Photo courtesy of Chuck Steenburgh

VMI linebacker Jacob Rochester returns an interception 13 yards to set up a field goal in the second quarter of VMI's 47-20 victory over Coastal Carolina on Saturday.

LEXINGTON --Moving the ball hasn't been too much of a problem for the Keydets this season. Stopping it is another story.

On Saturday VMI found a way to shut down Coastal Carolina and scored its first Big South victory since 2005, 47-20, at Foster Stadium.

VMI, now 3-3 and 1-0 in the conference, had given up more than 50 points in each of its three losses. Granted those losses were to Richmond, Ohio and William & Mary, and the Keydets weren't likely to stop any of them completely.

Still the difference in the way the VMI defense played, nose tackle Josh Wine said, was trust.

"With the results we've been getting we knew we had to make some kind of change," Wine said. "We haven't been getting good pressure. You have to take care of your assignment and know that the guy behind you is gonna take care of his.

"We trusted each other today."

Chanticleers coach Dave Bennett called the game "a humbling deal right there. ... That was a rear-end whooping."

VMI held Coastal Carolina (3-4, 0-2) to 252 total yards, 101 on the ground. The Keydets' A.J. Gross recorded three sacks among his 13 tackles. Damiso Alexander had nine tackles, including two sacks.

"If [they] can get that pressure with three down linemen and an occasional linebacker moving up," Bennett said. "That's not good."

Linebacker Jacob Rochester had five tackles and an interception.

"We've been fine-tuning our reads and assignments and responsibilities," Rochester said. "It was not having to do a lot of think work, having it be natural."

The Chanticleers built a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter by virtue of back-to-back turnovers in less time that it takes to burn a bag of microwave popcorn. First Keon Cunningham intercepted a pass from Kyle Hughes at the VMI 21, and Eric O'Neal dashed in for a touchdown to tie the score at 7.

One minute and 15 seconds later, Tim Maypray fumbled the ball and Brandon Autry scooped it up at the VMI 31 and ran it in with 16 second left in the first quarter.

The Keydets, who had driven 79 yards for a touchdown with Hughes under center and Maypray as a receiver on the opening drive, got a boost when Rochester intercepted a pass from Zach McDowell at the Coastal 27 and returned it to the 14. VMI had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Greg Peters.

McDowell answered with a scoring drive keyed by his own 30-yard run on a broken play, completing a five-yard pass to Marquel Willis for the touchdown. But VMI's Kris Ware blocked the extra point kick and Juan Thrasher picked up the ball and scampered the length of the field for a defensive conversion.

On the ensuing drive, the Keydets marched 80 yards for another touchdown, scoring on a beefed up version of the multiple option that moved Wine from defense to fullback. Chaz Jones ran in from the five for his second score of the day to cut Coastal Carolina's lead to 20-19.

The Chanticleers would not score again. The Keydets were just getting warmed up.

The two-headed quarterback system, now with Hughes staying in the game as a receiver so it was less obvious when the switches were being made, kept the Keydets moving.

VMI scored touchdowns on its first four possessions of the second half. The first was a 90-yard touchdown pass from Hughes to Zach Collins, which proved to be the second-longest pass in VMI history and the longest play from scrimmage in Big South history. Only Dave Brown's 93-yard pass to Keydets legend Mark Stock on Nov. 15, 1986 was longer.

Then, after Thrasher, a true freshman, snatched an interception at the VMI 44, the Keydets scored again. Maypray sprinted from the Coastal 45 to 5 before being dragged down. When he got up, he pointed towards the end zone signalling a first down.

"I got a little excited," Maypray said.

He also got flagged for taunting, a 15-yard penalty that moved the ball back to the 20.

Two plays later, Maypray hit Michael Rainey-Wiles for a 19-yard touchdown, the first of two for Rainey-Wiles.

That was the end of the quick strike offense. The next two Keydet drives ended the same -- in the end zone -- but also ate huge chunks of time to ward off any possibility of a Chanticleer uprising.

The Keydets had not won a conference game since beating Charleston Southern, 34-12, on Oct. 8, 2005.

"We've always been playing hard, but we didn't always play to our responsibilities," said coach Sparky Woods, for whom it was the first Big South game, win or lose. "Today more than the scheme, it was players executing as a team. ...

"Today it sure is fun to be here."

Coastal Carolina 14 6 0 0--20

VMI 7 12 21 7--47

First Quarter

VMI--Ch.Jones 3 run (Stevens kick), 9:47.

CCar--O'Neal 21 run (Durham kick), 1:31.

CCar--Autry 31 fumble return (Durham kick), :16.

Second Quarter

VMI--FG Stevens 24, 5:10.

CCar--Willis 5 pass from MacDowall (kick blocked), 2:32.

VMI--2-point defensive conversion by Thrasher, 2:32.

VMI--Ch.Jones 5 run (Stevens kick), :35.

Third Quarter

VMI--Collins 90 pass from Hughes (Stevens kick), 10:47.

VMI--Rainey-Wiles 19 pass from Maypray (Stevens kick), 8:01.

VMI--Rainey-Wiles 21 pass from Hughes (Stevens kick), :09.

Fourth Quarter

VMI--Maypray 4 run (Stevens kick), 3:32.

A--8,157.

CCar VMI

First downs 18 25

Rushes-yards 32-101 59-336

Passing 151 210

Comp-Att-Int 15-29-2 9-13-1

Return Yards 14 21

Punts-Avg. 3-40.7 2-35.5

Fumbles-Lost 1-0 2-2

Penalties-Yards 1-5 7-80

Time of Possession 24:42 35:18

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Coastal Carolina, O'Neal 4-24, MacDowall 8-24, Gause 5-23,

Richardson 3-18, Fordham 6-17, Sitton 2-2, Frye 1-1, Starr 1-1,

Team 2-(minus 9). VMI, Maypray 22-155, Ch.Jones 14-53, Epps 7-50, Barnson 4-44, Collins 2-13, Itoka 3-13, Hughes 4-7, Rainey-Wiles 1-4, Team 2-(minus 3).

PASSING--Coastal Carolina, MacDowall 13-25-2-141,

Richardson 2-4-0-10. VMI, Hughes 8-12-1-191, Maypray 1-1-0-19.

RECEIVING--Coastal Carolina, Willis 4-44, Greene 2-23, Sitton 2-23, Usher 1-22, Graham 1-11, Fordham 1-10, Nicholas 1-10, O'Neal 1-8, Gause 1-3, Frye 1-(minus 3). VMI, Maypray 3-59, Collins 2-96, Rainey-Wiles 2-40, Epps 1-8, M.Scott 1-7.