LEXINGTON, Va. – No. 22 VMI opened Southern Conference play with a 31-23 home win over Wofford Saturday afternoon. Collin Ironside was the man under center for the Keydets with Seth Morgan still unable to play after sustaining a helmet-to-helmet hit at Cornell.
It was an evenly matched game in the first half with each team scoring two touchdowns. Korey Bridy tallied a 5-yard rushing touchdown while Ironside notched a 20-yard touchdown pass to Chance Knox.
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In the second half, Ironside connected with former Patrick Henry Patriot Leroy Thomas for a 47-yard touchdown and a then 21-14 lead. Wofford was driving late in the fourth quarter when Austin White came up with a big interception to get the ball back for the Keydets, leading to the 31-23 win.
“It was great to beat a very talented football team like Wofford. They had won the conference three out of the last four years,” said coach Scott Wachenheim. “We made some adjustments at the half and one key to the game was that defensive stop right before the half. We made a stop on their first drive of the second half then went down and scored a touchdown. That was a key difference in the game to give us some momentum.
Korey Bridy toted the ball 22 times for a career high 171 yards and two touchdowns. Leroy Thomas finished with 3 catches for 61 yards and a score. While former Lord Botetourt standout Jerry Rice was perfect on special teams, going 4-for-4 on extra-point attempts, and 1-for-1 on field-goal attempts.
“I can’t say enough about Korey Bridy. He had a great day running the football. Coming back and scoring a touchdown after his fumble showed tremendous grit and I’m very proud of the way he fought through adversity. Jakob Herres’ catch on that third down was huge. He skyrocketed and made the catch to keep us on the field,” Wachenheim added.
VMI will now prepare to play at The Citadel and renew the rivalry that is known as the Military Classic of the South, where the two will battle for the Silver Shako trophy. The Keydets have won the past two matchups (34-21 in 2019, 31-17 in the 2020 season).