Game 11 Preview: ODU at Middle Tennessee

NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion University football hits the road for the final time for the 2021 regular season as the Monarchs take on Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 3:30 p.m.EST. 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.
 

• ODU defeated Florida Atlantic for its third-straight win, topping the Owls 30-16. ODU scored four times on two-point plays, including two safeties, a blocked PAT return and a conventional two-point conversion.

• Middle Tennessee blasted FIU last Saturday, 50-10.

• For the first time in school history, ODU registered two safeties in the same game. Marcus Haynes sacked N'Kosi Perry in the end zone for the first one. Sokoya McDuffie forced a Perry into intentional grounding for the second one. The second safety gave ODU a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning.

• Blake Watson carried 23 times for 163 yards and a touchdown, his fifth-straight 100-yard game. His 40-yard run on ODU's first play from scrimmage, was his second longest run of the season.

• Quarterback Hayden Wolff completed 21-of-33 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown. It was the second time this season an ODU quarterback did not thrown an INT in a game.

• Linebacker Jordan Young had 11 tackles in the win over FAU. He is third in school history with 319 career tackles. He is 22 stops away from tying Craig Wilkins' school record of 340 career tackles. Young is five tackles away from second place TJ Ricks, who has 323 career tackles.

Block Party
For the first time since WKU, ODU blocked a kick, and it was a huge moment in the win over FAU. Jason Henderson broke through and blocked an extra points after FAU cut ODU's lead to 20-16. R'Tarriun Johnson returned the kick 80 yards for two points and a 22-16  lead. It was the second time this season ODU blocked a PAT.

Blocked Kicks Nationally

Kuuuuuuuuntz
Sophomore tight end Zack Kuntz has become a fan favorite not only of Monarch Nation, but also the ODU quarterback. For  the first time in four weeks, Kuntz did not have at least eight catches. He did have a team-high five grabs.

He ranks second among FBS tight ends in receptions (58), fifth in receiving yards (588) and tied for seventh in touchdowns (4).

Kuntz also leads the Monarchs with 25 receptions that have gone for a first down.

A transfer from Penn State, Kuntz has been ODU's leading receiver in 8-of-10 games so far this season.

FBS Tight End Receptions Leaders

Watson Breaks 100 - Again and Again and Again and Again
For the fifth-straight game Blake Watson hit the century mark, carrying 23 times for 163 yards and a touchdown.

Watson is 11th in the country with 109 yards per game and 30th in the country with 872 yards.

In six C-USA games, Watson leads the league with 137 carries for 736 yards

Watson is tied with Lew Nichols of Central Michigan for the third most consecutive 100-yard rushing games with five-straight. Sean Tucker's (Syracuse) seven-game 100-yard rushing game streak ended last week at seven games in a 41-3 loss to Louisville. Tucker rushed for 95 yards in the loss.

Watson Five-Straight 100-Yard Games