VMI led out of the gate, but East Tennessee State led 27-7 at the half on its way to a 44-21 win at Foster Stadium in Lexington on Saturday.
VMI now falls to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play, while the Bucs improve to 3-3 on the season and 1-3 in conference play.
“Proud of the way the team fought back,” VMI head coach Scott Wachenheim said. “I thought we got off to a fast start, but then ETSU captured momentum and it took us a while to get it back in the second half.”
The Kedyet defense opened the game with a three-and-out, and on the ensuing possession, a Hunter Rice rush and facemask penalty set up a Korey Bridey scamper from the 12-yard line as VMI jumped in front, 7-0.
ETSU answered right back and would later capitalize on an interception as Jacob Saylors scored a 23-yard touchdown to put ETSU in front 14-7. The Bucs added two field goals before Tyler Riddle connected with Einaj Carter down the sideline for a 32-yard TD to take a 27-7 lead into half.
The Keydets opened the second half with a bang, as Seth Morgan threw a strike to Leroy Thomas for his first touchdown pass of the season. After the Bucs extended their lead to 34-14, Thomas took an end around and rushed in his second touchdown of the game to make the score 34-21 with 12 minutes to play, but that was as close as it would get late.
Postgame: Scott Wachenheim
On the team’s 1-4 start: “You are what you are, but I worry more about the process and how we are improving. Our team never says dies, our team fights until the very last play. There’s a lot to be proud of in how we played, just the results haven’t come our way. We’ll keep loving each other, playing hard and look to find a to win next week.”
On the focus moving forward: “While I think we can compete for the SoCon title, and our players did as well, sometimes it leads to playing tight. I’ve been trying to shift the focus to just taking it one play at a time.”
What’s next
The Keydets return to the road next Saturday, visiting preseason No. 1 Chattanooga. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
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