VMI tops Furman 14-13, flukey late fumble helps in win

LEXINGTON, Va. — Reece Udinksi, the Southern Conference preseason offensive player of the year, passed for 248 yards and a pair of touchdowns as VMI edged Furman 14-13 on Saturday.

Nursing a one-point lead into the fourth quarter, VMI played clock control but the strategy appeared to have backfired as the Paladins were driving with under a minute to go until a flukey turnover with 47 seconds left allowed the Keydets to preserve the win.

Furman, which started its final drive pinned at its own 11, had advanced to the VMI 24 when a third-down snap bounced off the hip of Ryan DeLucca, who was in motion behind the line of scrimmage. The ball bounced right to VMI’s Carter Johnson, who was crashing through the line of scrimmage, and Johnson wrapped it up.

VMI (1-0 Southern Conference) ended the game in victory formation.

Udinski and VMI controlled the pace during most of the fourth quarter, letting the play clock run down to near zero before snaps. Furman was limited to two drives, both starting deep in their own end — one at the 3 and the other at the 11.

Hamp Sisson made 17 of 26 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns for Furman (1-1). Sisson found Wayne Anderson with a 33-yard strike for a 7-0 lead. The PAT kick after an 8-yard scoring pass to Ryan Miller missed, making the difference in the game.

Udinski found Chance Knox from 19 yards out, putting VMI on top 14-13 with 17 seconds left in the third quarter.


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