Davidson College
0-1
VMI
1-0
Davidson Falls to VMI in Season Opener
9/4/2021 4:32:00 PM | Football
VMI scored on their first three drives to build a 21-0 lead before Davidson got on the scoreboard in the second quarter.
The 'Cats got off to a slow start with a quick three-and-out after winning the toss. VMI got the ball with 12:55 left in the first and marched down the field. Senior running back Korey Bridy recorded a 13-yard rushing touchdown to give the Keydets an early 7-0 advantage. VMI's redshirt sophomore quarterback Seth Morgan's four-yard rush pushed their lead to 14-0 after 15 minutes of play. VMI tacked on their third touchdown just 30 seconds into the second quarter.
Senior running back Coy Williams led the Wildcats offensively, rushing 80 yards and recording a touchdown. Davidson saw a two-man effort at quarterback from redshirt senior Louis Colosimo and sophomore Elijah Burrell, who completed seven of seven passes for 71 yards. His longest was a 23-yard strike to sophomore wide receiver Clarence Freeman IV.
The 'Cats saw three different Wildcats rush into the end zone Saturday, Williams, sophomore slot receiver Mark McCurdy and junior running back Bernard Turner, Jr. McCurdy caught six for 67 yards. Junior slot receiver Bradyn Oakley led the 'Cats with three receptions for 18 yards. Junior kicker Caden Bonoffski also recorded a 35-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Defensively, the Davidson defense brought down Morgan twice including individual sacks from Tyreece White and Tyler Solomon. Senior linebackers Jalen Jefferson and Jake Alexander led the defensive effort with 17 combined total tackles, six of them solo for Jefferson. Junior cornerback Quentin James snagged his first-career interception.
FROM COACH ABELL
I think we saw glimpses of the team I think we can be. We obviously have a lot of work to do. The key is to get back and learn. I give VMI a ton of credit and we adjusted defensively, […] But look, (we had) a couple early turnovers and you can't do that against a ranked team. […] At the end of the day, we made way too many mistakes against a nationally ranked team to win. We all have to learn from that, myself included because there's certainly things we weren't prepared for and that's my fault.
ON DECK
The Wildcats host Shaw in their first home game of the 2021 season on Saturday, Sept 11. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Richardson Stadium. Saturday's game marks Hometown Heroes Day. Any active or retired Military, Law Enforcement, First Responders, or Healthcare workers are eligible to receive up to four tickets with an ID.
Team Stats
DAV 0, VMI 7
VMI - Korey Bridy 13 yd run (Jerry Rice kick), 12 plays, 69 yards, TOP 4:59
DAV 0, VMI 14
VMI - Seth Morgan 4 yd run (Jerry Rice kick), 2 plays, 40 yards, TOP 0:25
DAV 0, VMI 21
VMI - Jakob Herres 9 yd pass from Seth Morgan (Jerry Rice kick) 6 plays, 34 yards, TOP 1:52
DAV 7, VMI 21
DAV - Mark McCurdy 28 yd run (Caden Bonoffski kick), 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:13
DAV 10, VMI 21
DAV - Caden Bonoffski 35 yd field goal 10 plays, 36 yards, TOP 5:30
DAV 10, VMI 24
VMI - Jerry Rice 46 yd field goal 5 plays, 24 yards, TOP 0:40
DAV 10, VMI 31
VMI - Jakob Herres 13 yd pass from Seth Morgan (Jerry Rice kick) 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 6:01
DAV 10, VMI 38
VMI - Rashad Raymond 1 yd run (Jerry Rice kick), 7 plays, 38 yards, TOP 3:28
DAV 17, VMI 38
DAV - Coy Williams 34 yd run (Caden Bonoffski kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:20
DAV 17, VMI 45
VMI - Grant Swinehart 52 yd run (Jerry Rice kick), 2 plays, 48 yards, TOP 1:08
DAV 24, VMI 45
DAV - Ber. Turner Jr. 2 yd run (Caden Bonoffski kick), 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 1:41
