Sept. 22, 2009
Game Four
Saturday, September 26th - 6:00 p.m. (EST)
Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium - Norfolk, Va.
Old Dominion Monarchs (3-0) vs.
Monmouth Hawks (1-2)
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
TV: None
Radio: WXEZ - 94.1 FM, WGAI-560 AM
(Ted Alexander - Play-by-Play; Andy Mashaw - Color Analyst; Demeatrius Means - Sideline)
Video: Monarch All-Access (Subscription Required)
Livestats: Gametracker
Weekly Press Conference Video: Monarch All-Access (Subscription Required)
Coors Light Bobby Wilder Radio Show: 94.1 FM from Buffalo Wild Wings, Edinburgh Commons Location - 216 Carmichael Way, Chesapeake, Va.
NOTE: NEW location this week
Coach's Show Audio: Monarch All-Access (Subscription Required)
Breakfast With Bobby: Episode Four
Note: Make sure to install the newest version of Microsoft Silverlight for All-Access content.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 26th - What's Going On:
2 p.m. - Parking lots open for football game
3 p.m. - Kaufman Mall opens for activities including alumni tent, student tent, athletic promotions tent, live music, food and beverages for sale
3:40 p.m. - Monarch March - ODU football team walks through Kaufman Mall en route to stadium
4 p.m. - Monarch Maniacs admitted to stadium
4:30 p.m. - Stadium gates open
5:15 p.m. - Marching Monarchs, cheerleaders, dance team and Big Blue perform on Kaufman Mall and then march into stadium
5:40 p.m. - Marching Monarchs pre-game performance in stadium
6:00 p.m. - Kick-off - Old Dominion vs. Monmouth
Post Game - "5th quarter" - Marching Monarchs performance in stadiumParking lots close 90 minutes after the game.
ABOUT MONMOUTH:
Roster
Schedule/Results
Stats
The Hawks are off to a 1-2 start and are coming off its first win of the season, a 17-10 conference and home opening victory over Duquesne. Monmouth fell to Coastal Carolina (24-17) and Colgate (35-23) in the first two games of the year and are looking for its first road victory.
Monmouth finished last season at 7-4 overall and 6-1 in the NEC. The Hawks welcomed back 15 starters and 64 letterwinners from a year ago.
Running back David Sinisi, a fifth-year senior, leads the Hawks with 102.7 yards rushing per game having made 79 carries through the first three games of the season. He is 17th in the nation in the category. He is also the nation's active career leader in rushing touchdowns (55). He is Walter Payton Award Watch List. The award symbolic of the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Monmouth has a pair of QBs in its arsenal. Senior Andrew Mandeville has started all three games completing 17 of 28 attempts along with a touchdown. He is averaging 66.7 yards passing per contest. Sophomore Kyle Frazier is averaging 60.0 yards per game. He has completed 16 of his 24 attempts and also had registered a touchdown.
Look for the Hawk quarterbacks to connect with wide receiver Rodney Salomon. A fifth-year senior, he has made 12 catches good enough for 40 yards a game. Sinisi along with sophomore tight end Tyler George and fifth-year senior wide receiver Ron Lauch have recorded touchdown receptions for the Hawks this season.
TEST TIME - MAKING THE GRADE:
While September 5th saw a lot of firsts for the Old Dominion football Monarchs, there were a number of firsts last Saturday against Jacksonville. The 28-27 thrilling come from behind victory was not only the Monarchs' first road win, but the victory over the Dolphins was also the first ever Division I (FCS) win.
BLOCK THAT KICK:
The Monarchs have blocked at least one kick in each game so far this season for the Monarchs - four blocked PAT attempts and a blocked field goal attempt. Edmon McClam (Cowart, S.C.) set an NCAA record with three blocked PATs against Chowan and then had a block of the extra point on Jacksonville's first touchdown, which proved to be crucial as ODU left D.B. Milne field with a one-point victory, 28-27.(See A RECORD SETTING DAY for more on McClam's blocked kicks). Chris Burnette (Randallstown, Md.) captured ODU's other blocked kick thwarting a Virginia Union field goal attempt.
COMEBACK KIDS:
Old Dominion trailed for a majority of last Saturday's contest against Jacksonville until its last drive. The Monarchs used a 91-yard, 10-play drive starting from its own nine-yard line with 2:08 remaining in the game. Freshman wide receiver Reid Evans (Hampton, Va.) accounted for four of ODU's first downs getting the Monarchs to the Jacksonville 32. Then quarterback Thomas DeMarco (Palm Desert, Calif.) threw a 32-yard touchdown to Dorian Jackson (Colonial Heights, Va.) to tie the game at 27 all. Drew Hareza (Davidsonville, Md.) connected on his 14th straight PAT to give Old Dominion the lead 28-27 with 45 seconds left. Jacksonville got the ball down to the ODU 35, but a 52-yard field goal attempt went wide to give the Monarchs their third straight win.
