NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion will host Norfolk State on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. to open the brand new Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
| Old Dominion (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Norfolk State (0-0, 0-0 MEAC) | |||
| Date | Saturday, Aug. 31 • 7 p.m. • Norfolk, Va. • Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium | ||
| Where to Watch | ESPN3 | ||
| Listen | ODU Sports Radio Network | ||
| Series | ODU leads, 3-0 | ||
| Game Notes | Old Dominion Norfolk State | ||
> In its 11th year of football, Old Dominion will open the 2019 season and the new Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
> Foreman Field was torn down days after the VMI game last season and the stadium was completed in nine months to open the 2019 slate.
> Fittingly, ODU faces crosstown foe Norfolk State, who played the most games in Foreman FIeld, other than ODU.
> The two schools are separated by four miles.
> ODU is 3-0 against the Spartans, winning the last meeting in 2015, 24-10.
> The Monarchs are 7-3 all-time in regular-season openers. Last season, ODU lost at Liberty, 52-10. The Monarchs are 8-2 in home openers. The Monarchs lost 2018’s home opener to C-USA opponent FIU, 28-20.
> ODU head coach Bobby Wilder has a 76-45 record in 10 seasons.
Need a Name Tag
ODU has 46 players on the team that has never played a game for the Monarchs. The Monarchs added 14 junior college transfers, four graduate transfers, and a host of transfers and new walk-ons, as well as players that redshirted last season.
The 46 new players does not include the 20 players that redshirted in 2018. Due to the new four game redshirt rule, 13 of the 20 players that redshirted played in at least one game last season.
Familiar Faces
Junior linebackers Lawrence Garner and Jordan Young combined for 175 tackles last season. Garner had 100 stops and Young 75. Coming into 2018, Garner had 13 total tackles, led Conference USA with 11.1 tackles per game.
Special Teams Could be Special
Other than Garner and Young, the special teams unit is the most experienced unit on the team. Kickers Nick Rice and Brad Davis, punter Bailey Cate and long snapper B.R. Hatcher all return from a year ago.
Young Squad
ODU is one of the youngest teams in FBS many ways you look at it.
• ODU did not return a single player that earned all-conference honors in 2018.
• Have 46 new players, not including 20 players that redshirted last season.
• Have 13 seniors, including four graduate transfers.
The 13 seniors is the 11th fewest in the country and second fewest in Conference USA.
Teams # of Seniors
Virginia Tech 5
Texas A&M 6
Penn State 10
Appalachian State 11
Coastal Carolina 11
NC State 12
Rice 12
Wake Forest 12
Old Dominion 13
Illinois 13
LSU 13
Get Your Degree
ODU is one of 30 FBS schools that have a double-digit number of players with undergraduate degrees. The Monarchs have nine players that earned the degree from ODU, and have four graduate transfers.
School # of Graduates
SMU 21
Kansas State 21
Louisville 20
Boston College 16
Nebraska 16
UAB 16
Baylor 14
Coastal Carolina 14
Middle Tenn. 14
Old Dominion 13
Arkansas State 13
Cincinnati 13
South Carolina 13
UTSA 13
West Virginia 13