GAME FOUR: #5/5 Old Dominion vs. #18/19 New Hampshire

Sept. 19, 2012

GAME FOUR: 
Saturday, September 22, 2012 - Noon (EST)
Foreman Field at S.B. Stadium - Norfolk, Va.
#5/5 Old Dominion Monarchs (3-0, 0-0 CAA) vs.
#18/19 New Hampshire Wildcats (2-1, 0-0 CAA)

TV: Comcast SportsNet (Ch. 35 - Hampton Roads)
(Brent Harris- Play-by-Play; Brad Jackson - Color)

RADIO: ESPN Radio 94.1 FM (Hampton Roads);WZEZ-FM - EZ 100.5 FM (Richmond) 
(Ted Alexander - Play-by-Play; Andy Mashaw - Color; Rich Radford - Sideline)

LIVESTATS: Gametracker via ODUSports.com

VIDEO: ODUSports.com (subscription required)

CAA WEEKLY COACHES TELECONFERENCE AUDIO: 
- Old Dominion: Bobby Wilder
- New Hampshire: Sean McDonnell

ODU WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO: Available on Monarch Media

STAY CONNECTED:
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THE QUICK HITS:

 Old Dominion Football is in its fourth season overall and final year in the Colonial Athletic Association.  The Monarchs are coming off a 70-14 win over Campbell to finish out the non-conference season at 3-0.  ODU will be taking on New Hampshire for the first time and only time as CAA opponents.

  The Monarchs rank among the top 10 in eight categories this week including leading the nation in Total Offense (618.33) and Scoring Offense (57.33).  The Monarchs also come into Saturday's game ranked third in Passing Offfense (411.67), fourth in Passing Efficiency (176.08), fifth in Total Defense (222.00), seventh in Pass Efficiency Defense (85.09), eighth in Tackles for Loss (8.67), and 10th in Sacks (3.33).  

  Picking up Colonial Atheltic Association Player of the Week honors for the second time this season, sophomore quarterback Taylor Heinicke passed for 486 yards and seven touchdows against Campbell to rank second in the nation in total offense at just over 440 yards through three games. 

 The Monarchs have won seven of their last eight games dating back to October 22nd of last season and are currently riding a five-game home win streak.  ODU's last home loss was a 39-35 setback to #17/23 Towson on October 15, 2011.

 Including the last road contest on September 15th at Hampton, nine of Old Dominion's 11 games will be played in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  In fact, the Monarchs will not even have to leave the state until the October 20th contest at Towson.  

  The Monarchs moved up to their highest ranking to-date in The Sports Network Poll following Saturday's  70-14 win over Campbell.  ODU comes into Saturday ranked No. 5 in The Sports Network Poll and  dropped one spot to No. 5 in the FCS Coaches Poll, their third week in the Coaches Poll Top-5.

COMPARE & CONTRAST:

RISING UP THE RANKS:  

It took the ODU Football Monarchs until year three and 27 games to receive its first Top 25 ranking on October 3, 2011, coming in at No. 21 in The Sports Network Poll.  Looking at other recent start-up programs, it took Coastal Carolina 32 games to achieve a national ranking when they came in at No. 24 in The Sports Network Poll in their third year on Nov. 8, 2005.  That season the Chanticleers finished 9-2 and were the Big South co-champions.  The Monarchs enter Saturday ranked at No. 5 in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 5 in The Sports Network Poll.

WELCOME TO THE TOP 25:

The Football Monarch have been a member of the Top-25 for the last 12 weeks in the The Sports Network Poll and the last 11 weeks of the FCS Coaches Poll dating back to last season.  ODU has been member of the Top-10 for the last six weeks dating back to last season.

ODU FOOTBALL IN THE POLLS

- Complete TSN Poll

- Complete FCS Coaches Poll

IN OPENERS:

Old Dominion improved to 3-1 all-time in season openers in week one:

Old Dominion In Season Openers:

9/5/2009 - vs. Chowan W, 36-21

9/4/2010 - vs. Jacksonville L, 25-35

9/3/2011 - vs. Campbell W, 41-14 

9/1/2012 - vs. Duquesne W, 57-23

Old Dominion is currently 4-0 all-time in road openers including the week two win at Hampton:

Old Dominion In Road Openers:

9/19/2009 - at Jacksonville W, 28-27

9/11/2010 - at Campbell W, 35-21

9/10/2011 - at Georgia State W, 40-17

9/8/2012 - at Hampton W, 45-7

Old Dominion is currently 0-1 all-time in CAA openers:

Old Dominion In CAA Openers:

9/24/2011 - at #7/6 Delaware L, 17-27

Old Dominion is currently 1-0  all-time in CAA home openers:

Old Dominion In CAA Home Openers:

10/1/2011 - vs. #20 UMass W, 48-33

MOST AND LEAST:

The 70 points scored by the Monarchs in week three against Campbell set a record for most points in a game. Last Saturday's 70 points surpassed the previous record of 57 tied in week one in the 57-23 victory over Duquesne along with the Monarchs' 57-9 victory over Savannah State on November 6, 2010.

