YPSILANTI, Mich. – Old Dominion University football opens the 2015 season at Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 5. The game will kick at 3:30 p.m.
Game Info
Time: 3:30 p.m.
TV: ASN
Series Record: ODU leads 1-0
Last Game: ODU defeated EMU last season in Norfolk, 17-3
• For just the second time in program history Old Dominion football will start the season on the road. The Monarchs are 4-2 all-time in openers and 0-1 in openers on the road. The only time ODU opened away from Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium, the Monarchs dropped a 52-38 shootout in Greenville to East Carolina.
• The Monarchs and Eastern Michigan will meet for the second time on the gridiron. ODU won last year’s meeting in Norfolk, 17-3. Ray Lawry rushed for a 55-yard touchdown, the first of his collegiate career, and Antonio Vaugha sealed the ODU victory with a punt return touchdown.
• For the first time since restarting football in 2009, Old Dominion does not have a quarterback on its roster that has thrown a collegiate pass. Redshirt freshman Shuler Bentley was named the starter in the spring. Bentley was the two-time South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
• Sophomore Ray Lawry was named the Conference USA Freshman of the year last season after rushing for 947 yards and 16 touchdowns.
• TJ Ricks is the leading returning tackler on the defense for the Monarchs. A junior from Hampton, Va., he finished second on the team with seven tackles for loss and had a Conference USA best four forced fumbles.
• Senior safety Fellonte Misher had 79 tackles last year and led the team with four takeaways (two INT’s, two FR). He is a two-year starter at safety.
• ODU Head Coach Bobby Wilder is 52-20 in his six years in Norfolk. The former Maine offensive coordinator led ODU to FCS playoff berths in 2011 and 2012 along with a CAA Championship in 2012.
Young and the Restless
Old Dominion has just 10 seniors on the team, tied for the fourth fewest in the FBS. This is the last FCS recruiting class for the Monarchs and it also features five junior college transfers.
Fewest Seniors for 2015
School Seniors
Wake Forest 6
UCF 9
Vanderbilt 9
Old Dominion 10
Pitt 10
Eastern Michigan 11
Colorado 11
NC State 11
And Young on Offense
Old Dominion will have a young squad overall this season, but especially on the offensive side of the ball. ODU has just one skill player in his final season of eligibility and a total of three seniors on offense. All three, Blair Roberts, Connor Mewbourne and Tyler Burns, will play key roles on the offense.
Fewest Seniors at Offensive Skill Positions (QB, RB, WR, TE)
School Senior Skill Players
UCF 0
Kentucky 1
Nevada 1
Old Dominion 1
Pitt 1
Wake Forest 1
Colorado 2
Syracuse 2
Fewest Seniors on Offense
School Seniors on Offense
Nevada 2
Pitt 2
Wake Forest 2
Kentucky 3
Old Dominion 3
Colorado 4
UCF 4
NEXT WEEK
ODU takes on Norfolk State next week in the home opener at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ASN.