NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion University football practiced for the 12th time this fall on Thursday morning.
This mornings practice the Monarchs wore uppers, helmets and shoulder pads, as practice lasted about an hour and a half.
During team drills, both the offense and defense had solid moments.
On offense, Taylor Heinicke had a 50-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Lowe while Ray Lawry scampered for a 65-yard score. Malik Moseley had a nice drive that featured a 40-yard run that he finished off with a 10-yard TD reception from Shuler Bentley.
The defense also produced some big plays, but none bigger than a Richie Staton interception in the red zone. The defensive line produced a pair of sacks, as Gary Scruggs and Poncho Barnwell combined on one while Jude Brenya added another.
The Monarchs are back at the L.R. Hill for two practices tomorrow. All practices are closed to the public.
Comments from Coach Wilder:
On today’s practice:
“Really good day. I was really excited about it. We got some good work in on special teams for our punt team. The team periods were really fast and in the first 10 minutes we got 20 plays in and that’s moving. I thought the guys focused their attention on detail. We got a lot of good work here at the end in the red zone. Something we’ve spent a lot of time on, and we’ve been pretty good on both sides of the ball, offensive and defensive. So we spent a lot of time here at the end of practice.”
On the pace of practices/games:
“I feel that is critical that not only what we run offensively but what the trend is in Conference USA and the teams we are going to play against. So for our defense to also understand that tempo and get back on the ball and get ready to go and the conditioning elements. We are practicing that way, today in 30 minutes we got close to 60 plays and that is half a game, 30 minutes is half a game and we are on pace to have 120 plays per game and by doing that it’s not only good for the kids on both sides of the ball mentally to have to get up and play fast and think fast, but the conditioning standpoint. That takes care of our conditioning, getting it done in practice.”