SoCon Football 2025: It was 'The Best of Times' For Dickens and Western Carolina as his Return Under Center Highlighted Week Four on the SoCon Gridiron

Western Carolina quarterback Taron Dickens (photo courtesy of Western Carolina athletics)

Catamounts and Bears Looked Like SoCon Title Contenders 

When lightning struck during the Mercer-UC Davis in what was the first game of the SoCon Football season, I tweeted that it might be a bad omen. I was halfway kidding, however, through the first now five weeks of the Southern Conference Football season, weather has all too often been too much a part of the story in games around the league, and also throughout conferences--both FCS and FBS--in the Southeastern region of the United States.

I've watched a lot of college football in my life, and this certainly seems like the most weather issues I have ever seen in a short time to start a season.

With that said, the weather affected all but three games I know of, and those were the Wofford-Virginia Tech, the Chattanooga-Tarleton State game, and The Citadel-Mercer game. The other games were all affected in some way by mother nature.

For the second time in three years, Western Carolina's home contest against Samford in the SoCon opener for the Catamounts featured a long weather delay. It wouldn't dampen the excitement of Dickens' debut, however, and by the time the game kicked off about three hours it was scheduled to, the weather didn't do enough to spoil fans' anticipation, and he wouldn't disappoint the 10, 593 fans in attendance. leading the Catamounts to a 50-35 win in what was another wild offensive showcase. 

With the win, the Catamounts improved to 1-3 overall and 1-0 in SoCon, while Samford fell to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in league action. 

Dickens put on a show, as Western Carolina captured both its first overall and league win of the season, passing for 582 yards and six scores and no INTs, leading a Catamount offense that dazzled all evening en route to the 15-point win. After being suspended the first three games due to academic eligibility issues, Dickens' return to the lineup was flawless, as he connected on 35-of-46 passes for the day, while also rushing for 42 yards.

It was little surprise when, on Monday, Dickens was named the SoCon's Offensive Player of the Week. 

It was one of the best performances ever in the history of Western Carolina by a signal-caller, as Dickens finished the day 624 yards of total offense. His 582 yards are the highest passing total by any quarterback in the FCS so far this season. The 582 yards passing are both the second-most in WCU and league history. His 582 yards passing in Saturday's win over the Bulldogs ranks him tied for second in league history for a single-game passing mark, tying former Samford quarterback Liam Welch.

The offensive showcase saw the two teams combine for a total of 85 points, as well as 1,309 yards of total offense, including 1,038 through the air and 271 on the ground. The Catamounts finished the evening with a 733-576 edge in total offense. 

The Catamounts actually trailed 20-14 in the opening half, as former Catamount wide receiver Calvin Jones hauled in his first of three scoring catches of the evening, as Quincy Crittendon found him for a 28-yard scoring strike with 9:36 remaining in the first half. 

Just before the half, Western Carolina would take the lead for good when Josiah Thomas scored on a 2-yard run to make it a 21-20 game with just 1:32 remaining in the half. 

The Catamounts would then explode for 29 points in the third quarter, putting plenty of distance between them and the Bulldogs on the scoreboard, and the scoring onslaught left little drama as to what the end result was going to be. 

While Dickens was the main offensive weapon, he certainly wasn't the only one that did their thing for the Catamounts on the gridiron this past Saturday. Camury Reid had a big day for WCU, as he finished the contest by hauling in four passes for 107 yards and three scores. Painter Baker-Richards--a transfer from Dartmouth--had a breakout performance in a Catamounts uniform, as he would end up hauling in six passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. Josiah Thomas and James Tyre also added touchdown catches for the Catamounts in the win. 

Although he didn't end up on the receiving end of one of Dickens' six scoring tosses, Dominic Dutton did turn in a strong performance, hauling in three passes for 97 yards in the Catamount win. 

Though on the losing side, it was a big passing day for Quincy Crittendon of Samford, as like Dickens, he had a career afternoon throwing the football. He finished his afternoon connecting 35-of-53 passes for 456 yards with three TDs and an INT. Crittendon also finished the contest with 53 rushing yards on 18 attempts, totaling 509 yards of total offense. 

