Sept. 14, 2010
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
Game Three
Saturday, September 18th - 7:07 p.m. (EST)
Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium - Norfolk, Va.
Old Dominion Monarchs (1-1) vs.
#12/13 William & Mary Tribe (1-1)
TV: Comcast Sports Mid-Atlantic
(Bob Picozzi - Play-by-Play; Scott Brunner - Color Analyst; Brian Jackson - Sideline)
Radio: ESPN RADIO - 94.1 FM, WGAI-560 AM
(Ted Alexander - Play-by-Play; Andy Mashaw - Color Analyst; Demetrius Means - Sideline)
Video:Monarch All-Access
Livestats: Gametracker
Weekly Press Conference Video: Monarch All-Access (Subscription Required)
Breakfast With Bobby: Episode Three
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ABOUT WILLIAM & MARY:
After earning a 45-0 victory against instate foe VMI last weekend, the No. 12/13 Tribe will look for its second consecutive win against a school from the Commonwealth when they play at Old Dominion this Saturday at 7 p.m.
Having posted shutouts in three of its last eight games dating back to last season, W&M enters this weekend ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense by allowing just 13.5 points per game.
Offensively, the College also ranks among the county's top 20 with 34.0 ppg.
Senior quarterback Mike Callahan has performed well in the opening two games and ranks seventh nationally with a passing efficiency rating of 152.2.
Junior running back Jonathan Grimes is coming off his second three-touchdown game in the last four contests dating back to last season.
On the defensive side, sophomore linebacker Jabrel Mines leads the CAA and ranks tied for 11th in the country with 11.0 tackles per game, while punter/placekicker David Miller ranks fifth nationally with 45.9 yards per punt.
CRYSTAL BALL:
Saturday's game is a glimpse into the future as the Monarchs take on William & Mary, a school that will be featured prominently on ODU's schedule as they join the CAA in 2011. Saturday's game will give ODU a taste of the toughest FCS league in the nation. The Tribe will mark the first ranked team ODU will face in its young history. William & Mary ranks 12th in the FCS Coach's Poll and 13th in the Sports Network Poll heading into this weekend.
ON THE ROAD:
The ODU Football Monarchs hit the road for the first time in 2010, heading to Buies Creek, North Carolina to face Campbell last week and walked away with a 44-13 victory. In their inaugural season, the Monarchs went 3-1 on the road with wins at Jacksonville (28-27), Savannah State (38-17), and VMI (42-35). The lone setback away from the friendly confines of Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium was a 34-29 loss at Fordham. With the 44-13 win, the Monarchs improved to 4-1 all-time on the road. Saturday's game was the first of four road games this season for the Monarchs, who have return dates with Monmouth and North Carolina Central, as well as a jaunt over the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel to face Hampton.
OPENING WITH A BANG:
And no, we're not talking about the howitzer you hear being shot off before the Monarchs run onto Foreman Field. Old Dominion scored on opening drive in both of its games of the 2010 season. Marquel Thomas' TD reception at the 10:51 of the first quarter at Campbell made it the ninth time in the 13 game history of the program the Monarchs have done so.
DRIVING:
While ODU certainly wished there was a different outcome in the opening week 35-25 loss to Jacksonville, the Monarchs were ready to learn from their mistakes and moving on. Head Coach Bobby Wilder has noted that some of the biggest improvement you see out of a team occur between weeks one and two. Coming out in game number two, the Monarchs scored in the first three drives of the game against Campbell and held a 20-0 advantage over the Camels at the half.
CATCHING IN THE END ZONE:
Prior to the Campbell game, only Nick Mayers had more than one touchdown reception in a game - at Fordham (10/3/09) and last season at home against Campbell (10/17/09). In Saturday's win Marquel Thomas and Reid Evans joined Mayers in the category as each had a pair of TD catches.
PLAYING CATCH:
Reid Evan's eight receptions are the most by a Monarch. The previous high of six was held by Evans from last year's Jacksonville game.
TD'S FOR TD:
Thomas DeMarco on his 1-yard jaunt over the end line to give ODU a 34-13 advantage over Campbell with 42 seconds left in the third quarter was his 19th rushing touchdown as a Monarch.
HISTORY LESSON - The Beginnings of Football at Old Dominion:
Foreman Field was dedicated amid much pageantry on Oct. 3, 1936. Fifteen thousand spectators gathered for a football game between the University of Virginia and William and Mary. Dean Hodges admonished the students in his High Hat column: "It is highly important for the Norfolk Division to both look its best and do its best tomorrow." Gov. George C. Peery, President John Stewart Bryan (who succeeded Chandler in 1934), and Mayor W.R.L. Taylor of Norfolk were among the guests at the game. The editor of The High Hat hailed the event as the beginning of a new era for the college. UVA's Cavaliers triumphed (7-0) in what a student writer described as "a rather dull game," but nevertheless, the crowd enjoyed the festivities and bright sunshine of a Saturday afternoon in early fall. That evening a football dance sponsored by the Norfolk Chamber of commerce was held at the 12th Street Armory.
Athletics played a major role at the Norfolk Division in the `30s. In July 1930, President Chandler appointed Thomas L. Scott athletic director and football coach at the Norfolk Division. "Tommy" Scott had been a three-sport star at Maury High School, and was one of the all-time athletic greats at Virginia Military Institute. He earned honorable mention on the 1930 Associated Press All-America Football team. Scott coached four sports at the Division - basketball, baseball, track, and football - until his resignation in 1940.Scott became a legendary figure. A coach who stressed integrity and manliness, he was genuinely interested in each of his players. They in turn felt warm affection for Scott, and many continue to remember him with fondness and respect. Rufus Tonelson recalls, "He was just like a father to me." In spring 1980 Scott was posthumously inducted as a charter member of the Old Dominion University Sports Hall of Fame.