RUNNING AND THROWING:
Quarterback Thomas DeMarco (Palm Desert, Calif.) currently leads ODU in both passing and rushing. In the air, the redshirt sophomore has completed 40 of his 76 attempts to average 165.3 yards per game along with four touchdowns. On the ground, he has had 26 carries for a team-leading 63.0 yards per rush along with four touchdowns. His 47-yard carry against Jacksonville last week, which sparked the fourth quarter comeback for the Monarchs was the longest rush of the year for Old Dominion.
IT'S GOOD TO BE THE KING...CHAD KING THAT IS:
Chad King is currently tied for ninth among FCS defenders in tackles for loss. The redshirt sophomore defensive lineman is averaging 2.17 stops behind the line of scrimmage. To date, he has made 6.5 tackles to total a loss of 28 yards for the opposition. He also made a 10-yard sack against the Dolphins last Saturday.
12th MONARCH:
There may be 11 defenders on the field, but the 12th one is in the stands. Head coach Bobby Wilder wants the ODU fans to be the 12th defender for the team by becoming the loudest when the opponent is on the offense. Thanks to the noise at the stadium the last two Saturdays, the crowd helped the opponent commit 15 penalties at Foreman Field this season.
12th Monarch Stats:
Chowan: Seven Penalties
Virginia Union: Eight Penalties
12th MONARCH T-SHIRTS NOW AVAILABLE:
Help the Monarchs further its home field advantage by washing Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium in blue with your very own 12th Monarch T-Shirt available at the ODU University Village Bookstore, at Saturday's game, or at the ODUSports.com online store.
TDs FOR TD:
Thomas DeMarco (Palm Desert, Calif.) solidified his position at starting quarterback two weeks ago as the redshirt sophomore captured five touchdowns and completed 13 of his 18 attempts for 198 yards. DeMarco carried the ball into the endzone three times against Virginia Union, including the game's first two scores. He ran the ball in for a touchdown in the third quarter, this time crossing the line backwards pushing against a pile of Panther defenders.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT:
The defense put out a potentially momentum changing situation against Virginia Union. After a Monarch pass was intercepted, Virginia Union's return brought gave the Panthers first and goal at the ODU 5. The ODU defense held, however, forcing the Panthers to hit a field goal instead of a touchdown. Rookie defensive back T.J. Cowart (Va. Beach, Va.) broke up a pass in the endzone, classmate Craig Wilkins (Washington, D.C.) allowed Virginia Union to gain only a yard on the next play, and a miss fired pass kept the Panthers from the touchdown.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN:
Captain Craig Wilkins, who was a member of the "fire department" that prevented Virginia Union from penetrating the endzone, finished the game with 10 tackles, including a nine-yard sack, along with a pair of pass break-ups and a 32-yard interception. Wilkins and the defense held the Panthers, who averaged 156 yards on the ground, to just 66 yards in the game. Additionally, the Monarch defenders had six tackles for loss pushing back Virginia Union for a total of 33 yards.
A RECORD SETTING DAY:
Not only was September 5th a record setting day with the Monarchs playing its first Division I-FCS football game, but it was also a record setting day for sophomore defender Edmon McClam (Coward, S.C.). The 6-6, 260 lbs. defensive lineman set an NCAA Division I record for most blocked PAT's by a single player in a game (FCS or FBS) with three against the Chowan Hawks. The previous FCS record was held by Everette Pedescleaux of Northern Iowa with a pair of blocked extra point attempts against the Delaware Blue Hens on December 1, 2007. Four FBS athletes have blocked two PAT's in a single game (Corey Nelson, Air Force vs. Colorado St., Nov. 11, 2000; Josh Buhl, Kansas St. vs. Syracuse, Dec, 29, 2001; Kareem Bland, Middle Tenn. vs. North Texas, Nov. 23, 2002; Linval Joseph, East Carolina vs. Kentucky, Jan. 2, 2009) but never three. McClam's blocking prowess also ties the FCS record for combined block kicks in a game (includes blocked punts, PATs, FGs). The last time an FCS student-athlete blocked three kicks of any type in one game was Brandon Tinson of Colgate vs. Towson on Sept. 30, 2000 (all three were punts).