Crittendon's favorite two targets in the contest were Jaden Gibson and Calvin Jones, who combined to catch 16 of Crittendon's 35 completions on the evening. Gibson ended his night by hauling in nine passes for 122 yards, while Jones finished the game by hauling in seven passes for 108 yards and three scores. 

The Catamounts will play their final non-conference game this coming Saturday, as they travel to Buies Creek to battle the Campbell Camels in a game slated for a 3:30 p.m. EST at Barker-Lane Stadium. The Bulldogs will look to pick up their first win of the season by welcoming Furman to Pete Hanna Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

The Catamounts will be looking to avenge what was a devastating 24-16 home loss to the Camels last season at EJ Whitmire Stadium. That loss was the one that likely kept the Catamounts out of the FCS Playoffs. 

As for Samford, its game with Furman last season was eventually scrubbed altogether as a result of Hurricane Helene. The last time the two met was two years ago at Pete Hanna Stadium, as the Paladins claimed a 26-21 win on a day when they sacked Bulldogs quarterbacks a combined total of nine times. 

Mercer quarterback Braden Atkinson (photo courtesy of Mercer athletics)

No. 25 Mercer met The Citadel in the only other league game of the day, and there was little drama, as the Bears looked like the part of defending SoCon champion as well as reigning league champions for the first time all season, as Mercer coasted to a 38-0 win over the Bulldogs at Johnson-Hagood Stadium.

The win sees the Bears improve to 2-1 overall and 2-0 in Southern Conference action, while the Bulldogs fell to 1-3 overall and 1-1 in SoCon play. The win would also see the Bears pull even in the all-time series with The Citadel, at 11-11-1 and it marked Mercer's sixth-straight win in the series. The Bears have scored 38 points in each of the past three meetings with The Citadel, and the 38-0 is Mercer's largest margin of victory in its now 11 in the series. 

The story of the game was Mercer's domination on both lines of scrimmage, as the Bears outgained the Bulldogs 457-194 in total offense. Freshman quarterback Braden Atkinson continued to get comfortable in his new role as the starting signal-caller for the Bears, as he finished the afternoon by connecting on 29-of-35 throws for 305 yards with four TDs and no INTs. 

The Citadel, which played three different quarterbacks in the first quarter alone, saw only two of those three record passing stats in the game. Air Force transfer Quentin Hayes finished his afternoon connecting on 7-of-12 for 60 yards with one INT, while Cooper Tankersley finished the contest connecting on 3-of-4 passes for 16 yards. 

The Bears wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard, needing the ball just a little over a minute on its first possession of the day before scratching out their first points of the day on a sun-splashed, warm late September afternoon in Charleston.  Atkinson found all-conference wideout Adjatay Dabbs for a 49-yard touchdown on just the third play from scrimmage, as Mercer assumed a 7-0 lead. 

Mercer's second possession of the pigskin would produce more points, as Reice Griffith booted through a career-long 51-yard field goal, increasing the Bears' lead to 10-0. That's how the first quarter would end. 

The Bears second touchdown of the game would increase their lead to 17-0 with just under four minutes remaining in the opening half, as Atkinson found Dabbs for a second scoring connection between the two in the game, with this one coming on a 29-yard scoring strike to make it 17-0 with 3:55 left in the half. That would be the score as the two teams entered the locker room for the half. The scoring strike concluded what was an impressive 12-play, 82-yard drive by Mercer. 

The Bears left it late in the third quarter before putting points on the board, extending their lead to 24-0 when Atkinson found Adonis McDaniel for a 12-yard scoring strike with 1:36 left in the third quarter, making it a 24-0 Mercer lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, CJ Miller would provide the most electrifying offensive play of the afternoon, setting a new school record for longest run from scrimmage, with a 79-yard scoring run to make it a 31-0 game just 12 seconds into the final frame. 