During the `30s the Norfolk Division played mainly high-school, service and freshman teams. Football in particular received a great deal of attention during the college's first decade. The Division's first football game was played in Sept. 26, 2930, against Suffolk High School. Both teams wilted in the Indian-summer heat, and Suffolk High won, 7-0. However, Coach Scott declared himself pleased with the Braves' performance. The team was better prepared for its second game when they overwhelmed Oceana high School 47-0, and the "Scottmen" derived much satisfaction from a 13-6 victory over the William and Mary freshmen on Oct. 15th. Home games were played at Bain Field, on East 20th Street near Church Street. By the fall of 1931 a practice field had been cleared on the property south of Bolling Avenue.
Perhaps the most famous occurrence in the 11-year history of football at the Norfolk Division was a game that was not supposed to take place. In 1932 a letter from the University of Miami (Florida) arrived at the Norfolk Division, proposing a game with William and Mary. A blank contract was enclosed. What an opportunity! The Norfolk Division, a two-year school, could travel south to play the Miami Hurricanes varsity team. Miami, of course, really wanted to play the William and Mary Indians, but the contract was signed and mailed back before someone noticed that it had been misaddressed. Faculty sponsors came forward to assist the team financially, and the Braves were sent south in a Pullman car for the game. Coach Scott's men fought hard, but lost 6-2. Tradition has it that the game was the forerunner of the first Orange Bowl game played the next year. Actually, it was a regular season game, but it gave those involved memories to last a lifetime.
Football continued as an intercollegiate sport at the Division until 1941. On Nov. 22, 1940, Tommy Scott submitted his resignation. A schedule was prepared for the 1941 season, a new coach hired, and the team went through spring practice. Several factors that would doom football at the Division were at work, however. The Division in the `30s was a commuter school where students came to the campus mainly for classes, and sports did not generate much enthusiasm. Attendance at athletic events in the late `30s was sparse. Dr. Akers recalls a game at Foreman Field where the total attendance was "about 20, including 14 students." The faculty and students believed it was wrong to devote such a large part of the school's budget to athletics, Akers recalls. Indeed, football was costing the school money. The final blow was a Southern Conference ruling that, as a branch of William and Mary, the Division could not use freshmen. Obviously, sophomores alone could not constitute a representative team. That ruling, and a $10,000 football debt, ended football at the Division. In the previous 10 years, Scott's football teams had won 62 games, lost 19, and tied four.
SEE COLBY RUN:
While everyone saw just how good Colby Goodwyn was running with his kick returns against Jacksonville two weeks ago, Goodwyn showed his skills from the line of scrimmage against Campbell. Late in the fourth quarter, Goodwyn carried the ball 14 straight times for 49 yards for the entire Monarch drive that set up Jarod Brown for a 19-yard field goal attempt that gave the ODU-Campbell game its final margin, 44-13.
WHITEOUT:
Old Dominion is asking all the 12th Monarchs to wear white to Saturday's William & Mary game to "White Out" Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium for the Comcast Cameras. Game Day White Out T-Shirts are currently available at the ODU Bookstore located on the corner of 45th street and Monarch Way. The White Out T-shirts are $15.
AIR RAID:
Redshirt quarterback Thomas DeMarco passed for a career-high 334 yards in the season opener vs. Jacksonville, the first time he has passed for over 300 yards in a game. It was the fourth time he had a 200+ yard passing game of his ODU career.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PERFORMANCE AWARDS:
Colby Goodwyn (Hampton, Va.) was named the National Kick Returner of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) for the week ending September 5th. Goodwyn totaled 86 yards on a pair of kickoff returns in last Saturday's season opener against Jacksonville. He dashed 68 yards in the second quarter, the second highest return in the brief history of the ODU program. He currently ranks 12th nationally in kick returns at a 30.5 yard return average.
Thomas DeMarco was named Honorable Metion Quarterback of the Week by CFPA for the week ending September 12th. Against Campbell, DeMarco finished the game completing 26 of his 33 throws, including an interception. He racked up 273 passing yards for four touchdowns. He currently ranks fourth nationally in in total offense averaging 338.50 yards per game.
Over the course of this season, CFPA will be recognizing national performers of the week. At the end of the season, CFPA will recognize several national performers of the year. Learn more about CFPA at CollegeFootballPerformance.Com.
TOUGHEST TICKET IN TOWN:
Response for Monarch football has been overwhelming. 14,377 season tickets were 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 in the first season. The Monarchs enjoyed a 92% percent renewal rate for year number and went to the waiting list and promptly sold out of season tickets. A limited number of six-game packages were also available for purchase. Those tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. August 17th and sold out. Just under 500 tickets were scooped up in a little more than two hours. Tickets are also heavily in demand among the student population. Over 1,200 ODU students were in line when distribution began on Monday, August 24th at 8 a.m. for the inaugural game vs. Chowan on September 5th and over 2,500 student tickets were handed out on the first day. By the next night, only approximately 100 student tickets were available. The Monarch student population one-upped themselves this year as ticket distribution for the home opener vs. Jacksonville on September 4th were made available on Monday, August 30th at 7 a.m. and were completely gone by 2:30 p.m. that day. When the ticket windows opened, the line wrapped around the Ted Constant Convocation Center as head coach Bobby Wilder, his assistant coaches, and the 2010 captains were on hand to hand out donuts to those first in line. Tickets for the William & Mary game were also handed out in less than a day.