April 12, 2012
A Look Back: Week 6 - Rhode Island
Story of the game: ODU went into this game ranked in the nation's Top-25 for the first time in the program's history, sitting at No. 21. Taylor Heinicke continued his success from the UMass victory in his first career start, throwing for 205 yards and three touchdowns while also recording his first career-rushing touchdown. Larry Pinkard made it back-to-back games with a pair of touchdown receptions and Nick Mayers scored the go ahead points en-route to eight catches for 66 yards. The Monarchs had to battle back in the game, going down 23-21 in the third quarter, but the defense held strong in the fourth quarter, shutting the Rams out while the Mayers touchdown and 22-yard field goal by Jarod Brown gave ODU the 31-23 victory. Leading the defense was linebacker Craig Wilkins, who recorded seven tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and the first of two interceptions of the season and the fifth of his career. Punter Jonathan Plisco made six appearances on the field averaging 48.7 yards per punt, including a season-high 62 yarder. The win gave Old Dominion a 5-1 overall record on the season and improve to 2-1 in the CAA in back-to-back conference victories. It is the final time the two teams will have faced each other in CAA action as the Rams move to the NEC in 2013.
A Look Back With Jonathan Plisco:
A Look Ahead: Week 6 - Bye Week
While the Monarchs had to wait until Week 11, the final week of the regular season, to get some rest in 2011, Old Dominion will get its Bye Week on Week Six, right in the middle of the 2012 slate. The Monarchs will have six games left on the season when they return hosting Villanova, Delaware, and William & Mary and have road swings to Towson, Georgia State, and James Madison.