By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – When Blake Seiler became Old Dominion's defensive coordinator, and accepted the task of rebuilding ODU's often porous defense, he knew it would be a huge challenge.
ODU has a reputation for scoring a lot of points. But defense? That's another story.
The Monarchs historically have had one of the worst defenses in Conference USA, something that had become a sore point among fans. In 2019, the last season the Monarchs played before this fall, ODU ranked 118th out of 129 Football Bowl Subdivision schools and last in Conference USA in total defense, giving up a school-record 471.4 yards per game.
Seiler vowed the Monarchs would be physical, fundamentally sound and tenacious. Nobody, he said, would work harder than his defense.
Seiler certainly had the resume to get it done. He was the defensive coordinator at Kansas State before moving to West Virginia for a season. He came to ODU, and took a pay cut in the process, because he believes in head coach Ricky Rahne and wanted to help Rahne build a championship program here.
And he and defensive assistants Kevin Smith, Victor Irokansi, Remington Rebstock and Leon Wright have delivered.
ODU's defense is ranked 27th nationally and fourth in Conference USA in rushing yards allowed and 50th nationally and fifth in the league in total yards allowed.
ODU has surrendered just 354.5 yards per game and if that average holds up, it would be the lowest since the Monarchs joined FBS in 2013. It would be the second lowest in Monarch history, dating back to 2010, when ODU gave up 347.9 yards per game in its second season of football.
In Saturday night's 23-20 victory over Louisiana Tech, when ODU's offense needed a ton of help from the defense, Seiler's guys came through. ODU allowed just 59 rushing yards, the second fewest ever against an FBS team.
In the final minutes, when Louisiana Tech faced a third down and three at ODU 45 with the scored tied at 20-all, the Monarchs had to have a stop.
ODU defenders twice got pressure on LA Tech quarterback JD Head and forced two incomplete passes. ODU's offense then gained just enough yards to set up the game-winning field goal.
"We played such great team defense," Rahne said. "Look at how many plays we made in the secondary.
"They kept trying to pick on No. 20 and he just kept responding over and over and over again.
"They would make a play and our guys would say, 'no more.'"
Defensive coaches, players celebrate a big play
Roger Cray, the senior transfer from Western Kentucky, wears No. 20 for ODU, and the Bulldogs indeed threw in his direction a lot. He responded by leading ODU with three pass breakups.
ODU's defense has excelled in spite of being young and inexperienced. The Monarchs lost several good players through the transfer portal. There are eight freshmen on ODU's two-deep defensive depth chart, including two of three starters on the line. Only five seniors start.
Of the top 24 defensive players, 18 return next season, which bodes well for the future.
The victory was the first for the Monarchs against an FBS opponent since 2018 and came against a LA Tech team that, like ODU, has a misleadingly poor record.
The Bulldogs (2-6, 1-3 Conference USA) should have beaten Mississippi State and nationally-ranked SMU and lost a close game at nationally ranked North Carolina State.
ODU, too, has played a tough schedule, and suffered heartbreaking losses to Buffalo (35-34), Marshall (20-13 in overtime) and UTEP (28-21).
Five of the six teams that defeated ODU (2-6, 1-3) appear likely to become bowl eligible. Wake Forest (8-0) is the only unbeaten team in the ACC and is ranked 10th this week. Liberty (7-2) is flirting with the Top 25.
If Buffalo (4-5) wins two of its next three, all six ODU losses will have come to teams likely to become bowl eligible.
Overall, ODU's opponents are 39-26. Yet, with a break here or there, the Monarchs could be 5-3 or 4-4.
Asked what he's learned about his team after Saturday's victory, Rahne grew a little emotional.
Roger Cray had three pass breakups against LA Tech
"We have a mentally tough team, a team that's going to be resilient," he said.
"We have a team that plays for each other, and really does this for the right reasons.
"That's something you wish it wasn't rare, but it might be rare in today's day and age. These guys play for each other and experiencing that win was so important so that they could experience it with each other.
"That was pretty awesome."
