Post by FUBeAR on Sept 25, 2018 21:59:38 GMT -5
Mercer is coming off a heart- & and collarbone-breaking 38-31 loss to VMI's sister school, The Citadel.
VMI is coming off a heart- & record-breaking 52-50 loss to a school where they often marry their sisters, Western Carolina. (JK Catamounts...y'know that).
VMI is 0-4 and 0-3 in the SoCon. The Keydets have lost 21 straight Football games. Their last win was over a 1st year SoCon program, ETSU, on October 8th, 2016.
The Keydets are averaging giving up 51 points/game to their opponents and 46 points/game to SoCon Teams. Those are BIG numbers.
All that said, VMI has started to look like a different Football Team in their last 2 outings, close conference losses by 3 to ETSU and the aforementioned 2 point loss to WCU. They throw the ball...A LOT. Last week, their QB, Reece Udinski, was named SoCon OPOW for his 43-72, 491 yards, 4 TD passes with 1 INT performance against the Catamounts' bewildered Secondary.
Regardless of their record, this is a VERY dangerous Team (now) and Alumni Field in Lexington, VA, a natural grass (sometimes it has grass) field, is a very difficult place to play. Mercer will have to bring their A+ game and Kaelan Riley will need to return to and improve upon last year's form vs. VMI, when he was 13-24 for 318 yards, with a long pass of 79 yards, and 3 TD’s, with only 1 INT. He also ran the ball 5 times for 44 yards, but lost 18 yards on 2 sacks, for a total of 7 carries.
As The Citadel already has 2 SoCon losses, Mercer's loss to them, potentially, has no effect on Mercer's chances for a SoCon Championship and an Autobid FCS Playoff berth. If the Bears beat VMI, WCU, Wofford, ETSU, Chattanooga, and Furman, they will be SoCon Champions and will get the Autobid. At this point, assuming those wins, only 1 of the following 4 Teams could even tie Mercer for the Championship - WCU, Wofford, ETSU, OR Chatt, but Mercer would get the Autobid because of the head-to-head win over that 1 Team.
Gotta THINK POSITIVE Bears fans!!!
VMI is coming off a heart- & record-breaking 52-50 loss to a school where they often marry their sisters, Western Carolina. (JK Catamounts...y'know that).
VMI is 0-4 and 0-3 in the SoCon. The Keydets have lost 21 straight Football games. Their last win was over a 1st year SoCon program, ETSU, on October 8th, 2016.
The Keydets are averaging giving up 51 points/game to their opponents and 46 points/game to SoCon Teams. Those are BIG numbers.
All that said, VMI has started to look like a different Football Team in their last 2 outings, close conference losses by 3 to ETSU and the aforementioned 2 point loss to WCU. They throw the ball...A LOT. Last week, their QB, Reece Udinski, was named SoCon OPOW for his 43-72, 491 yards, 4 TD passes with 1 INT performance against the Catamounts' bewildered Secondary.
Regardless of their record, this is a VERY dangerous Team (now) and Alumni Field in Lexington, VA, a natural grass (sometimes it has grass) field, is a very difficult place to play. Mercer will have to bring their A+ game and Kaelan Riley will need to return to and improve upon last year's form vs. VMI, when he was 13-24 for 318 yards, with a long pass of 79 yards, and 3 TD’s, with only 1 INT. He also ran the ball 5 times for 44 yards, but lost 18 yards on 2 sacks, for a total of 7 carries.
As The Citadel already has 2 SoCon losses, Mercer's loss to them, potentially, has no effect on Mercer's chances for a SoCon Championship and an Autobid FCS Playoff berth. If the Bears beat VMI, WCU, Wofford, ETSU, Chattanooga, and Furman, they will be SoCon Champions and will get the Autobid. At this point, assuming those wins, only 1 of the following 4 Teams could even tie Mercer for the Championship - WCU, Wofford, ETSU, OR Chatt, but Mercer would get the Autobid because of the head-to-head win over that 1 Team.
Gotta THINK POSITIVE Bears fans!!!
