Game Four Preview: Old Dominion at No. 13 Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Old Dominion University Football travels to Blacksburg on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. to take on Virginia Tech. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

> True freshman quarterback Steven Williams Jr. entered the game late in the second quarter and drove ODU to the one before a fumble ended the drive. A native of Washington, D.C., Williams completed 9-of-20 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

> Williams’ 71-yard touchdown pass to Travis Fulgham was the longest play in the first three games for the Monarchs, and the longest catch of Fulgham’s career.

> Isaiah Harper set an ODU record for longest kickoff return with a 100-yard touchdown return in the second quarter. It was ODU’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since a 92-yard kickoff return touchdown by Aaron Evans against Savannah State on Nov. 6, 2010.

> Travis Fulgham recorded career highs with six catches for 102-yards and a touchdown in the loss to UNC. Fulgham’s 71-yard touchdown catch was a career long.

> Safety Denzel Williams recorded a career-best 11 tackles in his first career start. He also had one tackle for loss.

Williams Provides a Spark
True freshman quarterback Steven Williams Jr. entered the game in the second quarter and provided a spark for an offense that had just 86 yards and two first down the first 28 minutes of the game. Williams joins Taylor Heinicke as the only two true freshmen to play quarterback for the Monarchs. Heinicke spent two seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings. He was with Minnesota this preseason, but was waived injured last week.

True Freshmen Debut

True Freshmen Starting
Steven Williams Jr. will join James Blackman from Florida State as the sixth and seventh true freshmen to start at quarterback this season. Williams and Caymen Cureton of Nevada are the only two from the Group of Five that will have started.

True Freshmen Quarterbacks

Youngest Players in FBS
Still just 17 years old, Steven Williams Jr. is one of the youngest players in FBS and the only 17 year old quarterback in FBS. Victor Dimukeje of Duke is younger than Williams by 14 days. He has not yet played for the Blue Devils. Isaiah Gay of Illinois turned 18 this past Sunday, started the first three games of the season for Illinois.

17 Years Old in FBS

Fulgham Impresses
With senior captain Jonathan Duhart out for the year with a broken foot, junior Travis Fulgham stepped up and had the best game of his career in the loss to North Carolina. Fulgham registered career-highs with six catches for 102-yards and a touchdown. The 71-yard play was the longest of his career. It was Fulgham’s first career 100-yard receiving game.

Harper Making His Mark
Not only did Isaiah Harper have a 100-yard kickoff return, he caught a pass for 50-yards, ODU’s first, first down, and had three carries for five yards. Harper had a career-best 249 all-purpose yards, the fifth most in school history.