Last in a five-game series looking ahead to the 2021 ODU football season
By Harry Minium
Old Dominion will face a challenging schedule in coach Ricky Rahne's first football season as ODU's head coach.
Not only do the Monarchs play in the toughest division of Conference USA – the East, with Marshall, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Florida Atlantic, Florida International and Charlotte – they also have a challenging non-conference schedule.
The Monarchs open at Wake Forest of the ACC and two weeks later play at Liberty, which is 9-1 and hoping for a bowl bid, and then hosts Buffalo, the best mid-major program that hasn't gotten a lot of national acclaim.
ODU will close out its non-conference schedule with a home game against a Football Championship Subdivision program yet to be announced.
ODU is guaranteed to play all six C-USA East Division rivals, and tentatively had been scheduled to host UAB and venture to Texas-San Antonio from the West Division. But given all the disruption this season, UTSA and UAB games are subject to change.
The conference has discussed playing division rivals only in football not only to cut down missed class time and costs, but to foster rivalries. But no final decisions on scheduling will be made until 2021.
The Monarchs will be young and officially, we know nothing of ODU's recruiting class, which is to be announced on Wednesday.
Rahne told the ODU Board of Visitors Thursday afternoon he expects to sign 19 players and that it's a great class.
ODU's last class, the first signed by Rahne, was the best in the University's history, according to 247Sports, and that did not include Penn State transfer Ricky Slade, the standout running back. That class infused a much-needed dose of size, speed and talent into the ODU program. I would expect the next class will, too.
The schedule, while difficult, is far from insurmountable. My gut tells me that this team will be good and play exciting football, but first, the Monarchs will go through winter conditioning, spring practice, spring and summer conditioning and then summer practice.
ODU is blessed with the youngest coaching staff in FBS, which has brought a new level of enthusiasm and confidence to Monarch football.
The schedule should provide ODU with some entertaining home games, with Buffalo, Marshall and Middle Tennessee among my favorite early picks for home games not to miss.
I think this team will have a winning record, but I won't predict a victory total until the summer. There's a lot of work to be done between now and then.
It's also difficult to predict how ODU's next season will play out with Monarchs fans. ODU didn't play this fall, a wise decision made to protect player safety. Even if the Monarchs had played, crowds would have been limited to 1,000 or less per game, likely just 250 per game for the last home game or two.
However, there is reason for optimism on all fronts. COVID vaccines began to roll out this week and the first vaccination occurred on Monday. If they are as effective as hoped, it is expected that ODU, as well as football at all levels, will be able to open the stadium gates to all next season.
And that's something to really look forward to.
Until then, a look at ODU's nine known opponents:
NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
At Wake Forest, Sept. 4
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Conference: ACC
Stadium: Truist Field, 31,500
Enrollment: 7,950
2020 record: 4-4
Record against ODU: first game
Outlook: Based on facilities and fan support, Wake Forest should be a perennial underdog in the ACC. But Dave Clawson, one of the most respected coaches in college football, has the Deacs motoring. Wake has been to four consecutive bowl games with a high-scoring offense that has rewritten the school record book. Last season the Deacs won the "Big Four" championship, meaning competition between the four North Carolina ACC schools. ODU running backs coach Tony Lucas coached for Clawson at Bowling Green and said he's among the finest he's worked with. Wake was supposed to open Rahne's first season at ODU at S.B. Ballard Stadium before the pandemic forced the Monarchs to cancel the season. Wake is expected to play a return game to Norfolk in several years. Miles Fox, who transferred to Wake from ODU, has 17 tackles for the Deacs. The offense is led by quarterback Sam Hartman, a sophomore from Charlotte, N.C., who has completed 139 of 236 passes for ten touchdowns with one interception. Wide receiver Jaquarii Roberson, who has 54 receptions for 795 yards and five touchdowns, is from Hertford (N.C.) High, alma mater of ODU alumnus Oshane Ximines. Of the 22 starters 13 are underclassmen. And as with every college program this season, seniors can return next season if invited back by coaches.
