By Harry Minium
CONWAY, S.C. – Psychologists say that a first impression is immensely important in how you are viewed by others because humans think chronologically. Regrdless of what happens afterwards, either good or bad, that first impression remains.
I can't imagine Old Dominion's football team making a better first impression to the college football world than the Monarchs did on the first play of the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
LaMareon James, the freshman from Indian River High, took the game's opening kickoff, rolled to his right through a hole created by teammates, then broke left and outran a safety for a 100-yard touchdown return.
Nearly 5,000 ODU fans went nuts and as ESPN cameras panned the crowd at Coastal Carolina University's Brooks Stadium, the Monarch adherents were framed perfectly.
All you saw were thousands of exuberant, screaming Monarch faithful. When they were done cheering, they began doing the "ODU" chant. The shot then switched to ODU coach Ricky Rahne, who was as emotionally psyched as I've seen him.
Family of ODU linebacker Jordan Young celebrates
Yes, it was just 13 seconds off the game clock, but the message was powerful. If that clip was all you saw, you walked away thinking ODU has explosive players – it was James' second 100-yard return of the season – and the Monarchs have a large and loud fan base.
The replay of that touchdown and response from the fans was seen by millions on social media and likely millions more on ESPN and nightly sports reports.
Alas, ODU lost to Tulsa, 30-17, and although the Monarchs had their chances, I truly think the better team won. Tulsa had 25 seniors, outstanding skill players and were big and powerful in the trenches.
Tulsa's offensive line starters averaged 320.8 pounds per man. And this is a team that nearly upset Cincinnati and Oklahoma State.
But ODU hung in there and fought hard. This was no beat-down. It was a hard-hitting game and no one hit harder than ODU's defensive players.
And ODU was a fumble away from trimming the lead to six in the fourth quarter. This was a game ODU could have won.
Regardless, the impression that ODU left with Myrtle Beach Bowl officials was all positive.
ODU drew fans of all ages to the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
"We would love to have ODU back," said Rachel Quigley, the bowl's executive director. "The ODU staff was fantastic. And their fans were great."
Hundreds of fans stayed with the team at the chic Marriott Myrtle Beach Resort and Spa at Grande Dunes, and Sunday evening, both restaurants at the hotel were jammed with ODU fans.
Quigley said ODU fans were frequently seen in nearby restaurants, shops, museums and tourist venues, such as Broadway at the Beach.
"This is the slower time of the year for us," Quigley said. "It was just great to see ODU fans supporting our local businesses ahead of the holidays."
That's generally what bowl games are all about – bringing visitors to a beach or tourist community during a slow time.
"I could not have been any happier or certainly had any more pride than I experienced the day of the bowl game," said Dr. Wood Selig, ODU's athletic director.
There was an ODU Alumni Association tailgate held just steps away from Brooks Stadium that quickly sold out all 800 available tickets. It appeared that far more than 800 people managed to squeeze in.
"The people with the bowl game and Coastal Carolina said they've never seen anything like that," Dr. Selig said.
"When you were on the field, you could definitely feel the support from our fans. They get an A+ for how they turned out and how they supported the team."
Valerie Dingus, a former ODU cheerleader, and her parents, surely should get a high grade, too. They drove to Richmond Sunday to watch the Monarchs fall to the Spiders, then drove to Myrtle Beach for the bowl game.
"We turned that stadium into our home field," she said.
ODU fans never stopped making noise.
"It was fun to hear ODU fans cheer until the end," Quigley said. "It made for such a positive environment for the game."
Rahne was said his players were moved when they took the field to a standing ovation.
"I thought the support we got was unbelievable," he said. "I was very, very happy.
"Fan support is one of the reasons I took this job. We've got great fans.
"People who don't act like fans matter, well, fans do matter. The fans are what make college football so great. They are one reason why I think it's the best sport of all.
"I love our fans. We've heard them all season."
ODU alumnus Shane Cunningham represented Santa at the bowl game.
ODU clearly wanted to do more than just go to a bowl for the first time in five years. The Monarchs were disheartened that they didn't win.
But for the 11 seniors who made the trip and who won't play for ODU again, they should take some consolation in knowing they helped reframe the narrative about Monarch football.
Coming off a 1-11 finish in 2019 and having not played in 2020, ODU was ranked 129th among 130 FBS schools in August by the CBS Sports Network. Some national media types poked fun at ODU's program.
On Monday, ODU was ranked 91st, and while I still think that's too low, it was better than the rankings accorded eight Power 5 schools.
And no one is making fun of ODU anymore.
Several college football Twitter sites praised ODU for the progress it made this year.
The fan turnout wasn't all organic. I'm sure you saw that ODU worked hard to drive ticket sales. The University had paid promotions all over social media and sent several email blasts.
Thousands of alumni and ticket holders received robo calls in which they heard a message from Rahne urging them to purchase tickets.
ODU football team gave their fans a lot to smile about.
ODU rented buses to take students to the game and asked fans who couldn't make it to the game to purchase tickets for those students.
The effort was driven by Dr. Selig, who wanted to make sure that regardless of ability to pay, ODU fans who wanted to see this game had the opportunity to do so.
It was also part of an effort to, in a sense, retrain the fan base.
In the early years of ODU football, the Monarchs played a ton of regional rivals on the road, including VMI, James Madison and William & Mary, and took huge numbers of fans with them.
In 2013, the University's first transition season to FBS, nearly 5,000 fans traveled to the opener against East Carolina.
Ever since, however, there's been little chance to travel. Charlotte is ODU's closest rival in Conference USA. All six other East Division members – FIU, Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky and Marshall – aren't within driving distance.
That will all change when ODU joins the Sun Belt in 2022 or 2023. With JMU 3 ½ hours up the road and Coastal and Appalachian State 5 ½ hours away, there will be reason for the ODU faithful to begin traveling again during the regular season.
And also during December.
If you're sorry you couldn't be there this week because you'd already made plans, do yourself a favor. Keep your options open next year if you can.
Rahne has 15 returning starters. Who knows what might happen with the transfer portal, but at worst, ODU broke even on transfers a year ago. And so far, according to recruiting services, ODU is again doing very well in the portal.
Rahne and his staff are coming off a bountiful early signing day last week. The Monarchs signed 10 players, including wide receiver Peter Kikwata, a 6-foot-1, 181-pound Montgomery Village, Maryland native who is the top-rated recruit ever to sign with the Monarchs. They also signed four of the top 17 recruits in Hampton Roads.
This team seems likely to go bowling again in 2022.
Selig said that if ODU fans indeed need to be retrained, "then this was a giant step in the right direction.
"I'm sure those who went to the bowl game wouldn't mind going back for a weekend in the fall when we play Coastal Carolina.
"And we definitely would like to come back to the Myrtle Beach Bowl at some point. We had a great experience here."
Minium worked 39 years at The Virginian-Pilot before coming to ODU in 2018. He covers all ODU athletic teams for odusports.com Follow him on Twitter @Harry_MiniumODU, Instagram @hbminium1 or email hminium@odu.edu
Minium: ODU Football Team and Nearly 5,000 Fans Made a Huge Impression at Myrtle Beach Bowl
