A Furious Second-Half ODU Football Comeback Bid Falls Just Short Against Buffalo

By Harry Minium

NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion lost a football game in which the Monarchs outhit, outplayed and outgained their opponent, and then lost in perhaps the most heartbreaking fashion possible Saturday night. 

Trailing 35-7 after a first half in which they had a field goal blocked and returned 90 yards for a touchdown, a fumble returned 67 yards for another TD, and dropped a potential touchdown pass, the Monarchs battled back into a game that appeared lost with an inspiring comeback.

ODU dominated the second half. ODU's defense limited the Bulls to 40 yards while the offense scored 27 points and rolled to 319 yards. 

But the Monarchs could not get the final point they needed to send the game into overtime when placekicker Nick Rice missed the point after touchdown, allowing the Bulls to escape with a 35-34 victory.

ODU ended its non-conference season with a 1-3 record, but clearly played its best half of football against the Bulls.

In ODU's two previous losses to Wake Forest and Liberty, they were outscored by a combined 87-27 tally. Neither game was close after the first quarter.

Saturday night, the Monarchs played far better against the Bulls (2-2), who lost in the Mid-American Conference championship game and won a bowl game last season.

"That's a good football team," coach Ricky Rahne said of Buffalo. "I take nothing away from coach (Maurice) Lindquist and his squad. He's got great coaches too. He's got a lot of guys who have won a lot of football games.

"But I know they're glad there wasn't a fifth quarter."

Rahne said the loss could not be attributed to Rice's missed PAT nor any other individual mistake. In fact, there were so many mistakes that any one of a dozen could have turned the game.

ODU had 10 penalties, perhaps the most hurtful came after Zack Kuntz, the tight end transfer from Penn State, leaped and caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from D.J. Mack Jr. with 19 seconds left that left the Monarchs a PAT away from overtime.

However, ODU players ran off the bench to celebrate and referees called the Monarchs for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That moved the ball back to the 18, meaning it was a 35-yard PAT, the kind of kick Rice usually makes, but not a chip shot.

Rice pushed it to the right of the upright by inches. Had he kicked from the three, it likely would have been good.

Rahne declined to fault the referees for the penalty and said it was his fault.



"We had a guy who let his emotions get to him a little bit," Rahne said of the penalty. "That being said, that same player, his emotional prowess, his emotional leadership, is what kept a lot of guys in that game.

"I've come back from 28 points in a game and I should have anticipated that happening. And I didn't and that's on me. I'm the head coach and I've got to make sure I stop that from happening."

Moreover, he said this loss can't be attributed to the missed PAT, or any other single play. 

"No one play ever wins or loses a football game, ever, ever in the history of football," Rahne said. "We had a kick blocked in the first quarter, we had some wrong checks on defense that would have stopped them. We turned the ball over too many times. It can be as simple as a sack in the second quarter when we have a guy who's wide open. There's no one play. It all adds up."

There indeed were so many other mistakes that cost the Monarchs dearly, including in the second half. There was a dropped touchdown pass and a fumble at the 1-yard-line while Isiah Paige was diving for an apparent touchdown with 8:32 left.

Mack played his best game of the season, completing 24 of 41 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown in spite of the fact that at least a half dozen of his passes were dropped. A transfer from Central Florida, Mack missed last season with an injury and at times, has looked rusty.

The former Norview High School star looked more comfortable in the pocket in the second half than he has all season. Rahne said at times he has tended to hold onto the ball too long.

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But he escaped repeatedly from the pocket in the second half and rushed for 127 yards, although he had 84 net yards because of being sacked. He also ran for two touchdowns. He was in command of the offense and every key throw of the second half was on target.

Rahne said Mack played better in large part because his teammates played better.

"The quarterback always gets too much credit and too much blame," Rahne said. "We started to execute better. The 10 other guys were executing better.

 "It's really hard to get into a rhythm when you are having issues across the board."

The second-half rally had a crowd announced at 18,197 on its feet screaming. It was ODU's first game ever wearing Hudson Blue, the powder blue popular with Monarch fans, most of whom who dressed to match the team. 

At three hours and 53 minutes, it was also the longest game in ODU history.

The first second-half TD was set up by a fumble caused by freshman Jason Henderson and recovered by freshman Alonzo Ford Jr. Mack was rushed from the pocket on third down and 17, took off, juked past several defenders and ran 42 yards for a touchdown.

The Monarchs then held Buffalo on downs, and drove 85 yards for a touchdown on what may have been their best-looking drive of the season, with the key play a 29-yard pass reception by tight end Isaiah Spencer. Mack carried from two yards out and ODU trailed by 14.



After an exchange of punts, ODU drove 63 yards for a touchdown, with the big play a 31-yard burst from Blake Watson in which he ran over two defenders, and an additional 15 yard penalty as he was dragged to the ground by his facemask.

Jon-Luke Peaker, the true freshman from Philadelphia, rushed around the left end for ODU's third unanswered touchdown with 8:36 left and the lead was down to seven.

ODU twice more drove deep into Buffalo territory, but came away with just six points.

That the Monarchs could not quite come all the way back left the team in tears in the locker room, but also with hope.

"There were mistakes made by everybody that could've affected the game," linebacker Jordan Young said.

"But ultimately, we came out and fought in the second half and really showed what we can be as a team. We probably put our best two quarters together throughout the season.

 "I feel like we showed glimpses of who we can be and who we want to be and who we've believed we could've been since camp started."

Rahne is an emotional and at time sentimental guy, but was more emotional than usual during his post-game press conference.

"We have a bunch of tough kids on this team who fought to the very bitter end and I knew they would," he said. "I told them in the locker room that wasn't even up for debate in my mind. What I wanted to see (in the second half) was for us execute. And that's what we did.

"Since I've been here there's been a lot of talk about guys coming in here, and owning the Tidewater, owning Hampton Roads and things like that. I guess those guys don't study history very much because if you any sense of since of history, from the Revolutionary War until today, you know these kids don't give up very easily."

NOTES: ODU begins Conference USA play Saturday night at 9 p.m. at Texas-El Paso, which moved to 3-1 Saturday night with a 20-13 victory over New Mexico. . . . Harvey, Joe Joe Headen and Leroy Thomas were game captains … ODU blocked two punts in the first quarter, one by quarterback turned wide receiver turned linebacker Steven Williams, the other by Deeve Harris … It's the first time ODU has blocked two kicks in a game since Nov. 16, 2013 against Campbell … Watson scored his first touchdown of the season … Isaac Weaver started a game at his third different position so far this season after starting at center. He has started at left tackle and left guard as well … Safety Harrell Blackmon recorded a career-best nine tackles … Ali Jennings III,  Kuntz and  Harvey each recorded career-highs in receptions.  Jennings, the transfer from West Virginia, had seven, Kuntz six and Harvey had four … Watson had a career-high 81 yards … Peaker rushed for his first career touchdown on his only carry of the game… Safety Harrell Black had a career-high nine tackles … Henderson forced his first career fumble while Ford recovered the first fumble of his career.