The 2020 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 130th football season. The Keydets were led by sixth-year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium. They are a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon).
| 2020 VMI Keydets football | |
|---|---|
 | |
SoCon champion | |
NCAA Division I First Round, L 24–31 vs. James Madison | |
| Conference | Southern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| STATS | No. 12 |
| FCS Coaches | No. 12 |
| Record | 6–2 (6–1 SoCon) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Billy Cosh (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Tom Clark (6th season) |
| Home stadium | Alumni Memorial Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 11 VMI $^ | 6 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22 East Tennessee State | 4 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chattanooga† | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mercer | 5 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samford | 4 | – | 3 | 4 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Furman | 3 | – | 4 | 3 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wofford† | 1 | – | 4 | 1 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Citadel | 2 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Carolina | 1 | – | 5 | 1 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On April 17, 2021, VMI defeated The Citadel 31–17 in the Military Classic of the South, retaining the Silver Shako, and winning their first Southern Conference Football Championship since 1977. Upon winning the Southern Conference title, the Keydets were awarded the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, VMI's first appearance. The Keydets lost in the first round at James Madison, 31–24.
Schedule
editVMI had a game scheduled against Princeton, which was canceled before the start of the 2020 season.[1][2]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | Canceled[a] | |||||||
| February 27 | 1:30 p.m. | No. 10 Furman | ESPN+ | W 14–13 | 250 | ||||
| March 6 | 1:00 p.m. | at Western Carolina | ESPN+ | W 30–7 | 1300 | ||||
| March 13 | 1:30 p.m. | Mercer |
| ESPN+ | W 41–14 | 1000 | |||
| March 20 | 1:00 p.m. | at Samford | No. 19 | ESPN+ | W 38–37 OT | 1156 | |||
| March 27 | 1:00 p.m. | at Wofford | No. 14 | ESPN+ | W 36–31 | 1159 | |||
| April 3 | 1:30 p.m. | East Tennessee State | No. 10 |
| ESPN+ | L 20–24 | 3000 | ||
| April 17 | 1:30 p.m. | The Citadel | No. 15 |
| ESPN+ | W 31–17 | 3000 | ||
| April 24 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 1 James Madison | No. 11 | ESPN3 | L 24–31 | 6011 | |||
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- ^ On March 29, 2021, Chattanooga announced that it would opt out of the remainder of the 2021 spring season due to safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
References
edit- ^ West, Jenna. "Ivy League to Postpone Fall Athletics, No Date Set for Return". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "ACC Announces Plans for Football and Fall Olympic Sports". TheACC.com. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "Chattanooga Football Opting Out of the Remainder of the 2021 Spring FCS Season". University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "2020 VMI Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
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