The final points of the day would be set up by linebacker Julian Fox, who would go on to garner SoCon Defensive Player of the Week accolades, as he stepped in front of a Quentin Hayes pass at the Mercer 49, giving Atkinson and the Bears' offense prime field position. 

It took the Bears eight plays to cover the 51 yards of real estate, as Atkinson tossed his fourth scoring pass of the day, finding Kendall Harris on an 8-yard scoring strike with 6:06 remaining to set the final score, at 38-0.

Fox solidified another outstanding effort from the Mercer defense, as he eight tackles to go along with that INT. Fellow linebacker Drew Clare actually led the Bears defensively, as he posted a total of nine stops. Thanks in large part to his career-long 51-yard field goal, Reice Griffith was named the SoCon's Special Teams Player of the Week. 

Mercer returns to SoCon action next Saturday, with an absolutely monumental contest on the road at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium against East Tennessee State. Kickoff for that contest is set for 5:30 p.m. EST. The Bears claimed a thrilling 37-31 win at Five Star Stadium last season in what was a game that saw the Bears take a major step towards their first-ever Southern Conference football title. 

East Tennessee State Claims Logo Battle over Elon

East Tennessee State had a tough week having to hear about how they had blown a major opportunity on the road at West Georgia, and that, by default, put a lot of pressure on Will Healy's Bucs to rebound against a worthy foe at home this past Saturday evening, as the Bucs welcomed Elon to William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. 

Elon had already gone to Western Carolina and claimed a 37-31 win just last weekend, so the Phoenix had ETSU's full attention.

Like most of the games the SoCon was involved in Saturday, the Bucs kickoff with Elon, which was originally scheduled for 5:30, didn't get kicked off until 8 p.m., and the Bucs would finally break through and outlast Elon, 26-16, to capture a second-straight win over the Phoenix, having downed Elon, 34-14, last season in Burlington. 

With the win, ETSU is now 2-2 overall heading into its first SoCon test of the season, which also just happens to be the reigning SoCon champions--Mercer--this coming Saturday at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. The Phoenix fell to 2-2 on the young season. 

Luke Barnes actually got the scoring underway in the contest for Elon, as he connected on a 42-yard field goal that came as a result of having a short field due to a DJ James-Hamilton INT of ETSU quarterback Cade McNamara, giving Elon outstanding field position. 

However, the Bucs defense did their job, limiting Elon to just four yards on the ensuing possession following the turnover, forcing the Phoenix to settle for the 42-yard field goal from Barnes to make it a 3-0 Elon lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter. 

In almost identical fashion, ETSU's first points of the night came via a short field, following a William Wells partially blocked punt, and the ball was downed at the Phoenix 23-yard line. 

From there, the Phoenix defense would do its job much like the Bucs had earlier, and ETSU had to settle for a Ewan Johnson 35-yard field goal, which he knocked through the uprights with 15 seconds remaining in the opening quarter, tying the game, 3-3.

The Bucs would put together the most impressive scoring drive on either side of the night early in the second quarter, as the Bucs used nine plays to cover 77 yards, with the scoring drive capped by a 9-yard scoring run from McNamara, making it a 10-3 Bucs lead with 10:11 remaining in the half. McNamara, who had been splitting the snaps with Jacolby Criswell, was the only quarterback to log action for the Bucs in Saturday night's contest. 

The two key plays in the scoring drive were a pass interference infraction against the Phoenix, and that was then followed up by a 41-yard connection between McNamara and wideout Ephraim Floyd, putting the Bucs deep into Phoenix territory. 

Elon looked like it was going to tie the game on its next two offensive possessions, advancing inside the five on both drives, however, only one of the two would yield the points needed to tie the contest. A bad snap on a 4th-and-1 play on the first of those two drives would see the Phoenix come away empty-handed. 

The Phoenix, however, would make the most of its second foray inside the Bucs red zone, as quarterback Landen Clark found Dylan Magazu for an 8-yard scoring pass with just 46 seconds remaining in the half, and after Luke Barnes knocked through the PAT, the game was tied, 10-10.