IT'S ALL IN THE LEGS:
Redshirt freshman punter Jonathan Plisco (Newport News, Va.) led the nation in punting averaging 51.25 yards per punt. Plisco totaled 205 yards against the Hawks back on September 5th, with three of his four punts inside the 20. His longest kick was 61 yards. Plisco averaged 41.3 last week with all three of his punts, including his long of 52, going inside the Virginia Union 20. As a team, the Monarchs rank ninth in the nation in the category.
Kicker Drew Hareza (McDonald, Pa.) totaled 18 of the Monarchs' 36 points against Chowan with five field goals and three extra points. His five field goals that went through the uprights in the first two quarters against the Hawks ties the FCS record for field goals in a half (Dean Biasucci, Western Caro. vs. Mars Hill, Sept. 18,1982 (1st); Tony Zendejas, Nevada vs. Northern Ariz., Oct. 16, 1982 (2nd); Ryan Weeks, Tennessee Tech vs. Chattanooga, Sept. 9, 1989 (2nd).) Hareza is currently tied for 10th nationally in field goals.
TOP IN THE COUNTRY?:
Should the Monarchs sellout every game this season, Old Dominion could be top five in FCS attendance in the country in its first year of play.
Rank: - School: - Games: - Average:
1.- Appalachian State - 8 - 25,161
2. - Montana - 9 - 23,923
3. - Delaware - 6 - 21,609
4. - Jackson St. - 4 - 21,263
5. - Ga. Southern - 6 - 18,168
6. - N. Dakota St. - 6 - 18,032
7. - Harvard - 5 - 17,360
8. - Southern U. - 4 - 16,323
9. - Tennessee St. - 5 - 15,444
10. - James Madison - 9- 15,362
STARTING FOOTBALL:Here is a look at schools that have started football programs over the last few years:
School:- FCS/FBS: - Year Started: - Record First Season:
Bryant - FCS - 1998 - 2-5
Campbell - FCS - 2008 - 0-8
Coastal Carolina - FCS- 2003 - 6-5
Jacksonville - FCS - 1998 - 4-5
Robert Morris - FCS - 1994 - 7-1
FIU - FBS - 2002 - 5-6
Florida Atlantic - FBS - 2001 - 4-6
South Florida - FBS - 1997 - 5-6
ADDING FOOTBALL:
The following schools are adding football in the next few years:
School: - FCS/FBS: - Conference: - Year Starting:>
Georgia State - FCS - CAA - 2010
Lamar - FCS - Southland- 2010
UT-San Antonio- FCS - Southland - 2011
Charlotte - FCS- TBA - 2013
South Alabama - FCS - Independent - 2012
FBS - Sun Belt- 2013
MONARCH MOMENTS:
The Monarchs made history on September 5th when a three-year dream became a reality. On May 31, 2006, the ODU board of visitors voted to add football and 1,293 days later, the Monarchs kicked off its first season of Division I FCS play. ODU has an 11-game schedule, including seven home dates at the $24.8 million renovated Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium. The schedule is a mix of both D-II and D-I FCS opponents to help the Monarchs transition into not only its first year of football, but also to get ready for entering the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in 2011.
69 YEARS IN THE MAKING:
Old Dominion last fielded a football team in 1940, back when the school was known as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary. Then known as the Braves, the Norfolk Division had its first football game on Sept. 26, 1930 and was then disbanded in 1940. On June 21, 2005 by a 14-0 vote, the ODU board of visitors approved a plan that would see NCAA Div. I-AA (now known as FCS) football played at a remodeled Foreman Field provided that:
A consultant's report indicating community support for a program.
The acquisition of land to meet practice and other athletic needs.
Pledges of at least $8 million for a football endowment.
All three criteria were met and Old Dominion kicks off today.
TOUGHEST TICKET IN TOWN:
Response for Monarch football has been overwhelming:
14,377 season tickets sold with season ticket applications made available in Feb. 2008.
The school had to unfortunately turn away 296 season ticket orders for a total of 1,065 season tickets due to demand.
The ODU student ticket allotment of just under 4,000 tickets were all distributed in three days. Over 1,200 ODU students were in line when distribution began on Monday, August 24th at 8 a.m. and over 2,500 student tickets were handed out on the first day. By Tuesday night, only approximately 100 student tickets were available.
UP NEXT:
The Monarchs hit the road again. Old Dominion travels to Fordham for a 1:00 p.m. kick with the Rams on Saturday, October 3rd.