By Harry Minium
I’ve spent perhaps 100 days in the last 9 months on site as the new Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium arose from the rubble that was once Foreman Field.
I saw the old stadium demolished and have toured the new stadium six times, including the last tour on Thursday afternoon.
So nothing much should have come as a surprise to me when the Monarchs cut the ribbon on the new stadium with a 24-21 victory over Norfolk State.
But to see the sellout crowd of 21,944, the largest home crowd in ODU history, finally fill the seats, smell the food in the concessions stands, watch players run and tackle and to sit in the Ballard Stadium press box was a bit of a shock to my system.
It seemed surreal to see such a mammoth facility on the same real estate where Foreman Field’s clam shell sideline stands stood for 82 years.
Yes, ODU finally has a big boy stadium.
And the Monarchs have a damn fine quarterback as well.
Yes, ODU struggled to put away Norfolk State, 24-21, but this shouldn’t have been a huge surprise. ODU is 4-0 against the Spartans, and all four have been close, including the 27-24 Monarch victory at Norfolk State in 2013 won on a last-second field goal.
The Spartans always come into this game with a chip on their shoulders, and who can blame them? Norfolk State is located just four miles from but the Monarchs swallow up most of the local media coverage.
ODU is also incredibly young and inexperienced and coaches acknowledge they didn't know what to expect Saturday night.
The Monarchs had more than 30 players depart from last season’s team, including two drafted by the NFL, and have 46 newcomers this season.
There was little experience at quarterback, wide receiver and the offensive line and the defense was completely retooled by coordinator David Blackwell.
Coach Bobby Wilder said this team wouldn’t be pretty to watch at first, and at times it wasn’t Saturday night.
But Stone Smartt, the 6-foot-4, junior college transfer from Sacramento, Calif., was outstanding in his first game in ODU blue. It's still early, but he appears to be a quarterback the Monarchs can build around.
Smartt completed 17 of 23 passes for 158 yards with one interception. He was poised, his passes accurate, his decision-making mostly crisp.
Smartt also showed some slick moves when he carried the ball, especially when he juked past three Norfolk State defenders on a 12-yard TD run.
Dare I say this – he looked a lot like David Washington, the standout quarterback turned wide received turned back to quarterback, who led ODU to 10 victories and a Bahamas Bowl championship in 2016.
For now, at least, ODU has a long way to go to get to a bowl, much less win one. The Monarchs were outscored, 15-3, in the first 25 minutes of the second half by the Spartans mostly because the defense gave up long plays and the offense could not move the ball.
After Juwan Carter gave Norfolk State a 21-17 lead with a 9-yard touchdown run, ODU got the ball back with 5:51 remaining and had to score a touchdown.
“If Stone makes one mistake on that drive, we lose the game,” Wilder said.
He didn’t, and in fact threaded a needle on a 31-yard pass to Eric Kumah, a transfer from Virginia Tech, on a third-down play that give ODU a first down at the Norfolk State 16.
Lala Davis then scored the clincher on a 2-yard TD run, and then Lance Boykin sealed the victory with an interception with 1:22 left.
I spent most of the game circulating in the stands and talking to fans. While walking from one luxury suite to another, I ran into Stephane Field, a former ODU cheerleader who has played a role in trying to help former Monarch basketball great Ronnie Valentine readjust to normal life after nearly two decades of being homeless.
Valentine lives in Miami and Field in West Palm Beach, so I was a little surprised to see her here.
Turns out the Norfolk native headed home from South Florida when she heard Hurricane Dorian was headed to Florida. She said he’s glad she did so, even though Dorian is expected to turn toward the Carolinas and largely miss the sunshine state.
ODU wide receiver Eric Kumah signals a first down after hauling in one of his four receptions.
Field said she was blown away by the stadium renovation.
“I was stunned when I walked in,” Field said. “I can’t believe what they did here. It’s absolutely amazing. Never in my wildest dreams, when I was cheering at ODU soccer games at Foreman Field, did I ever think we’d have a stadium like this.
“I’m so proud of my alma mater.”