Most thought that would be how the half would end, however, the Bucs had other ideas and would go to the locker room with all the momentum. Just 34 seconds following Elon's game-tying score, the Bucs restored their touchdown lead when Jason Albritton rumbled over from a year out with just eight seconds remaining in the half, giving ETSU the 17-10 lead. The scoring drive was set up by another long pass from McNamara, who hooked up with Floyd for a gain of 45 yards this time around. 

Both defenses settled in during the third quarter, and the only points would come from the Blue and Gold, as Ewan Johnson would connect on his second field goal of the night, as he split the uprights from 49 yards out with just over 10 minutes remaining in the third, extending ETSU's lead to two possessions, at 20-10. Johnson's long kick was set up by Mike Jenkins' first-career INT to set up the Bucs in good field position at the Phoenix 26. 

In the fourth quarter, ETSU's defense would cause yet another Elon miscue, as OLB/DE Nick Hunter would pounce on a Phoenix fumble, allowing the Bucs to add to their advantage on their first offensive series of the fourth quarter. 

The Bucs took five-and-a-half minutes off the clock before Grand Valley State transfer running back Khalil Eichelberger broke through for a 5-yard scoring run, concluding an impressive 12-play, 87-yard drive to give the Bucs a 26-10 lead following a failed 2 pt conversion attempt with 7:37 remaining.

Unlike the previous week at West Georgia, in which the Bucs blew a late lead, there would be no way back for the Phoenix over the final seven-and-a-half minutes. Elon would try and make things interesting on its ensuing possession, taking just 90 seconds off the game clock to get within 10 points when Isaiah Furhmann hauled in an 11-yard scoring strike from Clark to get Elon to within 10 after a failed two-point conversion attempt with 6:06 left. 

ETSU's offense would grind the rest of the time off the clock, which included converting a pair of third down attempts, and three-straight kneel downs were able to help the Bucs claim their 30th all-time win in the history of William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. 

The Bucs held a 406-293 advantage in total offense, including a 138-70 advantage on the ground.

McNamara finished his night by connecting on 30-of-45 passes for 268 yards and one INT, while also rushing for two yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Ephraim Floyd was McNamara's favorite target, as he hauled in 12 passes for 145 yards. 

Elon was led by quarterback Landen Clark, who finished the contest connecting on 15-of-29 throws for 223 yards, with two TDs and one INT. 

The Bucs return to action next Saturday, hosting No. 23 Mercer (2-1, 2-0 SoCon) in a key Southern Conference clash at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. EST. The Phoenix will host Hampton in its first CAA game of the season at Rhodes Stadium, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. EST. 

Chattanooga celebrates an early TD at Tarleton State (photo courtesy of UTC athletics/Leah O'Dell)

Tough Outcomes....

For Chattanooga, VMI and Wofford, Saturday's opposition provided for a long trip home think about things, as each found themselves on the wrong end of blowout losses. 

The Mocs were on the road to take on No. 3 Tarleton State and the Mocs had trouble keeping up with the high-octane offense of the Texans, and as a result, the Mocs would end up experiencing a near identical result as they did when they took on top 15 ranked Tennessee Tech a few weeks back, as the third-ranked Texans posted a 52-24 win before a school-record crowd of better than 23K on-hand at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville, TX. 

Looking at the machine that was Tarleton State inside its cathedral of college football, it hearkens back to a time gone by in the Southern Conference, when programs like Marshall and Georgia Southern would boast of sellout crowds at Joan C. Edwards Stadium or Allen E. Paulson Stadium.

For the Mocs, playing the Texas was probably a lot like playing the Thundering Herd on their home turf in the early 1990s, or the Eagles, too. 

At first, things went well for the Mocs. They held the Texans to a mere field goal, as Brad Larson trotted on to boot through a 27-yard effort to give the Texans the early 3-0 lead, with the game less than four minutes old.

Chattanooga's offense offered quite the response, needing just three plays to cover the needed 67 yards, and it was Justus Durant that would do the honors by scampering 27 yards for the score and a 7-3 Mocs lead with 9:40 remaining in the frame. 

