CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- Tyree Adams passed for 229 yards and three scores, rushed for 117 more and another touchdown as Western Carolina held on for a 52-50 victory over VMI on Saturday.

The game was the Southern Conference opener for the Catamounts (3-0, 1-0), who are undefeated after three games for the first time since 1976.

This was a nail-biter as the Keydets (0-4, 0-3) scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes, wrapped around an interception, closing to 52-50 when Reece Udinski threw to Jakob Herres on a fourth-and-10 with 22 seconds left in the game. Udinski's two-point conversion pass to Devone Humphrey in the back of the end zone failed.

Udinski threw 72 passes, completing 43, for 491 yards -- all single-game records at VMI -- and four touchdowns.

VMI led 24-21 at halftime, but early in the third quarter Adams put together back-to-back drives -- with TD passes to Nate Mullen and Owen Cosenke -- boosting Western Carolina into a 35-24 lead, which it did not relinquish.

Adams moved into fifth place in WCU's career passing yards with 5,461.

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