She wasn’t alone. After 10 years of coping with the poor amenities at Foreman Field, many fans were impressed by the stadium’s 15,962 new sideline seats and modern concessions and restrooms.
The game was preceded by a ribbon cutting. Key people who helped make the stadium a reality were introduced during timeouts, including Barry Kornblau, who donated $3 million to the stadium, and Dennis Ellmer, whose $1.5 million donation allowed ODU to open the Priority Automotive Club, where 388 major donors were feted.
J. Morgan Davis, an alumnus who heads TowneBank and agreed to a $1 million donation that allowed ODU to have a new video board, also was introduced, as was Stephen Ballard, whose S.B. Ballard Construction did the stadium makeover.
Ballard drew praise from President John R. Broderick and a sustained ovation from the crowd. Ballard had crews working overnight Thursday and Friday to finish work on the Priority Automotive Club, which on Thursday afternoon appeared to be weeks away from completion.
Peter G. Decker III, a Norfolk attorney and one of the newest members of ODU’s Board of Visitors, said Ballard deserves all the accolades he received Saturday night and more.
“It’s a miracle that Steve Ballard was able to pull this off, build this facility in just 9 months,” Decker said. “People said it couldn’t be done, but I never had any doubt that he would do it.
“Now we have the finest facility of its size in the country. And the game was perfect. ODU playing Norfolk State, a great crowd and a close game. It was a great day for the city.”
As well as for ODU students. More than 6,000 picked up tickets for the game, and although there were a number of no-shows, it was clearly the largest student turnout for a football game.
Many said they were attracted by being able to sit on the sidelines rather than the north end zone, the ability to use meal cards at concessions stands and a good dose of curiosity about the new stadium.
Christopher Childress, a communication major, attended ODU’s first game in 2009 and nearly every game since.
“This stadium is a huge upgrade,” he said. “This is so much nicer than Foreman Field.”
Megan Miranda, a theater major, said her parents stopped coming to games with her in recent years because they grew tired of the compact seating and limited restroom facilities. Her mom was with her in the east stands.
“The seats at Foreman Field were so uncomfortable,” she said. “The seats here are so much better.”
Norfolk State athletic director Marty Miller was also impressed.
“Old Dominion has done a wonderful job with this stadium. It’s going to create such a good fan experience,” he said. “What Steve Ballard did was amazing, to get this one in a short time.
“We were proud to be part of this game.”
I ran into Bob and Toni Wolf of Virginia Beach standing in a long concession stand line. The Wolf’s said they were emotionally attached to Foreman Field, warts and all. They stood on the top of the 49th Street parking garage watching as the demolition of Foreman Field began last November.
“But we love the new stadium,” Toni said. “I’m pleased that there are so many more ladies’ restrooms.”
U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, an ODU alumnus, lived in Larchmont steps from the stadium when the Monarchs began playing football. While she didn’t attend a lot of games at Foreman Field, she tailgated before most games with her neighbors.
“This is nothing like the stadium I remember,” she said. “It’s just unbelievable.”
Stephen Ballard smiles after being introduced to the sellout crowd in the first quarter.
Norfolk native and NFL great Bruce Smith, who often attends ODU games, agreed.
“Steve did a really nice job,” he said. “I played at Foreman Field. I know what it was like. This is so much nicer.”
The stadium wasn’t all that was new Saturday night. ODU unveiled a new offense that looks markedly different from the wide open, high-octane attack the Monarchs have used throughout most of their ten previous seasons.
ODU is focused on running the ball, and dominating the clock.
Wilder said after ODU took a quick, 14-0, lead, that energized the crowd, there appeared to be a lull in crowd noise the rest of the half.
“I think our new style had something to do with it,” Wilder said. “The fans are trying to figure us out.
“We huddle and we’ve never huddled before. We take a little more time, so it’s not the wide open scheme everybody is used to, with the ball in the air 50 times.
“But to have our fans turn out like they did meant a lot to everyone in the program. The stadium was incredible. Our players felt it and to get a W makes it even better.”
Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu