Minium: ESPN Radio Will Re-Live Taylor Heinicke's First Game and it Should be Fun

By Harry Minium

I was in a luxury suite at old Foreman Field as a guest of my dear late friend, Peter G. Decker Jr., when I saw the first pass of Taylor Heinicke's career.
 
Let's set the stage: It's 2011, ODU's third season of football and first season in the CAA.
 
Quarterback Thomas DeMarco, a junior college transfer, was ODU's star player. He was an outstanding runner and a good passer who would go on to play in the Canadian Football League.
 
But unbeknownst to most people in the stands, DeMarco had sprained an ankle in the first half that would sideline him most of the season. Heinicke was supposed to redshirt his freshman season but was instead pulled off the bench and started the second half.
 
I didn't realize Heinicke was in the game until I saw the pass, a crisp, spiral tossed 50 or so yards that was right on target. Even though the pass was dropped, you knew the guy throwing it had a rocket right arm.
 
I pulled away from a group of people I was talking with, found a seat and watched the rest of the game and it did not disappoint.
 
UMass was then an FCS power, ranked 20th nationally and a double-digit favorite over ODU. Heinicke powered the Monarchs to a 48-33, come-from-behind victory, their first over a CAA opponent. 
 
The game against UMass will be re-broadcast tonight at 7 on ESPN Radio, 94.1., with Ted Alexander calling the play by play.
 
Heinicke ended up being the best player ever to don an ODU jersey.  As a sophomore, he won the Walter Payton Award, the so-called Heisman Trophy of FCS.
 
In 2012, during a 64-61 victory over New Hampshire, he passed for a then Division I record 730 yards. His 790 combined rushing and passing yards were the most compiled by any player in any game at any level.
 
His career 14,959 passing yards was among the top ten ever in Division I. He threw for 132 TDs and rushed for 1,320 yards and 22 career TDs.
 
I'll be listening tonight as we relive Taylor's memorable first game.
 
There Won't be a Conference USA-Sun Belt merger
 
Despite so much Twitter speculation to the contrary, a merger of Conference USA and the Sun Belt Conference isn't in the works.
 
I advocated for such a merger as a columnist at The Virginian-Pilot because it would reduce travel costs and, because the two leagues would be more compact, it might also help develop rivalries. In hindsight, a merger would help ODU very little because most Sun Belt schools are a plane flight away from Norfolk.
 
Regardless, you must have unanimous agreement in both leagues on any realignment and that consensus does not exist in Conference USA.
 
Louisiana Tech Athletic Director Tommy McClelland made that clear last week when asked about the rumors of a merger: "There is no conversation nor is there any interest."
 
One of the big obstacles here is that LA Tech, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee State and North Texas all left the Sun Belt to move up to Conference USA and paid a substantial entry fee to do so.
 
Yes, the coronavirus pandemic has forced leagues across the country to talk about consolidation, but primarily in Olympic sports, such as baseball and soccer. Consolidation almost certainly isn't in the cards for FBS football or Division I basketball leagues.
 
ODU Losing Two Walk-on Basketball Players
 
Basketball coach Jeff Jones likely will be searching for a couple of walk-on basketball players after learning recently that Loren Brill and Quishon Harris aren't returning to school.
 
Brill was one of the most likable athletes I ever covered. The hard-working guard from Gaithersburg, Md., was a walk-on for the last three seasons and a fan favorite.
 
He and Harris were a little like Rudy Ruettiger, the walk-on football player at Notre Dame whose character was featured in the movie "Rudy." The undersized player was an inspiration in practice who pushed starters to improve, and so did Brill and Harris.
 
Harris, a 5-foot-10 guard from Hampton High School, played for ODU the last two seasons. He was a Daily Press All-Star, meaning he was one of the best players on the Peninsula. The All-Stars were begun by my late brother, Mike, more than two decades ago when he was The Daily Press sports editor.
 
Harris isn't returning to school because of financial difficulties arising from the coronavirus pandemic but hopes to return to finish his degree.
 
Brill graduated last month with a 3.8 grade point average. Brill had hoped to return for graduate school but says he's decided the best thing for him now is to pursue a career.
 
"I'm not sure what direction I want to go in," said Brill, who has considered everything from working on Wall Street to working with firms in nearby Washington.
 
Regardless, they will both be missed.
 
Former Women's Basketball Player Mairi Buchan is a Physician in London
 
ODU alum Mairi Buchan was a pretty good player as a senior for the 2012-13 women's basketball team.
 
She was third on the team in scoring (6.4 points) and free throw percentage (76.5) and had 22 blocks, the second most on the team.
 
But she was much more than just a pretty good student. A native of Stirlingshire, Scotland, she was a three-time Colonial Athletic Association First-Team All-Academic selection.
 
After graduating from ODU with a biology degree, she added the title "Doctor" to her name when she recently graduated from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She works at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in London.
 
Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu