GAME TWO: #7/5 Old Dominion vs. Hampton

GAME TWO: 
Saturday, September 8, 2012 - 6:00 p.m. (EST)
Armstrong Stadium - Hampton, Va.
#7/5 Old Dominion Monarchs (1-0, 0-0 CAA) vs.
Hampton Pirates (0-1 0-0 MEAC)

TV:  None

RADIO: ESPN RADIO - 94.1 FM  (Hampton Roads), WZEZ-FM - EZ 100.5 FM (Richmond)  (Ted Alexander - Play-by-Play; Andy Mashaw - Color Analyst)

LIVESTATS: via HamptonPirates.com

AUDIO: ODUSports.com (subscription required)

CAA WEEKLY TELECONFERENCE AUDIO: Available at the CAA Press Box at CAAFootball.com

ODU WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO: Available on Monarch Media

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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 57-23 win over Duquesne, a team that was receiving votes in The Sports Network Poll and tied for first last season in the NEC.  ODU will be taking on Hampton in its first road contest of the 2012 campaign.

• After setting school records for passing yards, completions, and attempts and helping ODU to a new school record in total offense, sophomore quarterback Taylor Heinicke was named not only the CAA Offensive Player of the Week, but the National Offensive Player of the Week by The Sports Network

• The Monarchs have won five of their last six games dating back to October 22nd of last season and are currently riding a four-game home win streak.  ODU has won three of their last four road games last suffering a 55-48 set back to then #3/2 Georgia Southern in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.

• Including Saturday's contest 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.  Saturday's game will be the shortest road trip for the Monarchs of the 2012 having to travel just 14 miles.

• The Monarchs return 16 starters from a year ago, including seven on offense and six on defense.  Thirteen student-athletes made their debut last Saturday against Duquesne, including one redshirt junior, one redshirt sophomore, six redshirt freshmen, and five true freshmen.

• The Monarchs moved up to their highest ranking to-date following Saturday's 57-23 win over Duquesne.  ODU comes into Saturday ranked seventh in The Sports Network Poll and cracks the Top-5 for the first time ever at No. 5 in the FCS Coaches Poll.

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. 7 in The Sports Network Poll.

WELCOME TO THE TOP 25:

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

In another first for the ODU Football program, the Monarchs were ranked in the Top-25 for the first time in school history coming in at No. 21 in The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top-25 College Football Poll following a 48-33 win over then-#20 UMass, the Monarchs first ever CAA and Top-25 victory.  Following ODU's 31-23 victory over Rhode Island the next weekend, ODU made its FCS Coaches Poll debut during week seven coming in at No. 22.  ODU steadily moved up the ranks until it cracked the Top-10 at the conclusion of the season with a 35-31 win at nearby William & Mary to end the regular season on a four-game win streak and a 9-2 overall and a 6-2 record in its inaugural season of CAA play. 

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 last weekend:

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 3-0 all-time in road openers:

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

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

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.

BLOCKING THE PIRATES:

Of the 24 blocked kicks to date, three have come against Hampton.

Last season, James Faircloth as a true freshman blocked a Pirates punt that led to a recovery and touchdown by Larry Pinkard in opening minutes of the fourth quarter. 

Former Monarchs Deron Mayo and Desmond Williams both had blocked punts in the 28-14 win over Hampton in the first ever meeting in 2010.  Mayo's block came at the conclusion of the Pirate's second drive of the game was recovered by current junior Colby Goodwyn who gave ODU a 14-0 lead.  Williams's blocked punt helping the Monarchs set up a scoring drive at Hampton's own nine-yard line in the second quarter.  

FUMBLE, FUMBLIA, FUMBLEROOKSI:

Old Dominion had four forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries in last season's win over Hampton. The four forced fumbles, which included a pair by the-senior defensive end Edmon McClam, are still the most by the Monarchs in their four-year history.

HOME/AWAY:

Old Dominion is currently 17-5 all-time and 1-0 this season on its home turf of Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium.  The Monarchs have won four 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 11-3 all-time on the road, including 1-0 at Armstrong Stadium.  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 .

ANOTHER IT'S A MOST MOMENT:

In last season's contest with the Pirates, Craig Wilkins led the ODU defense with 17 tackles replacing his previous high of 11 stops in the 2010 game with nationally-ranked Cal Poly. It still stands as a record for stops by a Monarch defender in a game, replacing the previous high of 14 by Ronnie Cameron set in the 2010 eason finale at N.C. Central.

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY:

Old Dominion has been very lucky when it comes to weather, having only encounter rain in four of its 36-games to date over the last four season.

Last season, the Monarchs played two games in the rain and won both - a 45-42 win over Hampton on Sept. 17th and a 23-20 win over James Madison in the revival of the Oyster Bowl on Oct. 29th.  The win over the Dukes also gave ODU its first ever win over a top-10 program.

 In 2009 ODU defeated Campbell, 28-17, on an overcast and drizzling October 17, 2009 afternoon at Foreman Field while a comeback against Fordham fell short, 34-29, at a soggy Jack Coffey Field on Oct 3, 2009 in other inclement weather contests.

A HOMECOMING OF SORTS:

With Old Dominion making the trek through the HRBT for Saturday's game, 14 student-athletes on the Monarch roster will be making a trip to their side of the water.

The folowing Monarchs make their home on the pennisula:

Newport News:

#10 Devon Simmons - S - Sr-r. - Denbigh HS

#15 Aaron Evans - CB - Jr. - Woodside HS

#31 Jonathan Plisco - P - Sr-r. - Woodside HS

#95 Nate Barnes - DT - Jr-r. - Heritage HS

Hampton:

#21 Paul Morant - S - Jr. - Phoebus HS

#33 Tyree Lee - RB - So. - Phoebus HS

#36 Colby Goodwyn - Jr. - Phoebus HS

#41 Brandon Bacchus - S - Fr-r. - Kecoughtan HS

#42 Keenen Terry - CB  Jr. - Hampton Christian

#47 T.J. Ricks - LB - Fr- Kecoughtan HS

#58 Jonathan McLean - DT - Fr-r. - Phoebus HS

#72 Kyle Lawrence - K - Fr-r. - Kecoughtan HS

#81 Rashawn Proctor - WR - Fr. - Bethel HS

#96 Caleb Taylor - LB - Fr-r. - Phoebus HS

PASS ATTEMPTS:

Taylor Heinicke put his name all over the game passing records on Saturday.

- Heinicke's 492 yards passes the previous high of 407 yards by Thomas DeMarco at Monmouth on September 25, 2010 and his previous high of 373 against Richmond back on November 5, 2011.

- Heinicke's 41 completions passes the previous high of 34 which he had set against Richmond on November 5, 2011.

- Heinicke's 63 attempts replaces the previous high of 57 attempts made by Thomas DeMarco against Cal Poly in 2010 and his own previous high of 47 against Richmond on November 5, 2011.

- Henicke also set school mark with 530 yards of total offense (492 pass, 38 rush)  with a record 74 plays.  He surpasses his previous record of 421 yards of total offense against Richmond back on November 5, 2011 and the previous high of 73 plays set by former Monarch Thomas DeMarco against Cal Poly on October 9, 2010.

OPENING WITH A BANG - AND TYING A RECORD:

Old Dominion scored on its opening drive for the 17th time in the school's 36-game history. Jarod Brown tied his career-mark with a 51-yard field goal to put the Monarchs up 3-0 with 7:25 remaining in the first quarter. He also had a 51-yarder at Georgia State last season back on Sept. 10th, 2011.

LIKE TOTALLY:

ODU's 723 yards of total offense (231 rush, 492 pass) against Duquesne smashes the previous record of 587 (214 rush, 373 pass)against Richmond on November 5, 2011

PUTTING UP THE POINTS:

The 57 points scored by the Monarchs against Duquesne ties the record for most points in a game along with the Monarchs' 57-9 victory over Savannah State on November 6, 2010.

Most Points Scored by ODU:

1. 57, Duquesne, Sept. 1, 2012

    57, Savannah State, Nov. 6, 2010

2. 49, Virginia Union, Sept. 12, 2009

3. 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

MONARCHS MAKING A DEBUT:

Those making their ODU debut last Saturday against Duquesne included: 

Redshirt Junior - D.J. Morrell

Redshirt Sophomore Transfer - Andre Simmons

Redshirt Freshmen - Brandon Bacchus, Akil Jones, Rob Mahan, Connor Mewbourne, Kirk Spellman, and Caleb Taylor; 

True Freshman - Troy Butler, Galen Evans, Andrew Everett, Anderson Miller, and Harvey Taylor; 

ADDING FOOTBALL:

Old Dominion is just one of a handful of programs that have brought football to its campuses the last few years.  Here are some recent start-up programs:

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 

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 six penalties so far this season, 58 in 2011, 51 in 2010, and 41 in 2009 for a total of 156 penalties.

