Game 10 Preview: ODU vs. Florida Atlantic

NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion University football returns home on Saturday, Nov. 13 to host Florida Atlantic at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. The game will also be carried on ESPN Radio 94.1 in Hampton Roads and WJFN 100.5 in the Richmond market. Fans can tune into the "Voice of the Monarchs", Ted Alexander, along with Andy Mashaw and James Witham.
 

• Old Dominion returns home after its 47-24 win at FIU last Saturday to host Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 3:30 p.m.
• FAU lost to Marshall in Boca Raton, 28-13.

• ODU tied a season-high with 24 first quarter points behind touchdowns from Zack Kuntz, Elijah Davis and Blake  Watson, and a career long 50-yard field goal from Nick Rice.

• For the second time this season ODU had a pair of running backs break the 100-yard barrier, as Blake Watson rushed for 158 yards and Davis notched a career-best 114 yards.

• Tight end Zack Kuntz tied his career-high with nine catches and recoded his second career 100-yard receiving day, going for 102 yards.

• Quarterback Hayden Wolff completed 22-of-42 passes for 283 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

• Defensive end Deeve Harris recorded two tackles, a sack and returned an interception for a touchdown. It was ODU's first pick six since Justin Noye did it against VMI in 2018.

Kuuuuuuuuntz
Sophomore tight end Zack Kuntz has become a fan favorite not only of Monarch Nation, but also the ODU quarterback. 

Kuntz caught eight or more passes for the fourth time in the last five games, as he leads ODU in all receiving categories with 53 receptions for 550 yards and four touchdowns. He is tied for third in Conference USA with 53 

receptions.

He ranks third among FBS tight ends in receptions (53), fifth in receiving yards (550) and tied for sixth in touchdowns (4).

Kuntz caught nine passes for 102 yards and a touchdown in the win at FIU. The nine catches tied his career-high and is his second-straight game with a touchdown.

A transfer from Penn State, Kuntz has been ODU's leading receiver in 7-of-9 games so far this season.

FBS Tight End Receptions Leaders

Watson Finds a Lane
For the fourth-straight game Blake Watson hit the century mark, rushing for 158 yards on a career-high 28 attempts in the win at FIU. 

Watson is the first Monarch in school history to record four-straight 100-yard  games. ODU had five-straight 100-yard rushers in 2009, but the streak was done by multiple players. Thomas DeMarco started the streak against Presbyterian, following by a 100-yard game from Desmon Williams against Campbell, Mario Crawford went for 102 against Savannah State, Williams and DeMarco went for 100+ against Georgetown, and DeMarco rushed for a school record 224 against NC Central.

ODU has now had a 100-yard rusher seven times this season. Watson four times, Elijah Davis twice and Jon-Luke Peaker once.

Blake Watson Four-Straight 100-Yard Games

Single-Season Top-10, and Going For More
With his 100-yard game last Saturday at FIU, Blake Watson moved into eighth in single-season rushing yards with 709 yards on the season. It's the first time since 2017 an ODU player has rushed for more than 700 yards in a season. Only player, Ray Lawry, has rushed for more than 1,000 yards, which Lawry did twice.

Single-Season Rushing yards