2020 VMI Keydets football team

{{short description|Virginia Military Institute in the 2020 NCAA Division I FCS football season}}

{{Infobox college sports team season

| year = 2020

| team = VMI Keydets

| sport = football

| image = VMI Keydets logo.svg

| image_size = 100

| conference = Southern Conference

| short_conf = SoCon

| STATSRank = 12

| FCSCoachRank = 12

| record = 6–2

| conf_record = 6–1

| head_coach= Scott Wachenheim

| hc_year = 6th

| off_coach = Billy Cosh

| oc_year = 1st

| off_scheme =

| def_coach= Tom Clark

| dc_year = 6th

| def_scheme =

| captain =

| stadium = Alumni Memorial Field

| champion = SoCon champion

| bowl = NCAA Division I First Round

| bowl_result = L 24–31 vs. James Madison

}}

The 2020 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 130th football season. The Keydets were led by sixth-year head coach Scott Wachenheim. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field at Foster Stadium. They are a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon).

On April 17, 2021, VMI defeated The Citadel 31–17 in the Military Classic of the South, retaining the Silver Shako, and winning their first Southern Conference Football Championship since 1977. Upon winning the Southern Conference title, the Keydets were awarded the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, VMI's first appearance. The Keydets lost in the first round at James Madison, 31–24.

Schedule

VMI had a game scheduled against Princeton, which was canceled before the start of the 2020 season.{{cite magazine |last1=West |first1=Jenna |title=Ivy League to Postpone Fall Athletics, No Date Set for Return |url=https://www.si.com/college/2020/07/08/ivy-league-postpone-fall-sports-hopeful-football-spring |magazine=Sports Illustrated |accessdate=8 July 2020 |language=en-us}}{{cite web |title=ACC Announces Plans for Football and Fall Olympic Sports |url=https://theacc.com/news/2020/7/29/general-acc-announces-plans-for-football-and-fall-olympic-sports.aspx |website=TheACC.com |accessdate=July 29, 2020 |language=en |date=July 29, 2020}}

{{CFB schedule

| time = y

| tv = y

| attend = y

| rank = y

| opprank = y

| rankyear = 2020

| rankdivision = NCAA Division I FCS

| poll = STATS

| timezone = Eastern

| ~~February 20~~ | | | ~~at Chattanooga~~ | | ~~Finley Stadium~~ | ~~Chattanooga, TN~~ | | Canceled{{efn|On March 29, 2021, Chattanooga announced that it would opt out of the remainder of the 2021 spring season due to safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web |title=Chattanooga Football Opting Out of the Remainder of the 2021 Spring FCS Season |url=https://gomocs.com/news/2021/3/29/chattanooga-football-opting-out-of-the-remainder-of-the-2021-spring-fcs-season.aspx |website=University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics |access-date=March 29, 2021 |language=en}}}} |

| March 6 | 1:00 p.m. | at | Western Carolina | | E. J. Whitmire Stadium | Cullowhee, NC | ESPN+ | W 30-7 | 1300

| March 20 | 1:00 p.m. | at | Samford | 19 | Seibert Stadium | Homewood, AL | ESPN+ | W 38–37 {{sup|OT}} | 1156

| March 27 | 1:00 p.m. | at | Wofford | 14 | Gibbs Stadium | Spartanburg, SC | ESPN+ | W 36–31 | 1159

| April 3 | 1:30 p.m. | | East Tennessee State | 10 | Alumni Memorial Field | Lexington, VA | ESPN+ | L 20–24 | 3000

| April 17 | 1:30 p.m. | | The Citadel | 15 | Alumni Memorial Field | Lexington, VA (Military Classic of the South) | ESPN+ | W 31–17 | 3000

| April 24 | 2:00 p.m. | at | No. 1 James Madison | 11 | Bridgeforth Stadium | Harrisonburg, VA (FCS Playoffs First Round) | ESPN3 | L 24–31 | 6011

}}

{{cite web |title=2020 VMI Football Schedule |url=https://fbschedules.com/vmi-football-schedule/ |website=FBSchedules.com |accessdate=November 8, 2020}}

References

VMI

Category:VMI Keydets football seasons

Category:Southern Conference football champion seasons

VMI

VMI Keydets football