He said having both the offense and defense firing on all cylinders was certainly a main factor in Saturday's victory. "I mean, I'd have to go through the tape and look at everything before I could say that." Wolff also played well, completing 12 of 16 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns.Ĭoastal twice cut the lead to 14, but each time, the Monarchs responded, with Watson's running for 67-yard touchdown run all but sealing the victory.Īsked if it was ODU's best and most complete game since he came to ODU, Rahne said it might be. ODU then drove 41 yards in 54 seconds, with Isiah Paige catching a 22-yard TD pass from quarterback Hayden Wolff that gave ODU a 28-7 lead. But defensive end Marcus Haynes sacked quarterback Grayson McCall for a 10-yard loss. On fourth and one from the ODU 49, Coastal Carolina went for the first down. Then came a fourth-down stand by ODU's defense that seemed to knock the life out of Coastal. ![]() The first TD of the second half was set up by a fumble caused and recovered by Tre Hawkins, which led to a 69-yard drive capped by Mack's 20-yard TD run. "It's a blessing, but I didn't do this by myself."Īs if to punctuate that point, on Watson's final touchdown of the game, a 67-yard rush with 10:16 left that gave ODU a 21-point lead, wide receiver Javon Harvey hustled down the field and used his body to shade Watson from two defenders as he ran the last 10 yards. "I mean, I can't break any records without the offensive line blocking for me, without the receivers out there blocking for me. "A record like that is about all of the people around me," he said. The soft-spoken Watson said the single-game rushing record isn't his. "I'm so proud of how he and the rest of the offensive coaches responded, that they were able to tolerate me daily in the meeting room and were still able to execute on a daily basis." "He's a very talented coach who as he gets more experience is going to keep getting better and better and better," Rahne said. Rahne praised Reihner, his first-year, 30-year-old coordinator, for wrinkles he made to ODU's offense. Rahne said the Monarchs set the tone for the game on the opening drive, when they drove 73 yards in eight plays capped by Watson's 25-yard touchdown run. ODU led, 14-7 at the half before blowing open the game in the second half. Mack rushed 20 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter and then passed 21 yards to tight end Isaiah Spencer eight minutes later. Mack several times, and that appeared to catch the Chanticleers off guard. Offensive coordinator Kevin Reihner added some wrinkles to his offense, including subbing in backup quarterback D.J. Each time Coastal pulled within striking distance, the Monarch offense would retaliate. The victory ended a nine-game Coastal winning streak.Ĭoming off a bye week, the Monarchs solved whatever ailed their offense and rolled to a season-high 525 yards. The Monarchs upset Virginia Tech, 20-17, in their home opener. It was the second signature victory for ODU televised on ESPNU. He also scored three touchdowns. His 14.2 yards per carry is also an ODU record. The 5-foot-9, redshirt junior from Queens, New York, set the school record previously held by Thomas DeMarco by rushing for 256 yards on 18 carries. Running back Blake Watson was ODU's offensive hero. We've got to be ready every week."Ĭoastal (3-1, 6-1) had won 28 of its last 31 games and was unbeaten in six games this season. "This is what you're going to see in our conference. "That's a good football team and has been a good football team for a long time. "They have to pick somebody to be last," he said, quickly steering the conversation toward Coastal Carolina. ODU coach Ricky Rahne downplays all preseason rankings and shrugged when asked about being picked last. ![]() ODU hosts Georgia Southern this Saturday at 3:30 in its homecoming game. But ODU (3-3 overall, 2-0 Sun Belt) moved into first place after Georgia Southern upset JMU, 45-38, Saturday night. ODU's offense exploded for 35 points in the second half and blew past previously unbeaten Coastal Carolina, 49-21 in front of a stunned homecoming crowd of 16,814 at Brooks Stadium.Ĭoastal and James Madison had been tied for the Sun Belt lead, each at 3-0 in league play. ![]() – Picked by coaches to finish last in the Sun Belt Conference's powerful East Division, Old Dominion's football team nonetheless sits atop the East standings at the midpoint of the season.įacing one of the nation's hottest football teams on its home field, ODU responded with its best and most complete game of the season and rolled to a runaway, upset victory on national television.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |