Experience a plus for VMI's offense

Scott Wachenheim's three seasons as football coach at Virginia Military Institute haven't yielded much on-field success.

The Keydets have five wins during Wachenheim's tenure, which includes an 0-11 season last year. They have lost 17 games in a row overall, with their last win a 37-7 pounding of East Tennessee State on Oct. 8, 2016. With 52 underclassmen on the roster, it's likely there are more losses on the horizon, too.

So when asked how he has enjoyed his tenure at VMI to date, Wachenheim took a moment before providing some perspective.

"I have actually enjoyed my beginning at VMI, simply because I've enjoyed the players I've coached immensely," he said by phone recently. "It's been a great privilege and honor to work with young men like (graduated linebackers) Ryan Francis and Allen Cratsenburg, it truly is. You have guys that go out and give their best. In week 11 against Wofford, we had guys go out and do an outstanding job, and they fought like there was no tomorrow to win that game.

"That's very rewarding, to be honest with you. I take a lot of pleasure in that stuff. Those things are important to me. It's where I get a lot of kicks."

Then he quoted late legendary UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden to emphasize his point: "Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."

"That's how I define success, so I do have a peace," Wachenheim said. "I do have a self-satisfaction knowing that I'm giving everything I've got to be the best coach I can be and be the best that I'm capable of becoming."

The Keydets have retooled their offensive line. They return sophomore quarterback Reece Udinski, who played in eight games and started the finale against Wofford, throwing for 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns. They also return six of their top seven receivers, so Wachenheim has reason to feel good about things on that side of the ball.

His defense, which ranked last in the league a year ago, must rebuild. The Keydets lost their top four tacklers from last season, including all four of their linebackers. Wachenheim said they will have to rely on some true freshmen to contribute immediately in that regard.

While the wins have been lacking, there's enough talent in the program to believe there could be at least a few of those on the horizon, too.

"You're almost always going to have a young team at VMI because of the way the school is, but hopefully we're on the right track," Wachenheim said. "Hopefully we're recruiting the right young men that want to win the VMI way and want all that a VMI degree offers And I think we have a brilliant chance to retain these young men here and build a program as they age.

"I like where we're at, I like the enthusiasm and I like the way the young team's working."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.