Old Dominion Football: New era kicks off for Monarchs in 2021
By Shane Lunnen
There will be a battle at quarterback
In his two-year stint as offensive coordinator for Penn State, Ricky Rahne had some solid units. In 2018, the Nittany Lions had their best rushing attack in about a decade and in 2019 they averaged 34 points per game. Rahne coached some future NFL players including Miles Sanders, KJ Hamler, and Trace McSorley. Now he brings all that experience to a rebuild in his first head coach job.
Offensively the Monarchs were pretty awful during the 2019 season. They were next to last nationally in total offense and last in pass efficiency and sacks allowed. The Monarchs are still young and inexperienced in areas, however, they do have some experience at quarterback.
Senior Stone Smartt started seven games in 2019 and redshirt freshman Hayden Wolff started three. Unfortunately, the stats are not great with the two combining for nine interceptions to only three touchdown passes. UCF transfer and Norfolk native DJ Mack will get into the quarterback mix. He rushed for nine scores with the Knights so his running ability may give him the edge.
Speaking of the rushing attack, it should be anchored by sophomore Elijah Davis who led the team in 2019 with 337 yards on the ground. Sophomore Blake Watson and junior Matt Geiger will also get looks. Keep an eye out for the true freshman Jon-Luke Peaker.
The running backs will find their running lanes behind a decent first offensive line unit. Senior center and team captain Isaac Weaver leads the unit, with 300-pound Nick Saldiveri and Maryland transfer Tyran Hunt manning the tackle spots.
The wide receiver position was supposed to be an advantage in the 2019 season but did not have a lot to show for it. Part of the problem was the inconsistency at quarterback but the Monarchs will need to see improvement with this unit to secure more victories. Leading yardage receiver Aaron Moore returns after catching three of the Monarch’s five touchdown passes.
The tight ends could also help out in the receiving department with junior Donta Anthony and sophomore Isaiah Spencer looking for more balls thrown their way. Zach Kuntz, who followed Rahne from Penn State, will also join the mix of receiving options.