2011 12th Monarch Stats:
Duquesne: Six 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

KEEP AN EYE ON:

Sophomore quarterback Taylor Heinicke is among the 20 student-athletes named to the 2012 Walter Payton Award List Watch List for the Football Championship Subdivision's (FCS) top individual honor.  

Last week, Heinicke earned not only CAA Offenive Player of the Week honors, but Sports Network National Player of the Week honors as well.

Od Dominion totaled 723 yards in its 57-23 win over Duquesne, and Heinicke accounted for 530 yards on his own. After trailing 20-10 at halftime, the Monarchs offense exploded for 47 second-half points.

Heinicke broke personal and school game-highs with 492 passing yards and 41 completions, helping the Monarchs tie a program mark for points in a game. Last year's runner-up for the Jerry Rice Award ended the game with four touchdown passes and 38 rushing yards.

It is Heinicke's third national award from The Sports Network having earned National Rookie of the Week accolades twice last season following performances against Richmond and Norfolk State in the first round of the FCS playoffs.

Earlier on Monday, Heinicke was named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Offenisve Player of the Week, the fourth time the Monarch signal caller earned a weekly award from the conference office.

Redshirt sophomore Antonio Vaughan had his sixth career touchdown scoring the first TD of the 2012 season last Saturday against Duquesne. He's currently logged 596 career reception yards and could be the next Monarch to reach over 1,000 career yards receiving.  Only redshirt senior Nick Mayers has more career yardage at 1,589 yards.  Vaughan is also tied with Marquel Thomas at fifth all-time with his six career touchdowns.  He is currently averaging 76.0 yards per game.

Redshirt sophomore Angus Harper captured his first receiving touchdown to cut the ODU deficit to three, 20-17, with just over 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter in Saturday's wina over the Dukes. Harper had 23 catches for 182 yards last year, but no touchdown receptions. He did have a team-leading 10 rushing scores last year. In the run game, Harper has 656 rushing yards to rank fourth all-time at ODU.  His 146 carries also ranks him fourth all-time while his 10 rushing scores puts him third all-time with only former Monarchs Mario Crawford (10) and Thomas DeMarco (30) ahead of him in the category.  Harper is currently averaging 23.0 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry.

Redshirt senior Nick Mayers posted his 15th career touchdown that gave the Monarchs back the lead, 27-20, with 1:35 left in the third quarter last Saturday against Duquesne. He captured No. 16 with his second score of the night giving ODU a 34-23 lead with 11:22 left in the game.  Mayers needs just 223 more receiving yards to become the Monarchs' all-time leading receiver, surpassing Reid Evans.  Mayers also needs 36 more catches to move a top the all-time pass receptions leaders list.  The wide receiver already holds the pass reception touchdown mark having totaled 16 to date.  Mayers is averaging 134.0 yards per game which puts him fourth nationally in the category.

Sophomore Tyree Lee punched in his third career touchdown that gave ODU a 41-23 edge with 9:40 left in the game and then his fourth with 6:04 left in the game to give the Monarchs a 50-23 advantage over Duquesne.  Lee currently is averaging 113.0 yards per game, fifth in the CAA, going 12.6 yards per carry.  Lee only appeared in three games last season with 36 carries, 97 yards, and a pair of touchdowns.

 Redshirt junior T.J. Cowart returned to the field for the first time since the Monarchs' second game last season at Georgia State on September 10, 2011.  Cowart finished last Saturday's game with his second career interception along with three solo tackles and a batted down pass.

After sitting out last season, redshirt sophomore Rodney Hunter made his first career interception in the 57-23 win over Duquesne.  Hunter finished the game with assisted three tackles.

Redshirt junior Jarod Brown improved to 27-36 all-time in field goals, making 51-yard and 31-yard attempts while missing a 31-yard attempt. Brown also improved to 103-107 in PATs.  His 51-yard attempt against Duquesne was not only the first score for the Monarchs this season, but also tied the school record.  Brown also booted a 51-yard field goal attempt in last year's 40-17 victory over Georgia State at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Freshman Harvey Taylor was one of 13 Monarchs to make his debut in Saturday's game and one of five true freshmen to take the field in the win.  Taylor ran in his first career touchdown on ODU's final score of the night.

Defensive end Andrew Everett also had an impressive debut as a true freshman at defensive end.  Everett collected four total tackles (1 solo, 3 assisted) and had a forced fumble with a seven-yard sack.  Everett was teammates with quarterback Taylor Heinicke at Collins Hill HS in Georgia.