The fireworks had begun!

The Texans' offense didn't need all that much tempting to get involved, as the Purple and Black-clad home team played to their large audience. and would take a 7-3 lead when Peyton Kramer hauled in a 68-yard scoring strike from quarterback Victor Gabalis, giving the Texans the lead right back, at 10-7, with 8:13 to play in the opening quarter.

Chattanooga would again, however, have a rebuttal and again it was the Mocs ground game, which seemingly got into gear with 460 rushing yards last week in the lopsided win over Stetson in the home opener, and continued to follow a similar path against a much more talented foe. Wofford transfer Ryan Ingram capped off the Mocs' next scoring drive, scampering 22 yards for a score to restore the Mocs lead, 14-10, with just over five minutes remaining in the quarter of football. The game had seen 24 points from the two teams in the opening 10 minutes of football. Not bad at all. 

While Chattanooga's offense slowed in the second quarter, as a result of the Texans' defense beginning to settle into the game, that was far from being the case from describing how things would continue to go for the Texans' electric offense. 

A string of 20-straight points in the second quarter would see Tarleton State break the game open, as the Texans went from trailing by four entering the second quarter to taking a 30-14 lead into the locker room. The Texans would get a touchdown run of 48 yards by Tre Page III and  a 39-yard scoring catch by Peyton Kramer, and then place-kicker Corbon Poston closed the frame with field goals of 50 and 49 yards, as the Texans went the half with the 16-point, 30-14, lead.

In the third quarter, Jude Kelley would get the Mocs on the board first with a 37-yard field goal to trim the Texans' lead to 13, but Kramer's third long scoring play of the night would restore order, as he posted his second long scoring catch, as he hauled in a 38-yard scoring strike from Daniel Greek to push the Texans' lead to 20, at 37-17.

The Texans would cap the third quarter with one more trip to the end zone, as the defense got into the act, when Ty Rawls stepped in front of a Camden Orth pass and raced 57 yards to pay dirt, giving the Texans a 45-17 lead. It was the exact same margin the Mocs had lost in Cookeville a couple of weeks earlier against Tennessee Tech. 

Each team would get on the scoreboard in the final 15 minutes of football, with the Mocs doing so first, as Journey Wyche registered the Mocs' third scoring run of the night on a 33-yard jaunt to get Chattanooga to within 21 points, at 45-24, with 9:45 remaining.

However, as they had done pretty much the entire night, the Texans had a demonstrative answer, and this one put the final nail in Chattanooga's coffin, as Caleb Lewis sprinted 35 yards for a score exactly seven minutes after Wyche's score for the Mocs, setting the final margin at 28, as the third-ranked team in the country closed out an impressive evening of football with a 52-24 win before their throng of rabid supporters at Memorial Stadium.

Chattanooga, which fell to 1-3 on the season, would put together a decent night offensively, however, it wasn't enough against the Texans' explosive offense. The Texans held a 576-409 advantage in total offense.

Mocs starting quarterback Camden Orth finished the night connecting on 7-of-14 throws for 117 yards with an INT. UTC rushed for an impressive 293 yards on the evening,  which was led by Orth's 99 yards on 11 attempts, while Justus Durant added 89 yards and a touchdown on an identical 11 attempts. Journey Wyche rounded out the impressive night rushing the football for UTC, posting 76 yards and a score on just nine attempts. 

The Texans played a pair of quarterbacks, with Daniel Greek finishing the night in relief of an injured Victor Gabalis, as he connected on 11-of-18 passes for 214 yards and a pair of scores, while Gabalis finished the night completing 9-of-14 throws for 190 yards and a score. 

Kramer was the leading target for both Greek and Gabalis, as he finished hauling in seven passes for 190 yards and three scores. 

Chattanooga returns to action this coming Saturday, as the Mocs host The Citadel at Finley Stadium to open up Southern Conference play. Kickoff for that contes is set for 6 p.m. EST. The third-ranked Texans, who improved to 5-0 with the win over the Mocs, will host Southern Utah in a 7 p.m. EST contest next Saturday.