Sept. 18, at Liberty
Location: Lynchburg
Conference: Independent
Stadium: Williams Stadium, 31,500
Enrollment: 19,000 (on campus)
2020 record: 9-1
Record against ODU: 1-1.
Outlook: Liberty has spent a ton of money on football in recent years and is finally experiencing a breakthrough season. The Flames hired controversial coach Hugh Freeze two years ago and after taking Liberty to an 8-5 record and a Cure Bowl victory over Georgia Southern last season, he's led the Flames to a 9-1 record this season, including victories at Virginia Tech and Syracuse. Their only loss was a 15-14 defeat at North Carolina State. Freeze has experienced a lot of success and his name has popped up with every big-time vacancy in recent months but so far, he's still in Lynchburg. Malik Willis, a redshirt junior from Atlanta who transferred from Auburn, led the Flames in both passing (2,040) and rushing (807) yards and scored ten touchdowns. Willis and others were out with COVID on Dec. 3, when the Flames were scheduled to play at Coastal Carolina, a game eventually canceled. Because it is an independent with no conference automatic bid, Liberty's postseason fate is unknown. Liberty enters next season having won its last 11 home games. The Flames and Monarchs are scheduled to meet in Norfolk in 2022 and again in Lynchburg in 2023. ODU and Liberty have split two games, which each winning on its home turf. Eleven starters are underclassmen, but Liberty's top two running backs are seniors.
Buffalo, Sept. 25
Location: Buffalo, New York
Conference: Mid-American
Stadium: UB Stadium, 29,013
Enrollment: 29, 850
2020 record: 5-0 (MAC East champions)
Record against ODU: First game.
Outlook: The Bulls are coached by Lance Leipold, one of the nation's most underrated coaches. He took UB to its first bowl victory ever last season, when the Bulls upended Charlotte, 21-9, in the Bahamas Bowl. His Bulls are 5-0 this season and champions of the Mid-American Conference East Division. Buffalo is tenth nationally with 511 offensive yards per game and is led by Jaret Patterson, who leads the nation with 211 yards per game and has scored 18 touchdowns. Leipold came to Buffalo from Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he had a 109-6 record and won six Division III national titles in eight seasons. He got UB bowl eligible in his third season in 2017 and in 2018, the Bulls won ten games. Buffalo also plays at ODU again in 2023. The Bulls have some local ties. Long-time ODU quarterbacks coach Ron Whitcomb is the scouting coordinator and an offensive analyst. Two UB players hail from Norview High School – Isaiah King, a junior cornerback, and tailback Kevin Marks, who has rushed for 510 yards and five touchdowns. Most of UB's offensive skill players return, as does the bulk of a strong defensive line.
CONFERENCE USA EAST OPPONENTS
Florida International, Date TBA
Location: Miami, Florida
Conference: Conference USA
Stadium: Riccardo Silva Stadium, 20,000
Enrollment: 55,000
2020 record: 0-5
Record against ODU: 3-3
Outlook: This was the most disappointing season for the Panthers in perhaps a decae. Butch Davis, the former Miami coach, was 23-16 prior to this season and came off last year with a ton of good vibes after a stunning upset victory over crosstown rival Miami. But FIU lost narrowly in its opener at Liberty, 36-34, fell at home to Middle Tennessee, 31-28, and lost to FCS Jacksonville State, 19-10. The Panthers' roster has been depleted by losses to COVID-19 and their season ended when C-USA announced the FIU-Marshall game on Dec. 11 was canceled. It was the seventh canceled game for FIU. There are reports that Davis, 69, may step down, but he has told the Miami Herald he won't make a decision until after the season. Should he step down? Not based on this season. No coach should be judged on a season during a pandemic. If he leaves, it will almost certainly be of his own volition. The season began on a nightmarish note, when receivers coach Aubrey Hill died of cancer in August. Running back D'vonte Price was a bright spot, rushing for 581 yards and four touchdowns in five games. But he's a senior and it isn't certain he will return. FIU quarterback Stone Norton, who was named Mr. Tennessee in 2018 after throwing for more than 3,000 yards as a high school senior, has entered the transfer portal. Nonetheless, the Panthers will have a good cast returning. Half of the starters and virtually every backup player is scheduled to return, and some seniors may return with them.
