Home Preview: VMI opens spring 2021 football season at home with #10 Furman
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Preview: VMI opens spring 2021 football season at home with #10 Furman

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VMI AthleticsFurman, ranked 10th in FCS, coming off a dominating 35-7 win over Western Carolina, is the opening-week opponent for VMI on Saturday.

Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Wade Branner and Chip Tarkenton as your announce crew, and on the radio at 3WZ 96.7FM with Chris Graham and Rick Cruze on the call.

The Paladins were clicking on all cylinders in their opener, putting up 533 yards of total offense – 320 through the air, 213 on the ground – while controlling the ball for 41:09 of the game clock.

The D held Western Carolina to five first downs, 109 yards of offense – 36 snaps.

That’s dominating.

Furman comes into this one having won 26 of 27 in the series with VMI, which dates back to 1980.

The Keydets had their scheduled Feb. 20 season opener at Chattanooga postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Chattanooga program.

Coach Scott Wachenheim has a solid nucleus back from the 2019 team that went 5-7 overall and 4-4 in SoCon play.

Most significantly, VMI returns the two-year starter at quarterback, Reece Udinski, who threw for 3,276 yards and 19 TDs in 2019, his second straight season throwing for 3,000+ yards.

Udinski was an efficient 9-of-15 for 73 yards and a TD in the team’s Jan. 30 scrimmage.

The TD connection was with junior tailback Kory Bridy, who will team up in the backfield with true freshman Grant Swinehart, a tough inside runner who scored on a 15-yard run in the scrimmage.

The Bridy-Swinehart backfield combo will have to work to replace the productivity of Alex Ramsey, who ran for 1,326 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2019.

Furman has a big-numbers back in senior Devin Wynn, who ran for 106 yards last week to push him past the 2,000-yard mark for his career.

Wynn put up numbers in Furman’s wins over VMI in 2018 and 2019, putting up a combined 214 yards and scoring eight TDs over the two games.

Furman QB Hamp Sisson threw for 217 yards and three TDs in the win over Western Carolina.

Sisson threw for 277 yards and two TDs in Furman’s 60-21 win over VMI in 2019 in his first career college start.

Contributors

Contributors

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