LEXINGTON, Va. – With the receiving corps a little banged up and Virginia Military Institute playing to stop the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s dangerous rushing attack, somebody was going to have to step up.
That person quickly became Wil Young.
The redshirt freshman receiver finished with six catches for 82 yards in the Mocs’ 33-27 win over VMI Saturday. Both set career highs.
He backs up junior C.J. Board, who was injured early in the game and played sparingly the rest of the way.
“I’ve been waiting and preparing every week for this,” the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder said. “We have a next-man-up mentality, and when you have the opportunity you have to step up.”
He made crucial plays, including a 37-yard pass in which he got inside the VMI defensive back and positioned his body for the catch and a 20-yard reception in which he found the sideline and dragged both feet in bounds while making the catch.
“That takes a lot of focus,” Young said of the sideline grab. “We practice the toe-touches a lot. I saw Jacob (Huesman) running and we did the scramble drill.
“Somebody had to make a play.”
His performance impressed the senior quarterback.
“Wil had a great game. I was very impressed,” Huesman said. “C.J. got a little banged up early, and Wil had to step up at the ‘X’ position and fit right in.”
He wasn’t the only player to step up. Sophomore James Stovall made his first career touchdown catch in the second quarter, hauling in a 19-yard reception from Huesman.
VMI running?
For a team that likes to throw the ball a lot, the Keydets threw a wrench in the Mocs’ game plan early by choosing to run. They had a lot of success, with 53 yards rushing on 11 carries in the first quarter. The Mocs did adjust after that, and VMI finished with 72 yards rushing on 30 carries for the game, aided by five UTC sacks.
VMI came into the game averaging 41 passes per game.
“It certainly changed the mindset a little because we were expecting them to pass,” junior defensive end Keionta Davis said. “But whatever they throw out at us, it’s our job as a defense to stop it.
“We stiffened up in the second half.”
The Mocs allowed only 1 yard of total offense in the third quarter.
Ribeiro hits four 3s
Kicker Henrique Ribeiro made four field goals on the afternoon, becoming the first Moc to make four in a game since Craig Camay did it against Western Carolina on Oct. 31, 2009.
Ribeiro is 8-for-10 on field-goal tries season and has kicked 24 of the 3-pointers in his career, tying the player he succeeded, Nick Pollard, for sixth all-time.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.