Middle Tennessee, Date TBA
Location: Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Conference: Conference USA
Stadium: Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium, 30,788
Enrollment: 21,913
2020 record: 3-6
Record against ODU: 4-0
Outlook: 2020 was a disappointing season for MTSU. The Red Raiders finished 3-6, losing three games by a touchdown or less, and last played in late November. Its final two games against Florida Atlantic and UAB were canceled because the Blue Raiders didn't have enough players due to COVID-19 and other injuries. MTSU was the first and FIU the second FBS teams to announce their seasons ended prematurely. "It has been a very long and challenging season and we felt it was time for the players to go home and be with family," MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro said. "There's not a book on how to navigate a virus in college football so we were all experiencing it for the first time and learning as we went. All involved deserve a lot of credit. However, our overall record was not to our expectations and standards." The Blue Raiders should have an experienced quarterback returning in redshirt junior Asher O'Hara, who ranked sixth in C-USA with 217.8 passing yards per game and led with 284.6 yards of total offense per game. His favorite target was Jarrin Pierce, who caught 59 passes, but he's a senior who has NFL potential and may not be back. MTSU's defense struggled, allowing 35.4 points per game. However, MTSU has one of the youngest rosters in C-USA. Nineteen of 22 starters are set to return, as are most of the backups. MTSU has been a tough nut for ODU to crack – the Monarchs are 0-4 against the Blue Raiders.
Marshall, Date TBA
Location: Huntington, West Virginia
Conference: Conference USA
Stadium: Joan C. Edwards, 38,227
Enrollment: 13,321
2020 record: 7-1 (C-USA East Division champion)
Record against ODU: 5-1
Outlook: This season was the 50th anniversary of the tragic plane crash in 1970 that took the lives of nearly all of Marshall's football team and coaches and the Thundering Herd hoped to make that anniversary with a special season. It has been special, though not quite as special as the Herd had hoped. Early-on, the Herd knocked off No. 23 Appalachian State, 17-7, at home in a game televised nationally by CBS. Marshall was 7-0 and 15th ranked in both polls and had hopes of playing in a New Year's Day Bowl when the Herd fell to Rice, 20-0, Dec. 5 in Huntington. It was the first shutout loss for Marshall since 2000 and the first home shutout loss since 1982, when the Herd then played at old Fairfield Stadium. Redshirt freshman quarterback Grant Wells, who had been exceptional for the Herd, had five interceptions. He had thrown just four in the previous seven games. Marshall was shorthanded in that game because of players sitting out. The Herd's final game on Dec. 11 against Charlotte was canceled because they could not field a full roster. Nonetheless, Marshall won the East Division title with a 7-1 record. The Herd will host UAB in the league championship game Friday. Marshall's Doc Holliday is the dean of coaches in Conference USA. His 12-year record at Marshall is 85-52. Marshall is generally among the league's top defensive teams and the Herd led C-USA in rushing, scoring and total defense. Linebacker Tavante Beckett, a reshirt senior from Chesapeake, is third in the league with 9.6 tackles per game, but it is uncertain whether he will return next season. Marshall is 5-1 against ODU and has begun to develop an intense rivalry with the Monarchs.
