2014 VMI Keydets football team
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 returning to the Southern Conference (SoCon), following an 11-year stint in the Big South Conference.
| 2014 VMI Keydets football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Southern Conference |
| Record | 2–10 (1–6 SoCon) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Matt Campbell (5th season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
| Defensive coordinator | Greg Harris (8th season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | Alumni Memorial Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Chattanooga $^ | 7 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samford | 5 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Carolina | 5 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wofford | 4 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Citadel | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Furman | 2 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mercer | 1 | – | 6 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VMI | 1 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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.