Old Dominion Football – 27 to 21

27 to 21.  No, these numbers do not represent the final score of one of Old Dominion’s football games.  In fact ODU football has never had a game end in a score of 27-21.  However, the two figures combine to provide significance greater than any individual score.  The former (27) represents the number of games it has played in its current existence.  The latter (21) represents the ranking the Monarchs reached after those 27 games.

After defeating then-#20 Massachusetts on Saturday, Old Dominion University obtained a ranking of 21st in the TSN/Fathead.com Top 25 FCS poll.  It is a fairly significant accomplishment considering the team has not yet played three full seasons of football.  While the team should be proud of its performance, the team still has much to do.  Playing in the Colonial Athletic Association means playing a conference slate in which the superior teams are only a play or two better than the less-superior teams.  But we’ll let the coaches and players handle preparation for future games.  After the break, we’ll review the storylines that have defined the brief existence of the newest member of CAA Football.

The Monarchs’ win over the Minutemen had three separate scoring runs of 25-0, 26-0 and 23-0.  The first and third of those runs were in ODU’s favor, allowing them to win 48-33 (UMass scored a last-minute touchdown for its final points).  It took stellar performances in all aspects of the game for Old Dominion to walk away with its first conference victory.  Below are the significant events that molded the team into one that could defeat a top 25 FCS program midway through its third season.

91 Yards in Florida

After defeating two Division 2 teams to start its inaugural 2009 season, Old Dominion traveled to Florida to take on Jacksonville University, its first FCS opponent.  The Dolphins scored two touchdowns in the first quarter but led only 13-0 because of a blocked extra point attempt.  The teams traded touchdowns and Jacksonville led 20-7 at the half.

After Mario Crawford’s second rushing touchdown to draw within 20-14, Jacksonville scored a touchdown two minutes into the fourth quarter for a 27-14 lead.  On the Monarchs’ next drive, quarterback Thomas DeMarco scored on a 47-yard touchdown run, one of his 38 total touchdowns in 2009 (21 passing, 17 rushing).  Down 27-21, Old Dominion’s defense forced the Dolphins to punt at midfield.  The Monarchs took over at their own 9 with 2:08 remaining in the game.

DeMarco completed five of his next eight passes on the drive to move the Monarchs down to Jacksonville’s 32 yard line.  From there, the redshirt sophomore hit Dorian Jackson with a touchdown pass, and with the extra point ODU took a 28-27 lead.  The Dolphins missed a last-second, 52-yard field goal attempt and the Monarchs had their third consecutive victory to start its season.  Old Dominion needed a blocked kick and two-minute, 91-yard touchdown drive to come away with the win and a belief in itself that would carry into the rest of the season.

Special Teams for the Win

On its way to becoming the most-winning start-up FCS program in history, Old Dominion faced more than its share of lower-tier championship subdivision teams.  The Monarchs faced two winless teams (Georgetown University and Presbyterian College) and three other teams with three wins or less (Campbell, Savannah State and Virginia Military Institute).  It was the season finale against VMI that the coaching staff’s prowess of studying game film came to the forefront.

In 2009 the Keydets featured a triple-option offense that generated an average of 277 rushing yards per game.  Head Coach Bobby Wilder was aware that the Monarchs’ rushing defense would struggle against a superior rushing offense.  In response he and the coaching staff wanted to maximize the possessions DeMarco and the Monarchs had for themselves.  With this in mind, ODU deferred to kick off after it won the coin flip.

The ODU coaching staff had identified tendencies in VMI’s kickoff coverage and the special teams unit recovered an onsides kick on the opening play of the game, a possession that the team turned into seven points.  The Monarchs would lead 28-21 at halftime in a game that went back and forth between the teams.  After getting the ball first in the second half, the Monarchs converted a fake punt into a 45-yard touchdown run to take a 35-21 lead less than two minutes into the third quarter.

Despite tying the score three separate times, VMI would never take a lead as Old Dominion would hold on for a 42-35 victory.  The extra possession from the onsides kick coupled with a touchdown on a fake punt attempt were literally the difference in the game.  The Monarchs overcame the Keydets’ 422 rushing yards to records its ninth and final victory of the season.

…Another Man’s Gain

Unfortunately for two of the best Pride/Dutch fans the program has ever had, Hofstra University unexpectedly announced the disbandment of its football program in December 2009.  When the decision was made public, coaches from other football programs swooped in to woo the team’s players to transfer over.  (NCAA rules allowed players from the team to transfer to other Division 1 schools without having to sit out a year.)

With the knowledge that it had to improve ODU’s defensive front seven, and seeking additional upperclassmen leadership, Coach Wilder targeted two specific players – senior DL/LB Deron Mayo and junior DT Ronnie Cameron.  Mayo was originally from Hampton, VA, so his final season of college football would be played near home.  For Cameron, Old Dominion offered an opportunity in addition football – an opportunity to graduate college with a master’s degree in information technology.

