2015 VMI Keydets football team

American college football season

2015 VMI Keydets football

Conference	Southern Conference
Record	2–9 (1–6 SoCon)
Head coach	Scott Wachenheim (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Dustin Ward (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Tom Clark (1st season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Alumni Memorial Field
Seasons← 2014 2016 →

2015 Southern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 9 Chattanooga +^	6	–	1	9	–	4
No. 13 The Citadel +^	6	–	1	9	–	4
Western Carolina	5	–	2	7	–	4
Samford	3	–	4	6	–	5
Wofford	3	–	4	5	–	6
Mercer	2	–	5	5	–	6
Furman	2	–	5	4	–	7
VMI	1	–	6	2	–	9

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2015 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 125th football season and the Keydets were led by first year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium, as they have since 1962. This was VMI's second season as a member of the Southern Conference, following 11 seasons in the Big South Conference, which followed 78 years in the Southern Conference. They finished the season 2–9, 1–6 in SoCon play to finish in last place.

Personnel

Coaching staff

VMI will be led by first-year head coach Scott Wachenheim, a native of California and a 1984 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. Wachenheim was previously the offensive line coach at Virginia under head coach Mike London. He replaces Sparky Woods, who compiled a 17–62 record in seven seasons at VMI. Shortly following a home loss to The Citadel, VMI chose not to renew Woods' contract, and several weeks later announced the hire of Wachenheim.

Wachenheim introduced an almost entirely new coaching staff his first year on post. Coordinating the offense is Dustin Ward, while the defensive coordinator is Tom Clark who served two stints at William & Mary as a defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. There were only two holdovers from Woods' staff: wide receivers and tight ends coach Brad Robbins, and linebackers coach Justin Hamilton, a 2006 graduate of Virginia Tech. Also new to the staff is running backs coach Tim Maypray, who played football at VMI and graduated in 2010 before a brief stint in the Canadian Football League.

Name	Position	Seasons at VMI	Alma mater
Scott Wachenheim	Head coach	1st	Air Force (1984)
Dustin Ward	Offensive coordinator	1st	Illinois (2003)
Tom Clark	Defensive coordinator/Secondary	1st	Maryland (1986)
Tim Maypray	Running Backs	1st	VMI (2010)
Justin Wood	Inside Linebackers	1st	Christopher Newport (2006)
Justin Hamilton	outside linebackers	2nd	Virginia Tech
Brad Robbins	Wide receivers	3rd	UVA–Wise (2010)
Gordon Sammis	Offensive line	1st	Virginia (2007)
Mike Saint Germain	Defensive Line	1st	Lafayette (2007)
Josh Zidenberg	Asst. Secondary/Special Teams	1st	Virginia (2008)
Jimmy Whitten	Strength & Conditioning	12th	Virginia Tech (1991)
Reference:

Returning starters

Offense

Player	Class	Position
Al Cobb	R–Sophomore	Quarterback
Pat Doucette	Sophomore	Offensive Line
Bradley Hann	R–Junior	Offensive Line
Andrew Lewis	Junior	Offensive Line
Nate Murray	R–Senior	Offensive Line
Derrick Ziglar	R–Senior	Running Back
Matthew Nicholson	Junior	Wide Receiver
Sam Patterson	Senior	Wide Receiver
Aaron Sanders	Junior	Wide Receiver
Reference:

Defense

Player	Class	Position
Damian Jones	R–Junior	Cornerback
Denton Ensminger	Senior	Defensive Line
Joe Nelson	R–Sophomore	Defensive Line
Ryan Francis	R–Sophomore	Linebacker
Allan Cratsenberg	Sophomore	Linebacker
Alex Keys	R–Junior	Safety
Alijah Robinson	Junior	Safety
Reference:

Special teams

Player	Class	Position
Dillon Christopher	Junior	Placekicker
Hayden Alford	R–Junior	Punter
Dane Forlines	Junior	Punt returner
Taylor Stout Dane Forlines	Junior Junior	Kick returner
Reference:

Roster

2015 VMI Keydets football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB	`4`	John Burton	Jr
QB	`4`	Jake Paladino	Fr
WR	`6`	Dane Forlines	Jr
QB	`8`	Al Cobb	So
WR	`9`	Taylor Stout	Jr
WR	`11`	Darrian Johnson	Jr
TE	`13`	Ryan Swingle	So
WR	`15`	Joey Brown	So
QB	`16`	Jade Maher	So
RB	`17`	Brice Tucker	So
QB	`18`	Austin Coulling	Fr
WR	`21`	Aaron Sanders	Jr
WR	`22`	Dontae Mauck	Fr
FB	`23`	Cody Shirley	Jr
RB	`24`	Quan Myers	Fr
RB	`26`	Mason Dermott	Fr
RB	`37`	Chris Gavin	Fr
FB	`39`	Derrick Ziglar	Sr
RB	`40`	Hunter Marshall	So
WR	`43`	Kyle Harrell	So
TE	`47`	Zander Royston	Fr
WR	`48`	John Wilkins	Jr
RB	`49`	Kyle Vardo	So
C	`50`	Chase Smith	So
G	`57`	Bradley Hann	Jr
OT	`61`	Stephen Miller	So
C	`62`	Patrick Doucette	So
G	`63`	Nate Murray	Sr
G	`65`	Matt Milner	So
OT	`66`	Iyan Roseborough	Jr
OT	`71`	Christian Williams	So
OT	`72`	Andrew Lewis	Jr
OL	`73`	Cole Brummit	Fr
OL	`76`	Will Morris	Fr
OL	`77`	Tyler Thacker	Fr
G	`78`	Chad Reed	Jr
OL	`79`	Garrett Barker	Fr
WR	`80`	Samuel Patterson	Sr
TE	`81`	Chad Jacob	Jr
WR	`82`	Matthew Nicholson	Jr
WR	`83`	Isaiah Parker	Fr
TE	`85`	Kevin Carson	So
TE	`86`	John Mobley	So
WR	`89`	Will Wampler	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
CB	`1`	Caleb Furlow	Sr
LB	`2`	Bradley Lipscomb	Jr
LB	`3`	Tony Richardson	So
LB	`5`	Darnell Ashton	Jr
CB	`7`	Damian Jones	Jr
S	`14`	Greg Sanders	So
CB	`19`	Doug Moore	Sr
S	`20`	Alex James	Sr
S	`25`	Alex Keys	Jr
DB	`28`	John Porter	Fr
DB	`29`	Karee Carter	Fr
DB	`30`	Gabe Sutherland	So
DB	`31`	Eddie Stawowczyk	So
DB	`32`	John Strozyk	So
CB	`33`	Tyruig Trotman	Fr
LB/P	`34`	Bill Hogan	So
DB	`35`	Scott Frazier	So
CB	`36`	Michael Williams	So
S	`38`	Alijah Robinson	Jr
DB	`41`	Uzoma Kpaduwa	Fr
LB	`42`	Troy Barden	So
LB	`44`	Ryan Francis	Jr
LB	`45`	Tyler Fedison	Fr
LB	`46`	Allan Cratsenberg	So
DE	`52`	Zack Baker	So
LB	`53`	Arnold Roots	Fr
DL	`55`	Daniel Rader	So
LB	`56`	Brian Ellis	Jr
LB	`58`	Brian Lipscomb	So
LB	`59`	Chris Copeland	Sr
DL	`60`	Thad Stevenson-Panchisin	Fr
LB	`67`	Derek Wilson	Fr
LB	`68`	Brad Mallory	Fr
LB	`69`	Jameson Donahue	Fr
DL	`73`	Connor Mildrum	Jr
DB	`84`	Mandela Kabi	Fr
LB	`87`	Cody Peregoy	Fr
DE	`88`	J. C. Garvin	Jr
DE	`90`	Robert de Wolff	Jr
DL	`91`	Xavier Greenfield	So
DT	`92`	Walker Hays	Jr
DT	`93`	Denton Ensminger	Sr
DT	`94`	Amon-Ra Clay	So
DL	`95`	Shavon Henderson	So
LB	`96`	Seth Mallory	Jr
DE	`97`	Jarrod Richmond	Fr
DL	`98`	Casey Phillips	Fr
DE	`99`	Joe Nelson	Jr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P/QB	`12`	Hayden Alford	Jr
PK	`27`	Dillon Christopher	Jr
PK	`64`	Tommy Smith	Fr

Head coach

Scott Wachenheim – 1st year

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Dustin Ward (Offensive Coordinator – 1st year
Tom Clark (Defensive coordinator/Secondary) – 1st year
Tim Maypray (Running Backs) – 1st year
Justin Wood (Inside Linebackers) – 1st year
Justin Hamilton (Outside Linebackers) – 2nd year
Brad Robbins (Wide Receivers) – 3rd year
Gordon Sammis (Offensive Line) – 1st year
Josh Zidenberg (Secondary) – 1st year
Mike Saint Germain (Defensive Line) – 1st year
Jimmy Whitten (Strength & Conditioning) – 12th year