Wofford sophomore WR Ivory Aikens (photo courtesy of Wofford athletics)

While Chattanooga finished the day with a lopsided loss in the Lone Star State, Wofford started the day with a blowout loss to FBS Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth of Virginia in a game that pitted a pair of teams facing each other and looking for their first win of the season. 

It had a strange week for both Virginia Tech's football program and Wofford's men's basketball program, as both fired the respective coaches of those two programs. Virginia Tech moved on from Brent Pry in style, handing the Terriers their fourth-straight loss to open the season, posting a 38-6 win before a crowd of 57,229 fans on-hand at Lane Stadium for the noon kickoff.

Virginia Tech would end the day out-gaining Wofford 461-141 in total yards, while the Hokies owned a demonstrative 154- (-1) advantage in rushing yards. 

Wofford's lone points of the afternoon would come on a pair of Sam Spence field goals in each half, as he connected on a 43-yarder to conclude an eight-play drive in the first half, while early in the fourth quarter, his kick was true from 42 yards out to account for Wofford's six points in the game. 

Virginia Tech wasn't distracted by the turmoil within its program, and landed the knockout blow to the visiting Terriers early, taking a 21-0 first-half lead with Braydon Bennett's 3-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter, and then Kyron Drones landed a pair of scoring passes in the second quarter, finding Devin Alves on an 19-yard scoring strike and Ayden Greene on an 18-yard connection with 6:24 to play in the first half, as the Hokies settled for a 21-3 halftime lead. 

Drones added touchdown runs of 1 and 2 yards in the third and fourth quarters, while John Love added a 20-yard field goal to account for all 17 Hokies points in the second half, as Virginia Tech settled for the 38-6 win.

About the only positive to come out of the day for Wofford is the fact that they had narrowed in their focus on a new basketball coach, which just happened to be from Virginia Tech, with deep Wofford roots. Less than 48 hours later, it would be officially announced that Virginia Tech assistant coach Kevin Giltner, who was part of a great championship foundation as both a player and coach at Wofford, was named the head coach of the Wofford's men's basketball program.

Wofford, which fell to 0-4 overall, will have an off week before jumping back into Southern Conference play on Oct. 4, hosting Western Carolina (1-3, 1-0 SoCon) at Gibbs Stadium for a 1:30 p.m. contest. The Terriers have already dropped one SoCon game, opening league play with a 23-22 loss at Mercer last week. 

While Wofford was traveling to the Commonwealth for a second all-time meeting with Virginia Tech, VMI was at Robins Stadium to face off against former SoCon foe Richmond for the first time in a decade. 

VMI was looking to snap a 12-game losing skid in the series, however, the only thing that they would emerge with from the capital city of the Commonwealth of Virginia was a third loss in four games to open the 2025 season, as the Spiders handled a long weather delay and then handled VMI, 38-14, as the Keydets closed out the non-conference portion of the schedule falling to 1-3.

Richmond, which was a SoCon gridiron member from 1936-75, moved to 2-0 against its former membership conference on the season after having posted a 14-10 win at Wofford earlier this season, as the Spiders improved to 2-2 overall with the win over the Keydets. 

The Spiders won the 2008 national title as a member of CAA, but are currently in their first season as a member in the Patriot League, and since the late 1990s, have become a regular in the FCS Top 25 and are a perennial conference title and FCS Playoff contender. It was a bit of a homecoming for the Spiders as well, as UR head coach Russ Huesman, spent time as an accomplished defensive back at UTC in the late 1970s in a golden era for Mocs football, before going on to coach his alma mater in the SoCon for eight seasons from 2009-16.

While Wofford's familial tie to Virginia Tech had been basketball, with both Mike Young and Kevin Giltner both having carved out successful careers by getting their start at the SoCon school located in Spartanburg, S.C., for VMI head football coach Danny Rocco, it was also a game that involved an emotional vibe to it, as the veteran head coach, who is now in his third season at the helm in Lexington, was also the head coach of the Richmond Spiders football program from 2012-16, leading the Spiders to three-straight FCS Playoff appearances.

