Bennett's 4th quarter TD pass to Cherry lifts The Citadel to 1st SoCon win, topping VMI 13-10

LEXINGTON, Va., (AP) Johnathan Bennett connected with Tyler Cherry on a 43-yard fourth-quarter touchdown to lift The Citadel to a 13-10 victory over VMI in a Southern Conference battle between teams looking for a first win in conference play Saturday.

Neither team put on an offensive show, combining for just 415 yards of total offense.

The Citadel (3-5, 1-4) was 0-for-11 on third down but converted on two of three fourth-down attempts and fumbled twice. The Bulldogs rushed the ball 47 times for just 107 yards. VMI (0-7, 0-3) converted was 2-for-14 on third down and 1-3 on fourth.

Hunter Rice accounted for the Keydets' lone touchdown, powering in from the 2 to start the second quarter and Caden Beck added a 44-yard field goal to take a 10-6 halftime lead after Ben Barnes kicked field goals from 35- and 48-yards out in the first half for The Citadel.

Bennett was 4 of 6 passing for 81 yards, more than half of those yards on the touchdown throw. He carried 22 times for 46 yards.

Chandler Wilson completed just 7 of his 19 pass attempts for 83 yards for VMI. Brady Hammonds was a perfect 5-for-5 for 52. Rice finished with 20 carries for 70 yards.

---

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football