LEXINGTON, Va. – After earning its first win of the season, VMI will try to keep the momentum going when it travels to Bucknell on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.
The Keydets (1-1) put together a complete game in all three phases last week in a victory over Ferrum, which allowed head coach Danny Rocco to rotate through much of his roster. Rocco said more than 30 players saw action on defense, a valuable opportunity with a tougher challenge looming this weekend.
“We have to earn the right out here on the practice field to go up there and play well enough to win,” Rocco said. “They’ve beaten us two years in a row. They’ve got the same quarterback coming back for the third straight season, and there’s not a lot of margin for error.”
Bucknell (1-1) enters the matchup with a veteran roster despite offseason staff turnover that included seven new position coaches and coordinators. The Bison have taken the last two meetings in the series, including a 35-28 win in Lexington last season. They return 65 players including Patriot League offensive player of the year, quarterback Ralph Rucker IV, and Patriot League rookie of the year, running back Tariq Thomas
VMI will be without backup quarterback Jojo Crump, who suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury against Ferrum.