NORFOLK, Va. – Minutes before the Old Dominion and Virginia Tech football teams face off Saturday at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, a sellout crowd of more than 60,000 maroon-clad spectators will begin "jumping," as the Hokies like to call it.
They will bounce up and down to the sound of "Enter Sandman," the hard rock Metallica song that has made Virginia Tech's game-day entrance one of the most iconic in college football.
It is a night game, which always seems to make college football more magical, and is being televised nationally on the ACC Network.
It is this hostile, some would call intimidating, high-profile environment that ODU's Grant Wilson will make his first start as a quarterback and indeed, take his first snaps in an FBS game.
ODU has one of the youngest teams in college football and although he carries himself like a senior – he was named a team captain last week – Wilson has thrown just 13 passes in live college football games.
At 6-foot-3 and 217 pounds, he is an impressive physical specimen. He's blessed with a strong arm, fleet legs and, according to offensive coordinator, Kevin Decker, makes good decisions under pressure.
The Arlington, Virginia native transferred to ODU from Fordham, where he was the backup quarterback in an offense that scored nearly 50 points per game.
Decker left Fordham as offensive coordinator and brought his explosive spread offense to ODU. Shortly thereafter, Wilson followed him to Norfolk. Wilson began spring practice running with the third team, but quickly impressed and was working with the first-team offense when spring workouts ended.
It was no surprise when Rahne named him his starter last week at ODU's media day.
Wilson smiled when asked about how he felt making his debut in such an environment.
"I'm looking forward to it," he said. "It's going to be awesome. I'm super excited.
"I view it as an opportunity for this whole program to go out and compete. It's one of the top stages in college football and that's where we get to show off our new offense."
He said exactly what you would hope your quarterback would say and did so confidently but also respectfully. "We all know Virginia Tech has a great football tradition," he said.
Decker said he would expect no less from Wilson, a devout Christian who says he prays before making every big decision in his life, and whose teammates call a workaholic.
"He's always watching video, meeting with coaches, in the weight room, always trying to get better," wide receiver Javon Harvey said. "He's a leader. From the time he got here he's been a leader."
"He's a very rare breed," Decker added. "He's a mix of old school. He's very serious, very disciplined. He's dated the same girl for years (Notre Dame lacrosse player Marleigh Sanders, whom he met when he lived in Georgia).
"He's a kid who wants to be great. I have to remind him every now and then to just relax once in a while and enjoy the ride. He does have a goofy side. He likes to joke around. That's my personal favorite version of Grant.
"But most of the time he's very serious. He has set high standards for himself. He works hard. Just look at him and you know he spends a lot of time in the weight room."
Wilson was the understudy at Fordham to Tim DeMorat, who rang up Taylor Heinicke-like numbers for the Rams. He passed for 13,454 career yards, was a consensus FCS All-American and finished second in voting last season for the Walter Payton Award, the Heisman trophy of FCS.
Wilson said he learned a lot from DeMorat, but acknowledges, he doesn't like riding the pine.
"It was tough being second string," he said. "I dealt with some jealousy for sure. But he was an unbelievable quarterback. I learned so much from him, from how he leads to how he carried himself around campus.
"He put up numbers you can't even dream of putting up. But that's what this offense brings.
"As a quarterback, just being a part of this offense, that's what can happen and in the blink of an eye."
Wilson surely would be the starter at Fordham had he remained at the Bronx Catholic school. When Decker left, Wilson very quickly rolled the dice and put his name in the transfer portal. He did not speak to Decker before making his decision.
"It was a risk for sure," Wilson said. "But I've always trusted God. It's always his plan before mine. So, I knew no matter what I chose to do, God would have my back.
"When coach Decker left, I had no idea where he was going. I came to Fordham because of his offense. I felt like I needed to get to a place where there wasn't going to be wholesale change."
A few days after entering the portal, Rahne reached out to him and told him that Decker was coaching at ODU. He had some FCS offers, but committed to ODU during his visit to Norfolk.
Then, when he looked at the ODU schedule, he realized that if he started, he'd be doing so in a game with a high profile.
ODU and Virginia Tech have won two games apiece in a series that has been far more competitive than oddsmakers believed possible – Tech is a 15-point favorite, the fifth time in a row that ODU has been an underdog.
ODU has won two games at home, and so has Tech. This is ODU's first night game in Blacksburg and so Monarch coaches decided to add some sound effects on the practice field – Enter Sandman was played hundreds of times with the volume turned up to max.
"We've played a certain Metallica song 427 times already," Rahne said with a smile. "It used to be one of my favorite songs, but . . . ."
Rahne called the atmosphere at Tech "pretty special," and added: "You choose to play at these places because you get to experience those types of environments.
"As long as (the fans) don't enter the field, you shouldn't be intimidated," Rahne said. "Our guys should have fun with it, right?
"Do I understand that they can get really loud and be a positive for their team? Of course I do. They have one of the great fan bases in college football. But you've got to focus on what you can control and that's what's happening between our 11 players on the field.
"That's the thing Grant has to understand, and I think he's mature enough to do it."
ODU's offense struggled mightily last season and Monarch fans are anxious to see if the new offense turns things around. ODU might not have quite the same talent as it had last season, with two offensive players taken in the NFL draft and five other starters gone.
But there is more depth, Rahne said, and ODU's personnel matches the new, high-octane scheme.
The offense requires a quarterback to make a quick decision as to whether to pass, hand the ball off or run, and Wilson will often tuck the ball and run. He's also elusive when pressured in the pocket.
"You're going to see guys playing fast, hard and fast, and making sure everyone does their job on the field," Wilson said. "If everyone does their job, their 1/11th, then the offense will do what it needs to do."
Wide receivers coach Mark Dupuis said it was quickly apparent in spring practice that Decker and Wilson are on the same wave length.
"Grant and coach Decker share a same-brain mentality," Dupuis said. "They developed great chemistry at Fordham."
Wilson isn't the only one making his FBS debut. So is Decker, who is only a decade removed from being a standout quarterback at New Hampshire, where as a senior he was a Payton Award finalist.
CLICK HERE to read profile on ODU offensive coordinator Kevin Decker
"I remember grabbing Grant one day and saying, 'Hey man, we're going into this atmosphere for the first time together,'" Decker said.
"We played at Nebraska when we were at Fordham, but that's a different deal. The crowd didn't take us that seriously. This rivalry has obviously become a pretty big deal.
"This is a great opportunity for all of us. It should be a lot of fun."
Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Minium: ODU Quarterback Grant Wilson Plans to Drink in the Atmosphere and 'Have Fun' at Virginia Tech