At Western Kentucky, date TBA
Location: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Conference: Conference USA
Stadium: Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium, 22,113
Enrollment: 20,267
2020 record: 5-6
Record against ODU: 5-1
Outlook: As with Marshall, WKU is slowly becoming a rivalry opponent for ODU and that's in large part because of the nature of recent games. Two of the last three games have come down to the wire, with ODU winning 34-31 in 2018 on a field goal as time expired and WKU winning a 35-31 Friday night game at ODU in 2017. WKU leads the series 5-1 and won the first two games by lopsided margins. The Hilltoppers are hopeful of a bowl bid in spite of finishing 5-6 – all teams are bowl eligible this season in spite of their records – and finished strong after a 1-4 start. WKU played a difficult non-conference schedule with a loss at Louisville, at home to Liberty and then at BYU. The Hilltoppers won their last three games, including a 37-19 triumph at Charlotte in which the 49ers gave up two touchdowns with fumbles. First-year coach Tyson Helton believes WKU deserves a bowl bid. "It's not how you start, it's how you finish and this team finished pretty well," he told the Louisville Courier Journal. Deangelo Malone, the 2020 C-USA preseason Defensive Player of the Year, again had a good season, with 12 tackles for a loss and six sacks. He is a senior but with just six non-senior starters, WKU is likely to bring back many of its seniors next season, but likely not Malone, who is projected to be a second or third-round NFL draft pick.
At Charlotte, Date TBA
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Conference: Conference USA
Stadium: Jerry Richardson Stadium, 15,314
Enrollment: 29,000
2020 record: 2-4
Record against ODU: 2-3
Outlook: The 49ers had nine games postponed or canceled, the most of any FBS program, because of COVID issues either with their players and coaches or opponents. The 49ers did not play a game in November and their only contest in the last six weeks of the season was the loss at WKU, in which they literally fumbled the game away. Their last victory came on Oct. 24, 38-28, against UTEP. Their last game before hosting WKU was a 53-19 Halloween night loss at Duke. Charlotte coach Will Healy told the Charlotte Observer recently that he came down with COVID and that he and his family quarantined for two weeks together. Often, he would tell players hours before the 49ers were scheduled to play that the game had been canceled. Among the games lost was a long-awaited contest at North Carolina. "I hate it for our guys," Healy said. "Every time I have to stand up there like the Grinch and tell them that Christmas is canceled. And every single time I hated it." Charlotte has eight senior starters on its defense, which gave up an average of 32.5 points and 419 yards per game. Most starters return on offense, including quarterback Chris Reynolds, fourth in C-USA with 217.5 passing yards per game. Like ODU, Charlotte is a recent startup program. The 49ers had their best season in 2019, when they finished 7-6 and went to their first bowl game. ODU won the first three against Charlotte, but has lost the last two games, including a 38-22 loss in the 2019 finale at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
At Florida Atlantic, Date TBA
Location: Boca Raton, Florida
Conference: Conference USA
Stadium: FAU Stadium, 30,000
Enrollment: 30,377
2020 record: 5-4
Record against ODU: 4-2.
Outlook: Two days after FAU lost a big-named coach when Lane Kiffin went to Ole Miss, the Owls replaced him with a big name in Willie Taggart. Taggart came to FAU from Florida State, where he resigned after two losing seasons. He formerly coached at Oregon and Western Kentucky, where he was hired by Wood Selig, then the athletic director at WKU. Selig has been at ODU for a decade. The Owls got off to a strong 5-1 start but then last their final two games, 20-3, to Georgia Southern and a 45-31 loss Thursday night at Southern Miss. FAU entered the game with the nation's fourth-best defense but gave up 512 yards to Southern Miss. The Owls almost certainly let down after being informed earlier in the week that Marshall would win the East Division title even if the Owls finished with a better record. That was based in the Herd's 20-9 victory over FAU. Central Florida has accepted a bid to play in the Boca Raton Bowl, held at FAU Stadium, and although that would be an ideal opponent for the Owls, media reports indicate BYU is likely to play. FAU's bowl destination isn't yet known. FAU was second to last in the league in scoring offense and suffered from inconsistency at quarterback, where redshirt freshman Jovian Posey started much of the season. FAU returns 13 of 22 starters and has one of C-USA's best recruiting classes set to sign next week.
Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu
Previous stories in this series:
ODU Didn't Play This Fall, but Made a Lot of Progress on Practice Field
ODU's Offense Will Look a Lot Like Penn State's
Blake Seiler Aiming to Revamp ODU Defense
Veteran ODU Special Teams Will Play Hard and Fast
Minium: ODU Football Team Will Face a Challenging Schedule in Ricky Rahne's First Season in 2021
