Conference Southern Conference Offensive scheme Pro Style | 2014 record 2–10 (1–6 SoCon) Defensive coordinator Greg Harris (8th year) | |
 | ||
Head coach Sparky Woods (7th year) Offensive coordinator Matt Campbell (5th year) | ||
The 2014 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute in the 2014 NCAA Division I FCS football season. It was VMI's 124th football season, as the Keydets were led by seventh year head coach Sparky Woods. They played their home games at 10,000–seat Alumni Memorial Field, as they have since 1962. This was VMI's first season as a member of the Southern Conference, following an eleven-year stint in the Big South.
Contents
VMI finished the year with a 2–10 record, winning only two games for the fourth consecutive season. VMI opened the season on the road with a narrow 42–38 loss at Bucknell, followed by a 48–7 defeat at the hands of FBS member Bowling Green. After a dominant win over Davidson in the home opener, the Keydets would lose six consecutive games, including close losses against Mercer and Gardner–Webb in double overtime. Their first (and only) SoCon win came against Furman on November 1, a 31–15 triumph. It was the school's first win over the Paladins since 1979, ending a 21-game losing streak. VMI ended the year with a 45–25 loss to their archrival The Citadel in the Battle for the Silver Shako, otherwise known as the Military Classic of the South.
Less than a day after the season's conclusion, VMI Athletic Director Dave Diles chose not to renew Woods' contract. Woods posted a 17–62 overall record at VMI in seven seasons.
Previous season
The 2013 season was VMI's last in the Big South Conference, as the school accepted in invitation to join the Southern Conference in May 2013. The Keydets had called the Southern Conference home for nearly eighty years, from 1924 to 2003, but left for the Big South that year amidst struggling athletic programs. After an eleven-year stint in the league, VMI returned to their roots, along with Mercer and East Tennessee State, another former SoCon member. The three schools effectively replaced Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, who left for the FBS Sun Belt Conference, as well as Elon, who departed for the Colonial Athletic Association.
The Keydets began their season with a shutout loss to the #14-ranked Richmond Spiders on August 31. Following a home-opening win over Glenville State, which featured a dramatic last-second goal line stand to preserve the 34–27 victory, VMI was defeated handily by North Greenville, a Division II independent, by a score of 37–24. It was the first of what be seven consecutive losses for the Keydets, which included losses against Virginia, Robert Morris in double-overtime, and #3 Coastal Carolina. The Keydets only conference and FCS win came against Gardner–Webb, a 27–9 victory. The following week, VMI battled The Citadel in the 69th edition of the Military Classic of the South. The Bulldogs broke away late to win, 31–10, with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone. VMI closed out the season with a home loss against Bucknell, ending the team's season at 2–10 and 1–4 in Big South play. It was the program's thirty-second consecutive non-winning season, and tenth consecutive losing season.
Coaching Staff
VMI returns head coach Sparky Woods, now in his seventh year with the program. Woods, a native of Oneida, Tennessee, has a 15–52 record at VMI, and previously coached at Appalachian State for four seasons. He led the Mountaineers to NCAA playoff appearances in 1986 and 1987, and went as far as the semifinals. He has also coached at South Carolina, and served numerous stints as an assistant between various college and NFL teams.
Coordinating the offense is Matt Campbell, a former NFL player who played with the Carolina Panthers and Washington Redskins in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Campbell also works as the offensive line coach, and is countered by defensive coordinator Greg Harris, in his eighth year with the team. Harris is a 1997 graduate of VMI.