Rahne is a rarity among head coaches in that he confesses his mistakes up front. He says he should have called a timeout just before LA Tech ran a fake punt for a long gain. Yes, and I should have anticipated 20 years ago that buying Apple stock would make me a millionaire.
His humbleness is an admirable trait, so let me tell you about something he didn't volunteer that happened in the second quarter and showed how skilled he is when dealing with his players.
Tight end Zack Kuntz, the transfer from Penn State, dropped two passes, and that's a rarity for the sure-handed, 6-foot-8, sophomore. Then after making a catch in the second quarter, he was stripped of the ball by LA Tech's Kahlil Ladler, whom Kuntz then tackled.
Some coaches might have ripped into Kuntz. Instead, Rahne called Kuntz to the sideline and quietly spoke to him for a minute and patted him on the shoulder.
Blake Seiler
Following their conversation, Kuntz was the go-to guy in ODU's passing offense. He caught eight passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.
"I just told him to quit trying to do too much," Rahne said. "He was trying to get 105 receiving yards on every play. I told him, 'just be you. No one this team wants you to be anyone but Zack. You don't need to be a superhuman.' "
Kuntz then got high fives and handshakes and words of encouragement from his teammates.
"This team is so very close," Kuntz said. "We are brothers."
That has been a recurring theme this season.
Nearly two months ago, ODU rallied from a 35-7 halftime deficit and trailed Buffalo, 35-34, when senior Nick Rice was called onto to make the extra point with only seconds left.
And it just wasn't any extra point. Because the Monarchs had been flagged for excessive celebration, Rice's extra point came from 35 yards away.
An aside here – although Rahne declined the criticize the refs, I will. I don't think the flag should have been dropped. Yes, ODU players came off the bench to celebrate. But there was no taunting. Everything was respectful. I've seen much more go uncalled.
Let kids be kids, for goodness sake.
Regardless, the kick sailed inches wide of the right upright and after a game in which they were absolutely dominant, the Monarchs suffered a crushing defeat.
"The cool thing is that no one on the team talked down to me," Rice said. "No one on the team discouraged me.
"Everyone was super positive."
He said that reaction "helped me make a quick transition to where I should be."
Saturday night, with two seconds on the clock and the score tied, he was called upon to make a 46-yard field goal to win the game. After LA Tech tried to ice him with a timeout, he calmly kicked the ball through the uprights, a boot that earned him C-USA special teams Player of the Week.
A joyous celebration followed. I haven't heard a crowd celebrate a victory like that since a 34-31 victory over North Texas in 2018. Coincidentally, that was ODU's last victory against an FBS opponent.
A reporter reminded three ODU players during postgame interviews that the Monarchs have not been eliminated from bowl eligibility.
True, but ODU would have to win its final four games to become eligible, beginning with a game at Florida International (1-7, 0-4) Saturday night.
Jordan Young makes a tackle against WKU
Then comes a very difficult home game against Florida Atlantic (5-3, 3-1) on November 13. ODU then plays at Middle Tennessee (4-4, 2-2), a program the Monarchs have never beaten, before hosting Charlotte (4-4, 2-2) on Nov. 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Asked about bowl eligibility, sixth-year senior linebacker Jordan Young smiled and answered as Rahne would have wanted him to.
"We know it's out there, but we're just taking it one step at a time, one game at a time," he said.
"We have a 1-0 mentality in our program. We're going to move on to the next game and great ready for FIU."
All true. Rahne's 1-0 mentality has helped keep his players focused during a difficult season.
So has Seiler, said linebacker Ryan Henry, a senior from Miami, who leads the Monarchs in tackling and will be playing in his hometown this weekend.
"Coach Seiler is by far the most disciplined, toughest coach I've ever played for," Henry said.
"He gets the very best out of his players. He definitely wants it bad, he wants to win just as bad as us.
"He just wants us to be the best."
Minium was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 39 years at The Virginian-Pilot, where he won 27 writing awards. He covers ODU athletics for odusports.com Follow him on Twitter @Harry_MiniumODU, Instagram @hbminium1 or email hminium@odu.edu
Minium: Blake Seiler has Built ODU's Football Defense Into One of the Best in School History