Coupled with improvement by its returning players, the arrival of Cameron and Mayo made a dramatic impact on the Monarchs’ defense.  After allowing almost 400 yards per game defensively in 2009, the defense surrendered 348 yards per game against an improved schedule.  Cameron would tie for eighth among FCS players with 19 tackles-for-loss in 2010, finishing second (as a defensive tackle, nonetheless) in total tackles among Monarch defenders with 72.  Mayo led the team with 6.5 sacks and was third on the team with 70 tackles.  He earned a spot on the Denver Broncos’ preseason team but failed to make the final 53-man roster.

Mayo was the eighth senior on the 2010 Old Dominion roster.  He and Cameron would provide leadership for a young program that had played only 13 games before facing the eventual 2010 Co-CAA Champion, The College of William and Mary.

No Longer Just a “Division”

Old Dominion University was founded in 1930 as The Norfolk Division of The College of William and Mary.  In short, it was a two-year institution for students to earn credits prior to attending classes at the College in Williamsburg, VA.  In 1962 the institution would become Old Dominion College, and it earned the status of “university” in 1969.

For the purposes of football, the contest against the Tribe was a chance to showcase the type of program the Monarchs had built.  With campuses separated by roughly 45 miles, Old Dominion hosted William and Mary on September 18, 2010.  The atmosphere before, during and after the game was nothing short of spectacular.  The festive, communal tailgating activities between fans of the teams – countless families had cheering interests for both sides – transferred over into the game itself.

The Monarchs went toe-to-toe with the favored Tribe, carrying a 17-14 lead into the fourth quarter.  After W&M scored a touchdown inside the Monarch red zone, Old Dominion failed to move the ball in its final possessions.  The 21-17 loss meant that ODU started its second season with a 1-2 record, but the outcome served notice to the rest of the CAA – Old Dominion was not to be taken lightly.  The Monarchs would win its next two games before taking on the #16 Cal-Poly Mustangs.

A Cross-Country Lesson

After facing a very weak schedule in 2009 (see table below), Old Dominion football made a concerted effort to increase the strength of opponents it faced in 2010.  Part of the change in scheduling was to play William and Mary; the other notable improvement was to host a one-time game against Cal-Poly from San Luis Obispo, California.  Similar to the 2009 VMI squad that ODU faced, the Mustangs employed a lethal triple-option offense.

Cal-Poly would average 253 rushing yards in 2010 but failed to earn an FCS playoff spot, despite its record of 7-4.  Against ODU, the Mustangs rushed for 326 yards on 52 carries and used several big plays to capture a 50-37 victory.  Old Dominion again opened up a game against a triple-option offense by successfully converting an onsides kick, but this time not even the extra possession could save the team.  The Mustangs were easily the best offense Old Dominion had faced through its first 17 games.

Old Dominion center Jeremy Hensley, who had started all 17 ODU games to date, suffered a season-ending ankle injury against the Mustangs.  The Monarchs’ bye week following the loss to Cal-Poly could not have come at a better time.  During the 2010 summer camp, ODU had so many injuries along the offensive line that tight end Kai Blanco suited up for the team as a tackle early in the season.  The young program was forced to shuffle its personnel to overcome the loss of the only center it ever had.

After the bye week, Old Dominion hosted future conference mate (and fellow start-up program) Georgia State.  Even with the changes along the offensive line, the Monarchs would gash the Panthers’ defense for 229 rushing yards.  With a 34-6 lead in the fourth quarter, ODU emptied its benches and would hold on to a 34-20 victory.

The win over Georgia State would propel the Monarchs to finish its 2010 season with five consecutive victories.  In addition to overcoming injuries along the offensive line, the Monarchs showed that it had learned from individual lapses against Cal-Poly by improving its discipline on defense.  After suffering 50 points against the Mustangs, ODU’s defense allowed an average of 18 points per game through its final five games.

Aim High To Win

At this point it is prudent to look at the Monarchs’ schedule in its first two seasons.  As is the case with anonymous message boards, fans of schools other than ODU are quick to point to the team’s strength of schedule when analyzing its 17-5 record through two seasons.  It is valid to discuss the Monarchs’ opponents when looking at their success.

In 2009, ODU obtained a 9-2 record against a schedule whose teams went a collective 28-71 (28% winning rate).  As referenced above, the team played two winless teams and three other teams that had three-or-less wins.  The team’s two losses were to teams that each finished 5-6 (Monmouth and Fordham).  In 2010 the Monarchs finished 8-3 against teams with a combined record of 54-68 (44%).  In these two seasons, ODU had only three wins against winning programs – Jacksonville (2009), Georgia State (2010) and Hampton (2010).  The Monarchs’ three losses in 2010 teams were to teams with a combined 25 wins (Jacksonville, W&M and Cal-Poly).

The reader will do well to compare ODU’s results against the OOC results of other CAA teams.  Below is a chart that shows how current CAA teams fared against other FCS opponents in 2010 and 2009.  The results include only regular season games against FCS teams, not FBS or sub-D1 teams, nor even FCS playoff games.

