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No. 9 Tennessee Tech Routs VMI 66-14 in Cookeville

Published November 8, 2026 at 9:32 am | By HERE City State Desk, Staff Reporter

Stadium crowd cheering under a golden sky

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — No. 9 Tennessee Tech poured in 35 points in the second quarter and saw eight different players reach the goal line in a 66-14 homecoming victory against VMI on Saturday in Cookeville.

Leatherwood went 21-for-28 through the air for 312 yards and five scores without an interception. Eric Weatherly caught both of his touchdowns from 29 yards out, one before the break and another after the first quarter ended. Lazaro Rodriguez, Gabe Nunez and Maury Sullivan also hauled in scoring passes, from 21, 34 and 24 yards.

VMI (0-10, 0-6 Southern Conference) trailed only 7-0 after a quarter and cut the gap to 14-7 when Leo Boehling raced 37 yards with just under seven minutes remaining before halftime, a season-long run that finished an 81-yard day. The Golden Eagles answered almost immediately, with M.J. Flowers scoring from 8 yards on the next snap, then added three more Leatherwood touchdown passes before halftime to lead 42-7.

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Qua Ashley’s 6-yard run made it 49-7 in the third quarter. VMI’s only other score came when JoJo Crump connected with Cade Cox from 17 yards out, Cox’s first career catch in the end zone after two seasons at quarterback. Crump finished 4-of-7 for 64 yards with two interceptions. Tennessee Tech closed with a 25-yard field goal by Carter Brown, a 43-yard run by Aidan Littles and a 7-yard score by Ahmad Haston.

Tennessee Tech finished with 522 yards to VMI’s 173 and held a 328-64 edge passing, and the Golden Eagles never punted or gave the ball away. They moved to 9-1 on the year and 6-1 in conference play. The Keydets managed 173 yards and three turnovers.

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