1. 70, Campbell, Sept. 15, 2012

2. 57, Duquesne, Sept. 1, 2012; 57, Savannah State, Nov. 6, 2010

3. 49, Virginia Union, Sept. 12, 2009

4. 48, at #3/2 Georgia Southern, Dec. 3, 2011; 48, #20 UMass, Oct. 1, 2011

5. 45, VMI, Nov. 13, 2010; 45, Hampton, Sept. 17, 2011; 45, Hampton, Sept. 8, 2012

In week two, the seven points scored by Hampton tied the record for fewest points in a game scored by an opponent along with the Monarchs' 14-7 win over Gardner-Webb on Oct. 2, 2010.

1. 7, Gardner Webb, Oct. 2, 2010; 7, at Hampton, Sep. 8, 2012

2. 9, Savannah State, Nov. 6, 2010

3. 10, Georgetown, Oct. 31, 2009

4. 13, at Campbell, Sep. 11, 2010

5. 14, at Hampton, Oct. 30, 2010' 14, Campbell, Sep. 3, 2011; 14, at Villanova, Oct. 22, 2011; 14, Campbell, Sept. 15, 2012

BY THE QUARTERS:

Old Dominion is currently outscoring its opponents 80-41 in the first half of contests and 92-3 in the second half. The Monarchs haven't let an opponent onto the scoreboard in either the first or third quarters and have not allowed a touchdown by the opposition in second half action. The only scoring by an ODU opponent in second half action thus far was a field goal in week one vs. Duquesne.

ODU has outscored the opposition 45-0 in the first quarter, 55-0 in the third quarter, and 37-3 in the fourth quarter. The second quarter meanwhile has ODU opponents outscoring the Monarchs 41-35, which includes Campbell's two touchdowns Saturday.

ACTIVE TOUCHDOWN CAREER LEADERS:

With his 14 touchdowns on the year, sophomore Taylor Heinicke is currently 12th among active quarterbacks in career touchdowns.  Heinicke is the youngest member of the list.

Name, School: Year Career TDs

1. Matt Brown, Illinois St. Sr. 60

2. Zach Lewis, Morehead St. Sr. 55

3. DeNarius McGhee, Montana St. Jr. 54

4.  Sean Patterson, Duquesne Sr. 50

5. Casey Brockman, Murray St. Sr. 46

6. Mason Mills, San Diego Jr. 45

6. Brad Sorensen, Southern Utah Sr. 45

8. Jeff Sinclair, Robert Morris Sr. 44

9. Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Ill. Jr. 42

9. Kurt Hess, Youngstown St. Jr. 42

11. Derek Carr, Tenn.-Martin Sr. 41

12. Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion So. 39

13. Sean Brackett, Columbia Sr. 38

13. T.J. Pryor, Eastern Ky. Sr. 38

15. John Kelly, St. Francis (PA) Sr. 36

Redshirt senior linebacker Craig Wilkins captured five tackles in last weekend's victory over the Camels to move into 10th on the all-time active career tackle leaders list and sixth on the all-time active career solo tackles list.  Leading both lists is linebacker Matt Evans from New Hampshire. 

ACTIVE TACKLE CAREER LEADERS:

Name, School, Pos: Year Solo Tackles

1. Matt Evans, New Hampshire, LB Sr. 362

2. Aaron Archie, Indiana St., LB Sr. 335

3. Jordan Ridley, Butler, LB Sr. 332

4. Jacolby Washington, Indiana St., LB Sr. 314

5. Paul Worrilow, Delaware, LB Sr. 309

6. Keith Pough, Howard, LB Sr. 295

7. Robert McCabe, Georgetown, LB Sr. 293

8. Blake Peiffer, Southeast Mo. St., LB Sr. 275

9. Jody Owens, Montana St., DB Sr. 272

10. Craig Wilkins, Old Dominion, LB Sr. 267

ACTIVE SOLO TACKLE CAREER LEADERS:

Name, School, Pos: Year Solo Tackles

1. Matt Evans, New Hampshire, LB Sr. 201

2. Keith Pough, Howard, LB Sr. 172

3. Darnell Taylor, Sam Houston St., DB Sr. 164

4. Kenneth Jenkins, Sam Houston St., DB Sr. 155

5. Paul Worrilow, Delaware Sr. 154

6. Craig Wilkins, Old Dominion, LB Sr. 149

7. Jody Owens, Montana St., DB Sr. 148

8. Jacolby Washington, Indiana St., LB Sr. 146

9. Aaron Archie, Indiana St., LB Sr. 144

9. Malcolm Bronson, McNeese St., DB Sr. 144

9. Robert McCabe, Georgetown, LB SR 144

COACHING TIES:

Old Dominion head coach Bobby Wilder and New Hampshire head coach Sean McDonnell go back a long way.  Both were graduate assistants at Boston College in 1989.

A RECORD NOT TO BE OVER LOOKED EITHER:

Blair Roberts' three touchdown receptions against the Camels in week there were the most by a Monarch in a game in ODU's 38-game history. 

The Monarchs have had five different student-athletes - Nick Mayers, Marquel Thomas, Larry Pinkard, & Reid Evans- score TD catches twice in a game - most recently with Nick Mayers in the week one 57-23 win over Duquesne, but Roberts becomes the first with a trio.

HOME/AWAY:

Old Dominion is currently 18-5 all-time and 2-0 this season on its home turf of Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium.  The Monarchs have won five straight at home following a 39-35 set back to Towson back on October 15th, 2011.  The loss to the Tigers had snapped a six-game home game win streak for ODU that had dated back to Oct. 9th, 2010 in a 50-37 setback to Cal Poly.  

ODU is 12-3 all-time on the road. Last season , the Monarchs went 4-2 on the road in 2011 with losses at Delaware and Georgia Southern, with both teams being ranked in the nation's top-10 at the time of play.

The Monarchs improved to 2-0 all-time against Hampton at Armstrong Stadium in the week two 45-7 win over the Pirates.  ODU will also be returning to the Georgia Dome where they defeated the Panthers last season, 40-17.

Old Dominion will be making road trips to Richmond, Towson, and James Madison for the first times.

BLOCK THAT KICK:

Special teams has 24 blocks to its credit in its four seasons, including their first of the 2012 campaign, a blocked PAT by senior Erik Saylor.  It was Saylor's second blocked PAT of his career.

Last season, the Monarchs made 11 blocked kicks, which according to an unofficial poll of FCS schools led the nation for the most blocks by a school last season.  

RECAPPING BLOCKS:

- Erik Saylor blocked extra points to end of the 2011 season and start off the 2012 campaign.  Saylor blocked Georgia Southern's Adrian Mora's extra point attempt to snap his streak of 151 consecutive made PATs which was an FCS record in the second round of the FCS playoffs last season and halted a Duquesne extra point in the 2012 season opener.

- Chris Burnette blocked his third field goal of the year and fifth of his career on a 37-yard attempt by Norfolk State in the first round of the FCS playofs. In addition to thwarting field goals against William & Mary and Delaware earlier in the year, Burnette stopped a 37-yard field-goal attempt by Virginia Union and a 32-yard attempt by Presbyterian back in 2009.

- Former Monarch Edmon McClam, who holds NCAA Division I record for most blocked PAT's by a single player in a game (FCS or FBS) with three against Chowan in the inaugural game in 2009, was just one blocked PAT shy of tying the FCS record for blocked extra points in a career. He blocked his first field goal attempt on a 50-yard Spartan attempt by Norfolk State in the first round of the FCS playoffs.

- In week 10, Jakwail Bailey blocked his second punt of the 2011 season against Richmond.  In week five, Jakwail Bailey blocked a UMass punt that results in a safety, giving the Monarchs a 26-25 lead they would not relinquish late in the third quarter.  For his efforts, Bailey was named the CAA Special Teams Player of the Week. 

- In week nine, Craig Wilkins blocked a 47-yard James Madison field goal attempt in last moments of ODU's 23-20 win over the Dukes leading the Monarchs to their first Top 10 victory in school history.

-  In week three's game with Hampton true freshman James Faircloth blocked a Pirate punt resulting in Larry Pinkard returning the ball five-yards for a touchdown to open up the fourth quarter in the 45-42 victory.  It was the third time in the two-game series with the Pirates that ODU has blocked a punt attempted by Hampton.

- In week two's 40-17 win at Georgia State, Alex Arain blocked his second career punt that was picked up by Blair Roberts and returned for a touchdown.  Additionally, Paul Morant blocked a punt in the victory.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN:

The captains for the Football Monarchs for the 2012 season are senior linebacker Craig Wilkins, senior defensive lineman Chris Burnette, and sophomore quarterback Taylor Heinicke. A fourth captain will be named each week during the season selected based on his leadership skills displayed leading up to each game.

Game One - Duquesne - Alex Arain
Game Two - Hampton - Devon Simmons
Game Three - Campbell - Nick Mayers
Game Four - New Hampshire - Robbie Duncan

12th MONARCH MOMENTS:

There may be 11 Monarchs on the field, but the 12th Monarch is in the stands. Thanks to all the noise of being "Loud and Proud" from the 12th Monarchs at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium, the opposition was charged with nine penalties so far this season, 58 in 2011, 51 in 2010, and 41 in 2009 for a total of 159 penalties.

2012 12th Monarch Stats:
Duquesne: Six Penalties
Campbell: Three Penalties

2011 12th Monarch Stats:
Campbell: Six Penalties
Hampton: Ten Penalties
UMass: Eleven Penalties
Towson: Three Penalties
James Madison: Six Penalties
Richmond: Four Penalties
Norfolk State: Eighteen Penalties

2010 12th Monarch Stats:
Jacksonville: Seven Penalties
William & Mary: Eight Penalties 
Gardner-Webb: Five Penalties
Cal Poly: Seven Penalties
Georgia State: Nine Penalties

2009 12th Monarch Stats:
Chowan: Seven Penalties
Virginia Union: Eight Penalties
Monmouth: Three Penalties
Presbyterian: Four Penalties
Campbell: Eight Penalties
Georgetown: Five Penalties
N.C. Central: Six Penalties