ODU Stuns Virginia Tech, 45-26, to Claim First Road Victory Over Power Four School

By Harry Minium

BLACKSBURG – Playing on a big stage, on a Saturday night on national television, Old Dominion shocked the college football world by thoroughly dominating Virginia Tech Saturday night at Lane Stadium.

Buoyed by yet another stellar performance from quarterback Colton Joseph, the Monarchs rolled to a 28-0 first-half lead and coasted past the Hokies, 45-26. 

It was ODU’s third victory against Virginia Tech in a seven-game series that dates back to 2018, but the first ever in Blacksburg. Prior to Saturday, the Monarchs had never led Tech in Blacksburg. ODU’s 49-35 victory over then No. 13 Virginia Tech in 2018 at old Foreman Field almost surely remains the biggest win in school history. But this was ODU’s first road victory against a Power 4 school and was seen by a nationwide audience on the ACC Network.

Head Coach Ricky Rahne said he asked his team to play with emotion and to play a violent game.

“And we did that,” he said. “Everyone came in and did their jobs.”

Joseph, he said, “was fantastic. He made some great decision tonight. He really ran out offense well. We had so many guys play well tonight. Everyone contributed to this win.”

The victory came against a Tech football team that is reeling. The Hokies (0-3) have lost seven of their last eight games. Even so, Tech has vastly more resources than ODU (2-1), as it always the case when the Monarchs take on a power school.

Tech, which entered a 7 ½-point favorite, has a football budget nearly three times as large and millions of dollars more in Name, Image and Likeness money. And yet ODU was the dominant team.

The ODU victory echoed across social media and was mentioned on TV broadcasts across the spectrum.

Asked if ODU sent a message tonight, linebacker Jahleel Culbreath said the Monarchs did.

“It’s an awesome feeling to get this win, especially at Lane Stadium, which is such an historical stadium,” he said. “It feels awesome.”

Joseph was brilliant, completing 16-of-22 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for eight times for 63 yards and another TD.

Joseph said ever since ODU’s 37-17 home loss to the Hokies a year ago, “I’ve had this penciled on my schedule.”

“I knew this was the game when I needed to shine the most, to come out here and win after what happened last season,” he said.

The Hokies tried to desperately to put pressure on the redshirt sophomore from Newport Beach, California. But ODU’s offensive line gave him stellar protection, and when Tech managed to rush him from the pocket, he eluded would-be tacklers and ran for positive yardage or tossed to receivers on the run.

The game was close – ODU led 7-0 – when it turned on, of all things, a timeout called by Rahne.

Tech appeared to be on the way to tying the score. On third down, Hokies’ quarterback Kyrone Drones ran for an apparent first down, but as he was going down on the ODU 3, the ball popped loose.

It looked like a fumble, but officials ruled Drones was down before fumbling.

The Hokies then hurried to get a play off, and were seconds from snapping the ball, but Rahne, visibly agitated, burned a timeout and insisted refs review the play.

The refs finally did review the play and ruled Jeremy Mack Jr. forced a fumble and that Chris Forbes recovered at the ODU 3. It was the second consecutive game in which Forbes recovered a fumble.

The Monarchs then proceeded to blow the game open.

“I had a great view of the play and knew it was a fumble,” Rahne said. “I wasn’t going to let them snap the ball.”

On third down and six, Joseph passed 44 yards to Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding. Three plays later, redshirt freshman Maurki James rushed 10 yards for the TD and ODU led, 14-0, with 12:39 left in the first half.

Minutes later, Jerome Carter picked off a Drones pass at the 12, setting up another scoring drive, this one 88 yards on seven plays, capped by an 11-yard Trequan Jones TD run with 6:44 left.

The Monarch defense then held the Hokies on downs, and with 2:44 left, ODU mounted a 77-yard TD drive. On third down, Joseph was rushed from by pocket but lofted a 13-yard pass hauled in by Tre Brown in the corner of the end zone with 53 seconds left.

Things began well for the Monarchs. Backed up to its own seven, ODU drove 93 yards for a touchdown on its second possession. Joseph found wide receiver Ja’Cory Thomas in the middle of the field for a 38-yard gain and Jones added a 22-yard run two plays later.

Joseph finished off the seven-play drive with a six-yard touchdown run around the right end and ODU led, 7-0, with 6:30 left in the first quarter.

ODU expanded the lead to 31-0 on a 50-yard Riley Callaghan field goal with 9:54 left in the third quarter.

Tech finally got its offense going in the second half, scoring 26 points. But Gladding hauled in a 31-yard TD pass from Joseph and Devin Roche ran 15 yards for another as the Monarchs held off any Tech rally.

“We stayed aggressive and kept our foot on their necks,” Joseph said. “We didn’t let up. When you let up, that’s when comebacks happen. We weren’t going to let that happen tonight.”

At game’s end, as the players were exiting the field, hundreds of blue-clad fans repeated the ODU chant over and over. Joseph raised his arm to lead the cheers as he ran off the field.

“Wins are so hard to come by,” he said. “Especially wins at a place like this. Not many teams beat Virginia Tech on their home field.

“This one really felt good.”

Notes – The 45-26 triumph is the first win for ODU on the road against a Power-Four school and the third win in program history against Virginia Tech … It is the first time in the series history that ODU led in Blacksburg … The 45 points scored were the most by ODU against a Power-Four school since the 49 ODU put on Virginia Tech in 2018. A 49-35 ODU win … Trequan Jones made his first career start at running back, while defensive tackle Chris Forbes notched his first career start … Maurki James’ touchdown run was the first of his career … Jeremy Mack’s fumble recovery to thwart a VT touchdown was the first of his career … Chris Forbes’ fumble recovery was his second-straight game with a recovery … Riley Callaghan drilled a career long 50-yard field goal in the third quarter … Colton Joseph completed 16-of-22 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed eight times for 63 yards and a touchdown … Trequan Jones rushed for 101 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown, marking his second-straight 100-yard game … In his first game of the season, Devin Roche carried four times for 25 yards and a touchdown … Ja’Cory Thomas had his second-straight 80+yard receiving game, catching 3 passes for 83 yards … Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding, and Tre Brown caught touchdown passes, it was the first of Brown’s career … Javen Gibson recorded the first 1.5 sacks of his career and also forced a fumble … Jeremy Mack recorded his ODU career high of nine tackles, a TFL and a key forced fumble … Jahleel Culbreath notched seven stops and a TFL, while Jackson Forrest totaled a career best six tackles and two tackles for loss … It is the first win for a Sun Belt Conference team over a Power-Four opponent this season and the 12^th since ODU joined the Sun Belt in 2021.