ODU Wins A Big Football Game in Final Minutes, Rallying to Top App State, 28-21

By Harry Minium

NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion won a big football game Saturday night against a storied program that required a ton of toughness and poise down the stretch. And in the process, the Monarchs took a huge step toward postseason play, and perhaps a Sun Belt Conference championship.
 
ODU drove 69 yards in 11 plays in less than three minutes to score the game-winner with 48 seconds left, a 16-yard burst up the middle by Keshawn Wicks, in a 28-21 victory over App State. It was ODU's first victory in four tries against its storied Sun Belt Conference rival.
 
With five games left, ODU (4-3 overall, 3-1 Sun Belt) needs to win two to become bowl eligible.
 
ODU, which has won of three of its last four games and is tied for second in the Sun Belt East, travels to unbeaten East Division leader James Madison (7-0, 4-0) Saturday night. The 8 p.m. contest will be televised nationally on ESPNU, the fourth time on national TV for ODU.
 
App State won three national championships in what is now FCS and has gone to bowl games in seven of eight years since moving up to FBS. App State has also won four Sun Belt titles and six bowl games and won handily in the first three games against ODU.
 
"We talked about preparation this week and we talked about mentality," ODU head coach Ricky Rahne said. "I thought we showed a tough mentality throughout the game.
 
"That's a great football team and a great program led by a great coach and an even better guy. I have a ton of respect for (App State coach) Shawn Clark. This was a great win. I think it says we have a bunch of really gritty guys who know what it takes to win, and they believe in each other and keep fighting."
 
The game wasn't decided until the final play, and there were several heroes for the Monarchs in the hectic final minutes.
 
Quarterback Grant Wilson, who played perhaps his best game of the season, completed 18 of 25 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown, but none of his passes was bigger than his throw on fourth-and-10 with less than two minutes left.
 
Pressured out of the pocket, he eluded a would-be tackler and saw Javon Harvey streaking in front of him. He passed 19 yards to the former Lake Taylor High School wide receiver to the App State 21. It was ODU's first fourth down conversion of the season.
 
Harvey, who had missed the three previous games with an injury, hauled in three passes for 59 yards.
 
From there, running back Keshawn Wicks took over, rushing for five tough yards up the middle, and then 16 yards for the touchdown. Wicks, who rushed 12 times for 82 yards and two scores, was awarded the Melvin T. Blassingham Oyster Bowl MVP award.
 
That award might have just as easily gone to Khian'Dre Harris, the second-string cornerback from Fairless, Pennsylvania, who although just 5-foot-10, stood tall on the game's final two plays.
 
App State isolated 6-4 wide receiver Dalton Stroman one-on-one against Harris on the final two plays, and heaved the ball to him in the left corner of the end zone. Although he gave up six inches in height, and more in reach, Harris knocked the ball away from Stroman twice.
 
They were the first two pass breakups of his career, and the second led to an on-field celebration in which he was mobbed by his teammates, and to joyous celebration in the stands among the crowd of 20,017, largest of the season for ODU.
 
"There was a lot that he did tonight that was unbelievable," Rahne said of Harris. "A lot of credit goes to him, but a lot also goes to coach (Tarron) Williams our cornerbacks coach. We played five corners tonight. I'd like to see how many other teams that gave up 21 points and played five corners."
 
App State dominated a first quarter in which there were few fireworks. App's ball-control offense outgained ODU, 92-1, in the first 11 minutes and the Mountaineers took an early 7-0, on a 1-yard rush from quarterback Joey Aguilar on a bit of an App State gamble.
 
On third and goal, running back Kanye Roberts was tackled half a yard short of the goal line by linebackers Jason Henderson and Wayne Matthews. Without hesitation, the Mountaineers went for the first down, and Aguilar faked a handoff and ran around the right end untouched.
 
ODU finally got its offense untracked in the final minutes of the first quarter when the Monarchs began an 87-yard touchdown drive. It would have stalled deep inside ODU territory had it not been for a clutch pitch and throw from Wilson to Harvey on a third-and-five at the Monarch 18 that went for 16 yards.
 
Three plays later, Harvey hauled in a 24-yard pass and the Monarch offense was finally into gear.
 
Wilson was under pressure on another third-down play when he heaved an off-balance pass to Reymello Murphy, who caught the pass while laying on the turf at the App State seven.
 
On second down, Wilson faked a run and instead threw a short shovel pass to Kadarius Calloway for a three-yard touchdown pass. Calloway rushed 13 times for 104 yards and caught three passes for 20 yards.
 
App then retook the lead on another fourth down, this time fourth-and-two at the ODU five, when tight end David Larkins hauled in a TD pass with 5:49 left in the half.
 
ODU then scored on its next three possessions, including two in the final 2:41 of the first half.
 
Wicks scored from 20 yards to cap a 92-yard drive with 2:41 left. Ethan Sanchez' conversion kicked knotted the score at 14-14. Calloway carried the ball twice for 55 yards on the drive.
 
Then, after ODU held the Mountaineers on downs, the Monarchs drove 35 yards to the App State 30, the last play a 19-yard Calloway run, that set up a 47-yard Sanchez field goal attempt with three seconds left. He made it with room to spare and the Monarchs led, 17-14, at the half.
 
ODU expanded the lead to 20-14 on a 46-yarder from Sanchez less than five minutes into the third quarter, but the Mountaineers retook the lead on another fourth-down play.
 
This time, on fourth and four at the ODU 17, Aguilar lofted a perfectly-thrown pass to Kaedin Robinson at the back of the end zone. Robinson was only open briefly and Aguilar had to thread the needle with 4:03 left in the third quarter.
 
ODU had three more possessions. One ended with two sacks and a second when an apparent first down pass reception was ruled incomplete in the replay booth.
 
Then, with 3:46 left, ODU took over at its own 31 yard-line knowing that it had to score to win. And under immense pressure, the Monarchs indeed scored.
 
Asked to assess how big Saturday's victory was, Wilson said: "It feels good, but the job's not finished, right? So, we've got to look forward to JMU, and have a great week of practice."
 
Rahne said earlier in the week that this team has yet to play its best football.
 
"I still think our best football is absolutely ahead of us, without question," he said.
 
"I think each week we've been able to expand the limits of what they think they can be. I'm pretty confident of what they can be and that's why I say we can play better."
 
For how one night, however, he told his players to enjoy the victory.
 
"A big part of our 1-0 mentality is enjoying the wins," he said. "It's so hard to win a game in college football. This program we just beat has won a lot of football games for a long time. What they should be doing right now is enjoying this game. We'll start worrying about JMU in period three of practice tomorrow."