Home VMI football falls to Bucknell in OT, 28-22
Sports

VMI football falls to Bucknell in OT, 28-22

Contributors

vmi footballMatt DelMauro ran for a 23-yard touchdown in the first overtime, giving the Bucknell Bison a dramatic 28-22 win over the VMI Keydets in non-conference football action Saturday at Foster Stadium in Lexington.

After Dillon Christopher had missed a 38-yard field goal on VMI’s possession in overtime, Will Carter grabbed a two-yard pass and, after a Bucknell (3-1) timeout, DelMauro scampered 23 yards up the middle for the game-winning touchdown.

With the victory, Bucknell won its third straight game over the Keydets (1-4) with an average margin of victory of less than eight points per game.

Al Cobb finished 26 of 47 for 251 yards and two touchdowns for the Keydets, two scores that tied him with Dave Brown and Jonathan Wilson for third on VMI’s all-time touchdown passes thrown list, while R.J. Nitti was 17 of 34 for 188 yards and a score to lead the Bison.

Carter had eight grabs for 81 yards and a touchdown that briefly put the visitors ahead in the fourth quarter, while Aaron Sanders had seven receptions, including one for a touchdown, for VMI.

Bucknell got on the board first. The Bison took over with 10:05 left in the first quarter and went 47 yards in seven plays, a drive capped by Nitti’s six-yard touchdown run that made it 7-0.

The Keydets countered on their next drive. Cobb completed passes to four different receivers, including a one-yard touchdown to Sanders, on an 11-play, 63-yard drive that tied the score, 7-7. That was the score after one quarter, but VMI took the lead on the lone score of the second period, a one-yard Cobb pass to Sam Patterson to account for the halftime score of 13-7, VMI.

The rain, which had stayed away for much of the first half, picked up at times in the third quarter and the offenses felt the effects. There were six punts in the period, as neither team scored and VMI still held a 13-7 advantage headed to the fourth quarter.

The Keydets pushed their margin to 12 early in the fourth, when Dontae Mauck scored on a 42-yard reverse for a 19-7 Keydet lead, but the Bucknell rally started on the ensuing kickoff. Joey DeFloria ran the kick back 85 yards for a touchdown, cutting the lead to five at 19-14 with 10:34 to go.

After a VMI punt, Bucknell promptly went 57 yards in eight plays, capped by a nine-yard Nitti to Carter touchdown pass, a fade to the back corner of the endzone that gave the Bison the lead. Nitti converted a rush for the two-point play, making it 22-19 with 4:55 left.

VMI got the ball back with 1:50 to go, still trailing by three, and quickly responded. Cobb completed four of his first five passes on the drive, and a swing pass to Derrick Ziglar with six seconds to go set up Christopher for a 40-yard field goal. The kick was good as regulation time expired, tying the score and setting the stage for the overtime dramatics.

Ben Richard had 18 tackles to lead Bucknell defensively, while Ryan Francis had 11 stops for the Keydets. VMI outgained Bucknell 395-290 in the game, but four sacks for BU made a difference in the contest.

The setback was VMI’s fourth consecutive overtime loss.

VMI football will return to action Oct. 10, when the Keydets play host to Samford at Foster Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

 

Press Conference: VMI Head Coach Scott Wachenheim

“It was another hard-fought game. It came down to one play. Just like Furman, they made one more play than we did at the end to win the game. I’m very proud of the team’s effort and the way they fought from start to finish. They played extremely, extremely hard. It comes down to making one more play than we did at the end. I’m proud of the kids’ effort – we’ll keep fighting, we’ll stay together and go out and get it next week.”

“The defense is getting a lot better. Coach Clark and his staff are doing a great job. The players are really learning the system. Bucknell is a really good rushing team and we had an outstanding defensive performance today.”

“Bucknell made a great play on that power run to win the game. They also have a great defense and ranked in the top 10 in several categories. One play doesn’t determine the outcome – it’s a whole host of plays.”

“I thought our special teams were much better today. We did a lot better in the punt game today. We’ve set it up to allow a few gunners to make a play. We’ve made it so defenses have to form a base defense, which makes it easier to cover punts, as well.”

Contributors

Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.