ODUSports.com takes a deeper look into ODU's 41-28 loss to Middle Tennessee.
ODU hosted Middle Tennessee in the first Conference USA home game in school history as well as the first Friday night contest.
It was a record-setting night for senior wide receiver Antonio Vaughan. Vaughan broke Nick Mayers’ career receptions record with his seven catches and his three touchdowns gave him 32 for his career, surpassing the 30 that Mayers and Thomas DeMarco scored. Vaughan now has 194 career receptions, topping Mayers’ 190.
Vaughan is now just 56-yards away from breaking Mayers’ career receiving yards record and three touchdown catches from breaking Mayers’ record of 30 TD grabs.
For the first time since the Campbell game last season, ODU had a pair of receivers surpass 100-receiving yards. Zach Pascal led the way with eight catches for 110-yards while Vaughan had seven receptions for 105-yards. It was Vaughan’s ninth career 100-yard receiving game while it was the third of Pascal’s career.
With his 362 passing yards, Taylor Heinicke surpassed 300-yards for the 23rd time in his career and for the 13th time tossed four touchdowns or more. He is tied for ninth all-time on with USC’s Matt Barkley with 116 career touchdown passes and is 12th in career passing yards with 13,017.
Martez Simpson led the defense with 11 tackles and half a tackle for loss while TJ Ricks recorded 10 stops, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Freshman punter Jarrett Cervi recorded the longest punt of his ODU career with a 51-yarder in the fourth quarter.