The game between the Keydets and Spiders featured a long weather delay. The Keydets trailed by just a touchdown, at 14-7, late in the first quarter when the game was halted for 3.5 hours due to inclement weather. W

After the long delay, the Keydets tied the game when Owen Sweeney hauled in a 75-yard scoring strike from Collin Shannon to tie the game, 14-14, with 6:51 remaining in the half to tie the game briefly.  

Richmond restored its lead for good and never looked back when Isaiah Dawson hauled in a 13-yard strike from Kyle Wickersham to make it a 21-14 game almost exactly three minutes after Sweeney's long scoring catch had tied the contest. 

With the ball back one more time before the half, the Spiders made the most of their possession, following a VMI turnover, as Spiders defensive back Lee Bruner IV stepped in front of a Collin Shannon pass to give the Spiders the football back late in the half in great field position at the Keydets 38. 

Richmond had to settle for a Jayden Alshekie 41-yard field goal to give the Spiders a 24-14 lead heading to the half and causing a significant momentum to shift in the proceedings. 

Richmond ended the afternoon holding a 541-229 advantage in total offense, including a whopping 353-34 edge in rushing yards. 

After VMI caused a Richmond turnover following a Kouri Crump fumble recovery at the Spiders 44. However, the Keydets faced a significant 4th-and-1 at the Richmond 35 and were going to attempt to get the first down when the Keydets were flagged for illegal substitution and penalized five yards, which forced Ben Shrewsbury to come on to punt the football away. 

The Keydets downed the ball at the Richmond 7, however, the Spiders needed just four plays to put VMI into a significant hole, as Andrew King broke off an 83-yard scoring run to extend Richmond's lead to 17, at 31-14, with 6:17 left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Spiders added the insurance points they needed and ultimately, it would set the final margin at 24. Wickersham found the end zone on an 8-yard run, capping a six-play, 51-yard drive with 13:51 left, increasing the Spiders' advantage to 38-14.

VMI's Collin Shannon finished the contest by connecting on 16-of-34 passes for 198 yards, with two TDs and an INT. His favorite target was once again Sweeney, who posted his second-straight game with multiple scoring catches, as he finished the contest with four catches for 106 yards and two TDs.

Richmond's Kyle Wickersham finished his extended afternoon by connecting on 10-of-13 throws for 166 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 44 yards and another touchdown on 15 attempts in leading the Spiders to their second win of the season. 

VMI will have the week off before returning to action on Oct. 4, hosting Chattanooga at Foster Stadium. Richmond returns to Robins Stadium next Saturday, hosting Howard in the Spiders' final non-conference game of the season. Kickoff for that contest is set for 2 p.m.

Power Rankings: 

1. East Tennessee State 2-2, 0-0 SoCon

2. Mercer 2-1, 2-0 SoCon 

3.  Furman 2-1, 0-0 SoCon

4. Western Carolina 1-3, 1-0 SoCon

5. Chattanooga 1-3, 0-0 SoCon

6. Wofford 0-4, 0-1 SoCon

7. The Citadel 1-3, 1-0 SoCon

8. VMI 1-3, 0-0 SoCon

9. Samford 0-4, 0-2 SoCon

Schedule for Sept. 27, 2025

Wofford (0-4, 0-1 SoCon)-------------------IDLE--------------------------

VMI (1-3, 0-0 SoCon)----------------------- IDLE---------------------------

*Furman (2-1, 0-0 SoCon) at Samford (0-4, 0-2 SoCon), 3:30 p.m. EST

Western Carolina (1-3, 1-0 SoCon) at Campbell (1-3, 1-0 CAA), 3:30 p.m. EST

*RV/No. 23 Mercer (2-1, 2-0 SoCon) at East Tennessee St (2-2, 0-0 SoCon), 5:30 p.m. EST

*The Citadel (1-3, 1-1 SoCon) at Chattanooga (1-3, 0-0 SoCon), 6 p.m. EST