By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion was on the cusp of a remarkable victory, yet another home upset over an ACC team, when things fell apart for the Monarchs.
After bolting to a 17-0 lead over Wake Forest at halftime and then leading 24-7 midway through the third quarter, the Monarchs watched as the Demon Deacons staged a second half comeback and held off ODU, 27-24 on a sun-splashed afternoon at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
Wake Forest (3-0) came to Norfolk with a stellar resume that included seven consecutive bowl bids, an appearance two years ago in the ACC championship game and a 15-2 record in recent years against non-conference opponents.
The Deacs were 15-point favorites and national prognosticators gave ODU (1-2) little chance.
But the Deacs trailed most of the game and had ODU's offense not bogged down in the second half, the Monarchs might have won.
The difference in the two halves was stark. ODU had a healthy 277 offensive yards in the first half but just 23 in the second. Wake was limited to 127 in the first, but finished with 409.
ODU quarterback Grant Wilson was often rushed from the pocket and that was reflected in his passing stats. He completed 11 of 26 passes for a touchdown and an interception, but the bigger stat was that Wake Forest sacked him 10 times.
ODU head coach Ricky Rahne said he told his team at halftime "to go out and win the game."Devin Roche" height="413" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/odu-prod/2024/04/30/Dd5kbcnAQ64sswuq6KqPxhcaHEJYn1fycpdzxZOg.jpg" width="650" />
Devin Roche rushed for a career high 86 yards
Instead, he said his team looked tense.
"We let it slip through our fingers, and they crashed it and took it," he said of Wake Forest.
"That was the difference in the game. They went out and won the game. And I thought we played a little tense."
Overshadowed by the loss were two remarkable plays by cornerback LaMareon James, the junior from Indian River High School. He electrified the crowd and an ESPN2 national audience by returning a fumble and an interception for long touchdowns. He became the seventh player in FBS history to return a fumble and an interception for a touchdown in the same game and the first to do it since SMU's Jordan Wyatt did it in 2017 against Stephen F. Austin.
ODU's defense played well in the first half. The Monarchs got pressure on Wake quarterback Mitch Griffis, who gave up both turnovers that led to James touchdowns and struggled in the first half.
But the 5-foot-11 sophomore from Northern Virginia got it together in the second half, completing 14-of-19 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns.
Trailing, 17-0, Wake Forest opener the second half with an impressive, 75-yard drive capped by a 27-yard pass from Griffis to Taylor Morin.
Wake Forest was driving again near midfield when Griffis was hit in the pocket by Shawn Asbury and tossed a poorly-thrown ball to James, who broke to his left and to his right to juke would-be tacklers for a 66-yard interception return that gave ODU a 24-7 lead.
Shawn Ashbury had six tackles and two quarterback hurries for ODU.
Wake Forest got a pair of 36-yard field goals from Matthew Dennis to close the margin to 24-13 at the end of the third quarter.
The Deacs then dominated the fourth quarter, and with 6:35 left, Jahmal Banks gave Wake its first lead on a 4-yard touchdown grab.
ODU got two more possessions but could not move the ball.
On the plus side for the Monarchs, the defense gave the offense one last chance to win by game by stopping a Wake drive at the ODU 40.
"I thought the defense played well," Rahne said. "Our coaches had a great game plan and executed it well.
"But our players were on the field so much. I think they got a little gassed."
The first half was a defensive struggle as neither team managed to put together any sustained drives and ODU had two early opportunities which the Monarchs squandered.
Linebacker EJ Green intercepted a Griffis pass at the ODU 41 on Wake's first possession, but after four downs, the Monarchs were forced to punt.
Six minutes later, Wilson passed 57 yards to Javon Harvey, which gave ODU a first down at the Wake 25. On fourth down and two at the 17, ODU elected to try a field goal.
Kicker Ethan Sanchez was rushed from his left and thus tried to snake the ball around the right goal-post and it sailed just wide.
Then, two minutes into the second quarter, Harvey pulled a double fake to get himself half a yard beyond the defender and Wilson threw a pass into his arms that he carried into the end zone for a 68-yard touchdown.
Harvey did not catch a pass in ODU's first two games. The junior from Norfolk's Lake Taylor High School had three receptions for a career high 166 yards.
ODU was driving deep in Wake territory when a turnover handed momentum back to the Deacons. On second down from the 18, Wake's Evan Slocum intercepted a pass and returned it 58 yards.
The Deacs appeared to be driving for the tying touchdown, with a first and goal at the three, when the momentum again slipped back in ODU's favor.
On first down, Green tackled Griffis and popped the ball loose. It was touched by several players and dribbled up the field, where James scooped it up and outran several Wake players 80 yards to the end zone.
Sanchez's extra point gave ODU a 14-0 lead with 9:38 left in the first half.
Javon Harvey had a career high 166 pass reception yards.
"LaMareon's big plays gave us diesel," Green said.
ODU expanded the lead to 17-0 on a career-long 49-yard field goal by Sanchez that gave the Monarchs a 17-0 lead, one they were not able to hold onto.
And although ODU's running game wasn't particularly productive, Devin Roche, the true freshman from Baltimore's Dunbar High School, rushed for a career-high 86 yards on 11 carries.
Harvey said the loss hurt but that the Monarchs can't let it linger.
"I'm highly disappointed," he said. "But you don't dwell on it. You go out to practice and learn from your mistakes."
ODU hosts Texas A&M University-Commerce Saturday at 3:30 in the Monarchs' annual homecoming game.
ODU will begin to prepare for that game Sunday when they watch video of the loss to Wake Forest.
"When we got back and watch the tape," Rahne said, "we're going to see some missed opportunities for us.
"They were opportunities that we would have liked to have taken advantage of."
Notes: EJ Green recorded his first career interception on Wake Forest's opening possession … Kris Trinidad recorded the first sack of the season for the defense in the first quarter … Defensive tackle Jalen Satchell recorded his first career sack … Javon Harvey caught his first touchdown of the season, the 68-yarder is the longest player of the season for ODU … His 100-yard receiving game is the third of his career … The touchdown grab was the fifth of his career … Harvey recorded a career-high 166 receiving yards … Kicker Ethan Sanchez made a career long 49-yard field goal in the second quarter … LaMareon James' 80-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown was the longest defensive touchdown in ODU history … James is the first defensive player in ODU history to score two defensive touchdowns in one game … ODU's first half shutout was its first since 2021, when it shutout Hampton in the first half on the way to a 47-7 win … Freshman running back Devin Roche rushed for a career-high 86 yards on 11 carries … Jason Henderson registered 13 tackles, his 18th career double-digit tackle game, along with a pair of tackles for loss … EJ Green notched his first career sack and interception, and had three tackles for loss.
ODU Football Takes a Big Early Lead and Then Succumbs to Wake Forest, 27-24