2010:

2009: 

A couple qualifications must be made.  First, the OOC results above do not include the CAA’s results against FBS opponents.  In 2009, the following teams earned wins over FBS opponents – William and Mary, New Hampshire, Richmond, and Villanova.  In 2010 James Madison captured yet another FBS win for the conference.  While being mindful of the phrase, “any given Saturday,” it is difficult to expect ODU to have won a game against any FBS team within its first two years of existence.  (As a point of reference, Georgia State lost its two games against FBS foes Alabama and Houston by a combined 119-7, with their lone touchdown on a kickoff return.  There’s no reason to expect the Monarchs would have experienced a different fate.)

Additionally, the records above do not display the FCS playoff results.  The 2009 Villanova Wildcats won the FCS national title, while the 2010 Delaware Blue Hens reached the FCS title game.  The CAA had several teams simply reach the FCS playoffs in each year.  The results of these games are not accounted for in the above charts.  As good as ODU has been for a start-up program, it must be pointed out again that the program had only three wins against teams with winning records through two years.  The Monarchs did not defeat playoff-caliber in its first two seasons.

And yet, the above statistics show that the Monarchs did what is expected of its current conference members – it took care of its out-of-conference opponents.  In two seasons, CAA schools suffered a total of six non-conference losses during the regular season.  Old Dominion, a team that did not exist prior to 2009, suffered five total losses during that span.  For a team that had only three years of recruiting classes, ODU handled its schedule as well as could be expected.  It even improved its average score against a tougher schedule, from 33-24 in 2009 to 34-22 in 2010.

The Monarchs were not ready to compete in the FCS playoffs in its first two seasons.  Its abilities against superior teams showed through in its results.  But the team learned how to win those first two seasons, providing it a belief in itself that it carried into its first season as a member of the CAA.

This Is Where the Fun Begins

The 2011 season has yet to play itself out to completion, but Old Dominion has already finished its OOC schedule with a 3-0 record.  In beating Campbell, Georgia State and Hampton, the Monarchs again finished off teams it should have beaten.  The Monarchs blocked two punts on its way to beating Georgia State, while another block the following week against Hampton sparked the team to a 45-42 win over the Pirates.

History was made on September 24, 2011, when the Monarchs traveled to Delaware to take on the 2010 FCS national runners-up Blue Hens in its first CAA conference game.  Neither team played up to its potential, allowing the Monarchs to take a 17-16 lead with just under ten minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.  From that point, Delaware showed Old Dominion what it takes to play a full 60 minutes in conference play.  The Hens scored a touchdown on its next possession and added a late field goal to defeat the Monarchs, 27-17.

At 3-1, feeling like it failed a genuine opportunity to start 4-0, the Monarchs hosted a Massachusetts team whose running back led the CAA in rushing yards and whose linebacker was the 2010 Co-CAA Defensive Player of the Year.  But the experience of the previous 26 games had put Old Dominion in position to battle a tested UMass team.

The Monarchs took advantage of a Minutemen secondary that was missing two starters, scoring three touchdowns in the air and taking a 25-0 lead late in the second quarter.  Being the more battle-tested team, UMass responded by scoring touchdowns on four consecutive possessions for a 26-25 lead late in the third quarter.  The Monarchs blocked a punt that resulted in a safety, giving them a 27-26 lead.  From there, reserve quarterback Taylor Heinicke led the Monarchs to three fourth quarter touchdowns.  The true freshman from Georgia was forced into action because of an ankle injury to DeMarco.

The lessons ODU had learned in two-plus seasons were on display:

• The ability to come from behind late in a game to win
• Making key plays on defense at the line of scrimmage (read below)
• Superior special teams play
• Overcoming injuries to key players

One final key to the Monarchs’ first CAA victory has yet to be mentioned – the impact of fan support.  For the straight 17th straight home game, SB Ballard Stadium at Foreman Field was sold out with close to 20,000 loud people in the stands.  In what would seem like a scene from a movie, the decisive blocked punt came while several thousand fans chanted, “BLOCK THAT PUNT!  BLOCK THAT PUNT!” from the stands.  After that play, the crowd noise clearly disrupted UMass’ offense, as star running back Jonathan Hernandez had only nine rushing yards on his final six attempts.

So with a 48-33 victory over a Massachusetts team featuring several talented seniors, Old Dominion finally showed that it could win a game against a top 25 FCS team.  In the past two seasons, the team was not complete and/or talented enough to have won this game.  Going forward, it is unknown whether the team’s depth is sufficient overcome injuries to its two-deep roster.  The team has already lost starting cornerback (TJ Cowart) for the season with a wrist injury and may have lost DeMarco and starting running back Colby Goodwyn for a significant amount of time.

But the outcome of future games will be decided at another date.  At this point, the Monarch team and coaching staff displayed an ability to defeat teams it is expected to beat.  With Saturday’s win they’ve shown an ability to beat successful FCS programs.  It may have taken 27 games to get to this point, but Old Dominion has taken the necessary steps just to be in this position.  The challenge for Coach Wilder will be getting the team to perform at this level on a weekly basis.  The CAA Football conference is consistently among the best in the FCS.  But after less than three seasons, the Monarchs have now shown that they can win against established teams.  Where they go from here is up to the players and coaches.