By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – When Deeve Harris decided to transfer from Minnesota, he did so late in the calendar year, and thus had to make a decision in less than a week. Illinois quickly offered him, as did Kansas and Charlotte.
Yet the offer the 6-foot-2, 235-pound defensive end could not resist came from Old Dominion football coach Ricky Rahne.
"Coach Rahne, he laid out to me what he was trying to do here at ODU and I believed in it and I still believe in it," Harris said,
"He let me know he was looking to flip the program around. I was trying to make a fast decision, so there was a lot going on. But he had a plan and I believed in his plan."
A St. Louis, Missouri native who transferred with four years of eligibility, Harris made a highlight-reel play last weekend at Florida International, when he fell back into pass coverage, picked off an errant pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown.
Unlike your typical defensive end, Harris looked the ball into his arms like a wide receiver. And although there were plenty of FIU players between him and the goal line, he wanted a touchdown. He headed left, broke back against the grain of olayers to his right, and headed into the end zone untouched.
It helped that Harris doubled as a tight end in high school.
"Coach Rahne said when opportunity presents itself, make the most of those opportunities," he said. "And that's what I did.
"We've been emphasizing capitalizing on turnovers, and we had some really good blocks. Chazz Wallace, a freshman, had a clean block, he scraped paint, and I just cut off of him."
As for turning a program around, he said he's been a part of that already. His high school, Lutheran North, "wasn't very good at first and we turned around and turned out to be one of the top high schools in the country.
"And I know with that comes a lot of hard work. You have to have a group of committed guys. He let me know we have that here and we do, and I wanted to be a part of something special."
ODU (3-6 overall, 2-3 Conference USA) hosts Florida Atlantic (5-4, 3-2) Saturday at 3:30 with a two-game winning streak. After spending much of the season in last in the East Division, the Monarchs could finish third among seven teams if the Monarchs sweep games against FAU, at Middle Tennessee on Nov. 20 and then at home against Charlotte on Nov. 27.
"We always believed and trust in each other," Harris said. "Now that we've won the previous two weeks, I think it kind of just showed us we have the chance to really do something special here at ODU."
ODU Focused on Going 1-0 and Not Bowl Eligibility
ODU must win its last three games to become bowl eligible, but Rahne has made it clear there's no sense in taking the focus off the next opponent.
"When's our last game? November 27? That's when we'll talk about it. Right when everybody's eating their last remnants of Thanksgiving leftovers, we'll be able to discuss those possibilities.
"Up until then, it's too big. It's too much. You've got to talk about one play at a time. You start talking about games and stringing things together like that, weeks at a time, I mean that's too difficult.
"It's too difficult for most adults, so for our young men, that's really hard. We're talking about stringing together one good day and then have another good day after that. Breaking it up makes it much more manageable."
FAU's Last Appearance at ODU?
FAU likely will make its last appearance at ODU in the foreseeable future Saturday given ODU's impending move to the Sun Belt Conference, and FAU's to the American Athletic Conference, and thus it may be the Monarchs' last chance to make some noise in a rivalry the Owls have dominated as of late.
FAU has won three games in a row against ODU, all by lopsided scores, including a 41-3 victory against the Monarchs two years ago in Norfolk. ODU did not play in 2020 because of the pandemic.
FAU is a 6 ½-point favorite and has played a tough schedule. The Owls lost at Florida and Air Force and at home to Marshall.
Quarterback N'Kosa Perry, a graduate transfer from the University of Miami, has completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,038 yards and 16 touchdowns. But the FAU offense is balanced – the Owls have rushed for 1,596 yards, including 634 yards from tailback Johnny Ford, a diminutive 5-5, 175-pound redshirt sophomore.
FAU has one of the nation's largest nose guards in freshman Evan Anderson, who is 6-3 and 356 pounds.
"I don't know how big he is, whatever he's listed at I think he's bigger," Rahne said. "He's a large human.
"Their entire defensive line in general, they are big."
FAU Coach Willie Taggart to be Reunited with Wood Selig
FAU coach Willie Taggart is a familiar face to ODU Athletic Director Wood Selig, who gave Taggart his first chance as a head coach in 2010 when Dr. Selig was the athletic director at Western Kentucky.
Taggart quickly rebuilt a program that had gone 2-22 the previous two seasons and had a 20-game losing streak. After going 2-10 in his first season, the Hilltoppers had two seven-win seasons and went to their first FBS bowl game.
Taggart went on to South Florida, Oregon and Florida State before taking over at FAU in 2020.
"I can't wait to see him," Selig said. "He's one of my all-time favorites."
Rahne Praises ODU Soccer Team for winning C-USA Title
Rahne said he watched much of the ODU women's soccer team's 1-0 victory over Southern Miss in the C-USA championship game last Sunday.
"It was awesome," he said. "I think it shows our entire athletic department the possibilities of what can be done here at Old Dominion, that you can win championships.
"That thing wasn't done overnight. Coach (Angie) Hind built that thing over some time. They played some clutch soccer. Even the game winning goal, right? It was a great cross (by Megan Watts), and the header (from Morgan Hall) got through and that's all that mattered, right? Then they played unbelievable defense and had a great goalie."
Senior Kasey Perry has indeed been great. She has nine shutouts and her goals against average of 0.41 goals per game is fifth nationally.
"That's what it's about," Rahne said. "Scoring an overtime goal in the quarterfinals to do it and then come back and win 2-1 in the semifinals. They played a lot of really consistent, tough soccer which is awesome.
"I think that's something we all can learn from. It's about playing well in the biggest moments. Again, you don't know when that biggest moment is going to come but when you get your opportunity you've got to take advantage of it."
The Monarchs take on top-seeded Duke in Durham, North Carolina Friday at 6 p.m. in the firsr round of the NCAA Tournament.
Donations for Toys for Tots
A group of several dozen ODU fans who called themselves the "Monarchists" on Twitter are sponsoring a Toys for Tots drive at two locations prior to the FAU game.
Toys for Tots is a sponsored by the U.S. Marines, who celebrated their 246th anniversary earlier this week. Two Marines will be accepting unopened, new toys and other Christmas gifts for children on Kaufman Mall. The Marines will be easy to find – they be standing next to a Humvee.
Gifts are also being accepted in the blue lot tailgating area – the lot just east of Hampton Boulevard from S.B. Ballard Stadium.
Virginia Beach Police captain Harry McBrien, a former U.S. Marine who deployed to a combat zone overseas when he served, is leading the effort.
Minium: Deeve Harris Had Plenty of Scholarship Offers, but Believed in Ricky Rahne's Vision
