NORFOLK, Va. – Larry Pinkard caught a 70-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Heinicke with 3:36 to go in the fourth quarter and Reggie Owens tackled Ben Dupree on a two-point conversion attempt with 1:39 to play to clinch a 59-58 victory over The Citadel, Saturday night, at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
Heinicke was 35-of-42 for 363 yards and three downs, while Antonio Vaughan caught 11 passes for 107 yards and a TD. Colby Goodwyn ran for 94 yards and two scores, while Cam Boyd rushed for 46 and scores. Heinicke added 52 yards and one TD as the Monarchs tied a school record with five rushing touchdowns in a single game.
Darien Robinson rushed for a career-high 227 yards, while Ben Dupree rushed for 149 and a school record five rushing TD’s.
With 1:39 to play, Dupree connected with Jake Stenson for a 23-yard touchdown pass to pull The Citadel within one at 59-58. The Bulldogs lined up for the point after but called timeout and decided to go for two. Dupree carried off the left side and was stopped short of the goal line by Reggie Owens.
Aaron Evans recovered the ensuing onside kick and ODU kneeled down three times to seal the victory.
The Citadel led 31-28 at halftime but ODU scored 23 third quarter points, as the Monarchs got the ball to start the third quarter, Heinicke rambled 25 yards to put ODU ahead 35-31.
The Bulldogs followed with a seven play, 88-yard drive as Dupree ran in from 33-yards for a 38-35 Citadel lead.
Not to be outdone, the Monarchs drove 75-yards in 10 plays as Cam Boyd for the second time for his first ever two-touchdown game, to give ODU a 41-38 lead. Jarod Brown missed the point after, snapping his streak of 94-consecutive makes.
After the score, Jarod Brown executed an onside kick that was recovered by Anthony Wilson. Goodwyn capitalized the onside kick as he scored from 20-yards out to give ODU a 48-38 advantage.
For the second-straight time, Brown connected on an onside kick, this time recovered by Scott Wiggins. The Monarchs drove to The Citadel 24 from a personal foul knocked them back to the 35, forcing a 52-yard Jarod Brown field goal, which the senior drilled for a career-best.
Brown kicked off after the field, but The Citadel drove 75-yards in nine minutes to cut the ODU lead to 51-45 as Dupree scored from two-yards out.
On the next kickoff, the Monarchs fumbled the kickoff and the Bulldogs recovered the ball at the ODU 30. Dupree scored his fifth rushing TD of the day from 19-yards out to give the Bulldogs a 52-51 lead, setting up the wild final three minutes.
The Citadel got the scoring started as Darien Robinson ran up the middle for a 62-yard score but the Monarchs came right back as Antonio Vaughan caught a 30-yard touchdown from Heinicke. Vaughan had three catches on the scoring drive.
After Gary Scruggs recovered a Citadel fumble, The Monarchs drove 64 yards in 11 plays as Heinicke hit Zach Pascal for a three-yard touchdown pass.
The Citadel countered as Robinson scored for the second time, this time a five-yard rush. The big play of the drive was a 52-yard pass from Dupree to Vinny Miller down to the ODU six.
The Citadel forced an ODU punt on the next possession and Jake Walsh’s punt was blocked by Walker Smith and the Bulldogs scored two plays later on a Dupree 13-yard run to take the lead, 21-14.
ODU was forced to punt on its second-straight possession, The Citadel followed with a 52-yard scoring drive capped by Dupree’s second TD of the night, this a 17-yard run for a 28-14 Bulldog lead.
The Monarchs found a ground game of their own on the following drive as Colby Goodwyn accounted for 28 of the 52-yards on the scoring drive and capped off the drive with a two-yard run to cut The Citadel lead to 28-21.
ODU’s Preston Smith forced a fumble on The Citadel’s first play of the next drive that Fellonte Misher recovered at the Bulldog 13. Cam Boyd scored two plays later from five yards out to tie the score at 28.
The Citadel responded driving down to the ODU five before kicking a field goal by Thomas Warren from 27-yards out to take a 31-28 halftime lead.
Notes: For the first time this season, Old Dominion wore their black jerseys, in conjunction with the Black Out … Antonio Vaughan caught his 13th career touchdown in the first quarter … Zach Pascal caught his second TD pass of the year … Gary Scruggs recovered a fumble in the first quarter, his first career fumble recovery and ODU’s fourth in the last two games … The blocked punt for The Citadel was the first by an opponent in ODU’s history … Antonio Vaughan caught eight passes in the first half after catching just one last week against Howard … Heinicke’s 25-yard touchdown run was the longest TD run of his career, and the 18th running score for the junior … A week after recovering a fumble, Preston Smith forced The Citadel’s second fumble of the game … Colby Goodwyn ran for his 16th career TD in the second quarter for ODU … Anthony Wilson recovered a third quarter onside kick by Jarod Brown … Scott Wiggins recovered the second-straight onside kick from Jarod Brown …