VMI football achieves their first win of the season against the Furman Paladins Nov. 2, using a blocked kick, a forced fumble, and a game-sealing interception to catapult to a 21-17 victory at Foster Stadium.—Photo courtesy Road Win Photos.
After a tough loss to The Citadel Oct. 19, the Keydets rebounded with their first win of the season—a 21-17 victory over the Furman Paladins Nov. 2. VMI football’s Shamus Jones ’25, defensive back, earned Southern Conference recognition as SoCon Player of the Week for his role in the Keydets’ win.
The VMI football team battled The Citadel in the 80th Military Classic of the South matchup Oct. 19, leading early in the fourth quarter but were ultimately edged out 13-10.
“Really disappointing ending,” said Danny Rocco, head coach. “Our defense played well enough to win. They negated the run game, controlled the tempo of the game, took the ball away. … We’re struggling offensively with continuity, and you almost have to win a game like that 13-10 to turn things around, and that’s kind of what it came down to.”
Searching for their first victory of the 2024 season, the VMI football team took matters into their own hands against the Furman Paladins Nov. 2, using a blocked kick, a forced fumble, and a game-sealing interception to catapult the Keydets to a 21-17 victory at Foster Stadium.
“We’re really excited. These guys have worked really hard. We’ve been through a lot of adversity,” said Danny Rocco, VMI head coach. “The team has really come together. Our senior leadership has been really good. They made a conscious decision that they were going to keep fighting, and we found ourselves in a dogfight today … I’m just glad for our players that we can celebrate victory.”
“I had a really good feeling today. We had a really good week of practice. We were back at home. We had a celebration honoring the 1974 team as well. And we’ve really been talking a lot about legacy, so we had a lot to play for and are really excited about getting the win.”
“Our defense [were] just warriors out there on the field. The defense had to keep answering the bell. We had our back against the wall. But those guys rose up and made really big plays.”
“Football reveals so much in your DNA. The game brings you to a breaking point. If you have a weakness, football will find it. If you have a character flaw, football’s going to find it. It’s just so unique how it happens like that, but today, despite some of our errors, we deserved to win this football game and really glad we did.”
The Keydets attacked the air early, opening up with a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a 17-yard strike to Horne. After the VMI special teams blocked a field goal attempt, Furman would get on the board during its next possession to tie the game at 7-7 as the first quarter wound down.
The Paladins opened the second with a field goal, but Wilson and Nelson’s strong connection carried the Keydets to another score, with Nelson’s 51-yard reception and drawn pass interference setting up a Rice score. Defensively, Rankin took matters into his own hands, forcing a sack-fumble and taking it down the four, where JoJo Crump [’28] would ultimately punch it in to give VMI a 21-10 lead at the break.
Neither team could move the ball much early in the third, but the Paladins got aggressive, converting a fourth down and later recording a touchdown after the Keydets would jump offside (21-17, 3:39 in the 3rd).
On the opening possession of the fourth quarter, Furman worked the ball downfield and went for it on fourth and two but missed the receiver in the end zone. Furman worked down the field on its next possession, but with time dwindling, were forced to go for it on fourth down as Joe Comello ’26 came up with a pass break up to stymie the Paladins again. Furman would have one more crack with 1:41 to play, but Jones read the quarterback and closed the game out with an interception.
After playing a pivotal role in VMI’s 21-17 victory over Furman, Shamus Jones ’25, defensive back, was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week Nov. 4, 2024.
Jones was a force from the jump in the game Nov. 2, blocking a field goal attempt in the first quarter to help the Keydets sustain momentum. Totaling a career-high 13.0 tackles with a pass breakup, Jones would cap off the contest with a game-sealing interception to propel the Keydets to victory.
Jones ranks third on the team for the year with 70.0 tackles while leading the Keydets with two interceptions. A 1st Class cadet from Chester, Virginia, Jones was voted a team captain this summer and ranks seventh in tackles in the Southern Conference this season.
Editor’s Note: These articles were first published at vmikeydets.com.
