Minium: For Once, Brothers Koa and Seth Naotala Will Be On The Same Team When ODU Football Hosts JMU Saturday
By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – As linebackers, the Naotala brothers never faced off against each other across the line of scrimmage.
But with Koa playing at Old Dominion and Seth at James Madison, their teams played a very spirited and close game last season that left their parents with mixed emotions.
Seth, the older brother, recovered a fumble that helped JMU claim a narrow, 30-27 victory in Harrisonburg. Koa didn’t play much, but says that didn’t assuage the pain losing to ODU’s archrival.
But when ODU hosts JMU Saturday at S.B. Ballard Stadium, Seth and Koa will be on the same team.
Seth Naotala played four of the last five seasons for JMU as a walk-on. After graduating, he intended to hang up its helmet and pads for good after last season.
His younger brother, Koa, also walked on at ODU, but earned a scholarship.
“Seth and everyone in our family, we all thought his football career was done,” Koa said.
But when asked to come play at ODU, he agreed, just two days before fall practice began. With linebacker Jason Henderson redshirting, Koa starts at middle linebacker and Seth is the backup.
“I’m sure he’s taking it as just another game as we’re always told to do,” Koa said of his brother.
“But I’m sure on the inside, you know, he'll know this is cool, and he’ll have some type of feelings, but he’ll also be locked in like the rest of us, I’m sure.”
Although ODU Head Coach Ricky Rahne’s 1-0 mentality, that every game is just as important as another, still applies, this is a truly big game for both teams – especially when you’re hosting your in-state and conference rival on national TV in a game that will play a crucial role in your hopes for a bowl bid and Sun Belt championship.
Rahne calls Saturday’s home game with James Madison a big game “because it’s our next game.”
But even the 1-0 philosophy has its limits, he acknowledged.
“Obviously, we’re sitting with the same record in the Sun Belt and so it’s a critical game for both of us,” he said. “I’m not naïve enough to not understand that it’s a state opponent and it means a lot to our fans.
“We recruited a lot of their players and they recruited a lot of ours. A lot of our guys know their guys, so you know, there’s going to be probably an extra layer of emotion.”
“But,” he added, “it still comes down to execution and effort and playing physical on a play by play basis.”
ODU and JMU fans agree it’s a big game, given how many are trying to cram into S.B. Ballard Stadium for the highest profile game in the TowneBank Royal Rivalry.
The game sold out last month and the only tickets available on are with secondary ticket sellers like SeatGeek. For $96, you can get one good seat on the visitor’s side of S.B. Ballard Stadium. A cool $155 will get you a good seat on the home side.
The most expensive ticket is $722 and only 108 are available on all of the secondary markets.
An aside here: If you’re outside looking in, aren’t you sorry you didn’t purchase season tickets?
ESPNU will broadcast the 4 p.m. game nationally in part because it is such an intense rivalry and in part because of its significance in the race for the Sun Belt title.
ODU (4-5 overall, 3-2 Sun Belt) is tied with JMU (7-2, 3-2) for third in the Sun Belt East. Georgia Southern (6-3, 4-1), whose only Sun Belt loss came at ODU, is tied with Marshall (6-3, 4-1) for the Sun Belt lead.
Saturday’s loser drops out of the Sun Belt race. The winner remains very much in contention.
And while JMU, Marshall and Georgia Southern have all qualified for bowl games, ODU must win two of its final three games to go to a bowl. The Monarchs host Marshall in their final home game on Nov. 23 before finishing on the road Nov. 30 at West Division foe Arkansas State (5-4, 3-2).
ODU and JMU carried on a brief but torrid rivalry when ODU began football as an FCS school. The Monarchs swept two games from the Dukes in 2011 (23-20) and 2012 (38-28).
When JMU finally moved up to FBS and joined the Sun Belt in 2022, the Dukes won the first game by a 37-3 margin in Norfolk two years ago and then the three-point loss last season in Harrisonburg in a game not decided until the final seconds.
JMU is a 4 1/2-point favorite but there's another stat that also stands out – ODU is coming off a bye week and Rahne is 5-0 after a bye week, in part because of new wrinkles he and his staff install on their offense and defense.
JMU lost a ton of players from last season when the Dukes’ head coach moved to another school, but JMU reloaded under first-year head coach Bob Chesney.
JMU claimed a stunning, 70-50 victory at North Carolina in the third week of the season, then dropped two of its next three games at Louisiana Monroe and at Georgia Southern. The Dukes since swept games from Southern Miss and Georgia State by a combined 70-22 score.
JMU is second in the Sun Belt in scoring at 35.3 points per game and first in defense, allowing just 16.4 points per game.
When asked what makes JMU so good, Rahne said it was their ability to hold onto the ball and create takeaways from their opponents. JMU leads the country with a +2 takeaway number.
ODU committed four turnovers in its last game, a 28-20 loss at App State.
“It’s so hard to be No. 1 in the country in anything,” Rahn said. “So that’s a key for them. You can put up some impressive numbers on both offense and defense when you take away the ball and don’t turn it over.
“I think our guys understand that we have to be laser focused on their techniques and fundamentals that will prevent turnovers on offense and create them on defense.
“That’s going to be a major factor in this game.’’
Minium is ODU’s senior executive writer. Contact him at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram