April 17, 2012
April 12, 2012
A Look Back: Week 7 - Towson
Story of the game: Although both teams were ranked at the bottom of the CAA Preseason polls, they were now battling at the top of the conference standings and among the nation's Top-25. The teams were neck and neck the entire game until the Monarchs seemingly put the game out of reach with a 35-24 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Tigers closed the gap with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that ended on an eight-yard run for the score. Towson then completed the two-point conversion, making the score 35-32 ODU. The Tigers then recovered an onside kick, which gave them one last chance to take the lead. After ODU had forced back-to-back sacks, knocking the Tigers starting quarterback Grant Enders out of the game for a play, it seemed almost certain the Monarchs would hold onto the lead. Then came the fourth and 29 play that silenced the Foreman Field crowd of nearly 20,000. Enders returned to the game after being shaken up just two plays before, took the snap, rolled to his right, and hurled the ball deep down the right sideline to Tigers receiver Tom Ryan. Ryan broke a Monarch tackle and forced himself into the end zone for a 63-yard touchdown, giving the Tigers a 39-35 lead, and an improbable victory. Some standout performances for the Monarchs included Taylor Heinicke, who went 22-37 for three scores and an interception on a last effort hail mary, Nick Mayers who caught seven catches for a career high 166 yards and a touchdown, and Ronnie Cameron who recorded 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks. The Monarchs dropped to 5-2 overall, 2-2 in the CAA.
A Look Back With Chris Burnette:
A Look Ahead: Week 7 - Villanova
The Wildcats, after winning the national championship in 2009, are coming off of a year in which they finished 2-9, 1-7 in the CAA. The record can be very deceiving going in to the next season however, considering they had one of the youngest teams in the conference, with many of their top performers returning. Villanova has three players returning with All-Conference accolades from last season. Center Dan Shirey, after garnering Third Team All-CAA honors in 2010, received First Team honors last season. They also have a young stud linebacker in Dillon Lucas returning from a stellar freshman season where he earned a place on the Third Team All-CAA squad. He recorded 92 total tackles to lead the team, along with three tackles for loss and two sacks. He was honored with the CAA Rookie of the Year award and is looking to build off his great freshman season. They also return third eam all-conference punter Mark Hamilton. The Wildcats were defeated by the Monarchs 37-14 in week eight of last season and will be making their first trip to Norfolk.