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: August 27, 2015

Schedule

VMI released its schedule on February 3, 2015. The schedule features six home games and five road contests. VMI will face Ball State on the road in the season opener on a Thursday night. The home opener will be September 12 against Pioneer League member Morehead State. The Keydets will play one team from the commonwealth of Virginia, Richmond, after not playing a team from Virginia in 2014. VMI will host conference rivals Samford, Chattanooga, Wofford, and Western Carolina, and will travel to Furman, Mercer, and The Citadel.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	7:00 pm	at Ball State*	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	ESPN3	L 36–48	10,473
September 12	1:30 pm	Morehead State*	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN3	W 43–40	5,016
September 19	6:00 pm	at No. 22 Richmond*	Robins Stadium Richmond, VA (Rivalry)	CSN MA+	L 10–42	8,700
September 26	3:00 pm	at Furman	Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	ESPN3	L 21–24	7,915
October 3	1:30 pm	Bucknell*	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN3	L 22–28	3,713
October 10	1:30 pm	Samford	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN3	L 13–49	4,875
October 17	1:30 pm	No. 6 Chattanooga	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN3	L 27–33	6,104
October 24	3:00 pm	at Mercer	Moye Complex Macon, GA	ESPN3	W 28–21	9,754
October 31	1:30 pm	Wofford	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN3	L 20–41	4,437
November 7	2:00 pm	at No. 25 The Citadel	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC (Military Classic of the South)	ESPN3	L 14–35	14,925
November 21	1:30 pm	Western Carolina	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN3	L 20–24	4,523
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Source: Schedule

Game summaries

Ball State

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
VMI	0	10	7	19	36
Ball State	3	17	14	14	48

at Scheumann Stadium (Muncie, IN)

Date: September 3, 2015
Game time: 7:00 PM
Game weather: Temperature: 85 • Wind: WNW 5 mph • Weather: Sunny
Game attendance: 10,473
Referee: Tony Cannella
TV: ESPN3

Morehead State

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Morehead State	14	3	13	10	40
VMI	8	15	10	10	43

at Alumni Memorial Field (Lexington, VA)

Date: September 12, 2015
Game time: 1:30 PM
Game attendance: 5,016
Referee: Thomas Graham
TV: ESPN3

Richmond

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
VMI	3	7	0	0	10
#22 Richmond	7	14	14	7	42

at Robins Stadium (Richmond, VA)

Date: September 19, 2015
Game time: 6:00 PM
Game attendance: 8,700
Referee: Hank Johns
TV: CSN MA+

Furman

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
VMI	7	7	0	7	21
Furman	0	7	14	3	24

at Paladin Stadium (Greenville, SC)

Date: September 26, 2015
Game time: 3:00 PM
Game weather: Temperature: 66 • Wind: SW 13 mph • Weather: Light Rain
Game attendance: 7,915
Referee: Marshall Lewis
TV: ESPN3

Bucknell

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Bucknell	7	0	0	15	6	28
VMI	7	6	0	9	0	22

at Alumni Memorial Field (Lexington, VA)

Game time: 1:30 PM
Game weather: Temperature: 52 • Wind: 8 mph • Weather: Cold, Rainy, Ick
Game attendance: 3,713
Referee: Bob Johnson
TV: ESPN3

Samford

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Samford	7	14	7	21	49
VMI	0	10	3	0	13

at Alumni Memorial Field (Lexington, VA)

Game time: 1:30 PM
Game weather: Temperature: 51 • Wind: 6–8 mph • Weather: Vintage fall day
Game attendance: 4,875
Referee: Edwin Lee
TV: ESPN3

Chattanooga

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
#6 Chattanooga	3	17	3	10	33
VMI	7	14	0	6	27

at Alumni Memorial Field (Lexington, VA)

Game time: 1:30 PM
Game weather: Temperature: 58 • Wind: 8–12 MPH • Weather: Cool and gorgeous
Game attendance: 6,104
Referee: Marshall Lewis
TV: ESPN3

Mercer

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
VMI	14	14	0	0	28
Mercer	0	14	7	0	21

at Moye Complex (Macon, GA)

Game time: 3:00 PM
Game weather: Temperature: 81 • Wind: 4 mph • Weather: Partly Sunny
Game attendance: 9,754
Referee: Larry Saunders
TV: ESPN3

Wofford

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wofford	7	7	21	6	41
VMI	7	3	7	3	20

at Alumni Memorial Field (Lexington, VA)

Game time: 1:30 PM
Game attendance: 4,473
TV: ESPN3

The Citadel

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
VMI	7	0	7	0	14
#25 The Citadel	14	6	6	9	35

at Johnson Hagood Stadium (Charleston, SC)

Game time: 2:00 PM
Game attendance: 14,925
TV: ESPN3

Western Carolina

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Western Carolina	0	7	7	10	24
VMI	7	6	0	7	20

at Alumni Memorial Field (Lexington, VA)

Game time: 1:30 PM
Game attendance: 4,523
TV: ESPN3

References

"Scott Wachenheim Named VMI Head Football Coach". Virginia Military Institute Department of Athletics. December 14, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
King, Randy (November 24, 2014). "VMI Declines to Extend New Contract to Football Coach Sparky Woods". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
^ "2015 VMI Football Quick Facts" (PDF). Virginia Military Institute Department of Athletics. July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.

v t e VMI Keydets football
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