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Game One Preview: ODU vs. Hampton

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Game One Preview: ODU vs. HamptonGame One Preview: ODU vs. Hampton

NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion University Football opens the 2016 season at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium against Hampton on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m.

The Monarchs went 5-7 last season and 3-5 in Conference USA, while the Pirates finished 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the MEAC.

• Old Dominion and Hampton will play for the fifth time on Saturday, and the second time the two schools will meet in the season opener.

• Old Dominion University begins its eighth season of football this year. The Monarchs are 57-27 all-time under head coach Bobby Wilder. ODU went 5-7 last season and is coming off its first losing season in school history.

• Of the 53 schools that have started football since 2008, Old Dominion has the fourth highest winning percentage, and the highest winning percentage among Division I teams.

• ODU running back Ray Lawry and linebacker TJ Ricks led Conference USA in rushing yards and tackles last season. Lawry rushed for 1136 yards and scored 12 touchdowns while Ricks set a school record with 123 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and an interception. He is the third leading returning tackler in the nation.

• Head Coach Bobby Wilder is the 14th longest tenured head coach in the FBS and the third longest in Conference USA. David Bailiff of Rice was hired one month before Wilder.

• ODU has 56 players that hail from the state of Virginia and 27 from Hampton Roads, led by 10 players from Virginia Beach and eight from Chesapeake.  The Monarchs also have nine players from Richmond.

• The Monarchs return 17 starters from a season ago, nine on offense and eight on defense.

• Senior wide receiver Zach Pascal returns as the team’s leading receiver, recording 68 receptions for 970 yards and eight touchdowns. Pascal set the school record for single-season all-purpose yards with 1,549.

The Meeting
Old Dominion and Hampton have played four times since ODU restarted football in 2009. The two schools played for three-straight years from 2010-12, and again in 2014.  

The Monarchs have won all four contests, with all but one decided by 14 points or fewer.

ODU vs. Hampton Series Results
2010 - ODU at Hampton - W, 28-14
2011 - ODU vs. Hampton - W, 45-42
2012 - ODU at Hampton - W, 45-7
2014 - ODU vs. Hampton - W, 41-28

Young and Old
Old Dominion is considered the 17th most experienced team in the country, but are still tied for the fourth fewest seniors in the country with 13.

Fewest Seniors on Team
Rk.    Team        Seniors
1.       Kentucky       11
2.       Penn State    12
          Baylor            12
4.    Old Dominion   13
       Minnesota        13
       Florida             13
       Marshall          13
       Wake Forest    13
       NC State         13
       UMass             13


Young and Old (Part Two)
Last season, ODU had three seniors on the offensive side of the ball and zero senior skill players.  The Monarchs are a little older on offense this season, with four seniors on offense, including one senior skill player, wide receiver Zach Pascal.

The four seniors is tied for the second fewst in the FBS.

Fewest Seniors on Offense
Rk.    Team               Seniors
1.       Minnesota         3
2.       Old Dominion    4
          Florida               4
         Troy                    4

Stay to the End
Old Dominion has made it a habit to not only play close games, but win them. The Monarchs are 20-7 all-time in games decided by one score and 7-2 since turning FBS in 2014.

Head Coach Bobby Wilder has the best winning percentage of any active FBS head coach in games decided by one score.
Coach                     School               Career        
Bobby Wilder          Old Dominion    20-7 (.741)
Urban Meyer          Ohio State         34-13 (.723)    
Brian Kelly              Notre Dame      78-38-2 (.669)    
Tommy Tuberville   Cincinnati          60-31 (.659)    
Les Miles                LSU                  46-25 (.648)    
Kyle Whittingham   Utah                  34-19 (.642)    
Dan Mullen            Mississippi St.    16-9 (.640)
Gary Patterson      TCU                    43-25 (.632)
Matt Viator             La. Monroe         24-14 (.632)    
Mike Gundy           Oklahoma State  23-14 (.622)