2020 VMI Keydets football team
Virginia Military Institute in the 2020 NCAA Division I FCS football season
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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 |
|
| 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 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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
VMI 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]
