on a late field goal in September.
Chattanooga also owns a 31-21 win over Samford, who beat the Keydets 49-13 last week in a game that was a one-score affair into the third quarter.
Both teams run their own versions of the hurry-up, and both can move the ball – VMI gains 399.3 yards per game in total offense, and Chattanooga puts up 383.0 yards per game on offense, with the Mocs fourth in the SoCon scoring 29.4 points per game, VMI fifth scoring 24.2 points per game.
The difference comes on defense. The Mocs lead the SoCon in total defense (300.8 yards per game), rushing defense (131.2 yards per game) and scoring defense (16.2 points per game).
The VMI D has had its share of troubles in 2015, ranking last in the SoCon in total defense (442.5 yards per game) and pass defense (290.3 yards per game, 132.8 opponent passer rating).
It hasn’t helped the Keydet defense that the offense has given up a league-high 17 turnovers, including 13 interceptions by sophomore quarterback Al Cobb.
Cobb, the 2014 SoCon Freshman of the Year, is 139-for-240 passing (57.9 percent) for 1,554 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions, with a 113.8 passer rating. More responsibility has been put on Cobb’s shoulders this season – he’s throwing 40 passes a game in 2015, up from 36.5 attempts per game in 2014. He’s also faced more pressure – Cobb was sacked 21 times in 12 games in 2014, and has already been sacked 16 times in six games in 2015.
An improved running game – the Keydets are averaging 122.0 yards per game on the ground in 2015, up from 103.6 yards per game in 2014 – will help as opposing defenses have to give more respect to the ground game as the season wears on.
And therein lies the first element of the formula for an upset of Chattanooga. If the line can open up the run game and protect Cobb, he can avoid turnovers and move the offense to get some points on the board.
Chattanooga tries to bludgeon opponents with its offense, which racks up 234.4 yards per game on the ground, with dual-threat quarterback Jacob Huesman gaining 444 yards on 4.8 yards per carry and completing 63.6 percent of his passes leading the way.
Tailback Derrick Craine is a beast in his own right (477 yards, 5.5 yards per carry) and makes it hard for opponents to key in on the zone-read looks.
The Mocs also don’t beat themselves – surrendering just four turnovers through their first five games.
There’s the second part of the upset equation. The VMI defense has to corral Huesman, though that’s obviously easier said than it is done, and force Chattanooga to deal with adversity in terms of turnovers that it hasn’t had to face much in 2015.
– Preview by Chris Graham
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