ODU Football Succumbs in Second Half to JMU, 63-27, in TowneBank Royal Rivalry
By Harry Minium
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Old Dominion’s football team committed two second-half turnovers that led to James Madison touchdowns, and the Monarch offense virtually shut down in the second half, as JMU rolled to a 63-27 victory Saturday at Bridgeforth Stadium.
The game matched the two top-ranked teams in the Sun Belt and was expected to be a close, relatively low-scoring game.
It was close, if high-scoring, for only a half.
ODU trailed, 28-27, at halftime. But then, an interception and a muffed punt led to two JMU touchdowns and the Dukes won going away.
Turnovers have been the Achilles Heel for ODU this season. The Monarchs committed four turnovers in a 27-14 loss at Indiana to start the season, then had five in a 48-24 loss at Marshall last week.
But the turnovers don’t completely explain ODU’s third-quarter demise. JMU outscored the Monarchs, 28-0, in the third quarter and ODU managed just one offensive yard.
“That was obviosly not the second half performance that we needed. We did not coach well enough or play well enough in the second half," said Ricky Rahne, ODU's head coach.
"We made way too many mistakes."
ODU quarterback Colton Joseph was nearly perfect in the first half in which he completed 12 of 13 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns against a defense ranked fourth nationally in FBS.
He finished with 13 completions in 21 attempts with two second-half interceptions for 209 yards.
The Monarchs had 275 first-half yards against a team that had not surrendered more than 288 yards in its previous six games. The JMU defense lived up to its rep in the second half, limiting ODU to just 10 yards.
Meanwhile, JMU rolled to 624 offensive yards, tied for the most ever given up by an ODU team. The 63 points were the second-most ever ODU surrendered.
JMU quarterback Alonza Barnett III completed 17 of 25 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 17 times for 153 yards and four more TDs
Things went awry for ODU on the first play of the second half when JMU defensive end Amar Thomas hammered Joseph as he was releasing the ball. The jarring hit affected his pass, which came up short and was intercepted by JMU’s Justin Eaglin.
The Dukes then drove 57 yards on a touchdown drive capped by Wayne Knight’s 13-yard run, and led the Monarchs, 35-27, less than four minutes into the third quarter.
Four minutes later, a punt was muffed by ODU’s Quinn Henicle and recovered by JMU’s Drew Spinagatti at the ODU 26.
The Dukes took five plays to score, with Barnett scoring in a six-yard run. The PAT gave JMU a 42-27 lead.
JMU scored twice more, both on Barnett runs, to build the lead to 49-27 heading into the fourth quarter.
Rahne was at a loss to explain why ODU had two diametrically oppositve halves.
"We played with a lack of conviction in basically all three phases of the game" in the second half, he said. "We just didn't come out. It's my responsbility as the head coach to come out and play well and we did not do that."
"It's very frustrating," he added.
"I knew the third quarter was going to be important. I told our kids all week it would be important. And obviously, JMU handled it better than we did."
The Monarchs got off to their quickest lead ever when, six seconds into the game, they turned a fumbled kickoff into a touchdown.
The kickoff was dropped in the end zone by JMU’s Braden Wisloski, who picked it up and then returned it to the five, where he was pummeled by ODU’s Brandon Crutchfield, who forced a fumble.
Lucas Struck, the junior college transfer from Council Bluffs, Iowa, calmly scooped up the ball at the two and carried it in for the TD.
JMU wasted little time in evening the score as the Dukes drove 78 yards in five plays, with Barnett carrying it 58 yards for a TD.
ODU retaliated 10 minutes later with its longest touchdown ever when, on first down at the Monarch 2, Joseph hit Tre’ Brown III at the 25 and he took it to the house. The 98-yard TD reception is the longest TD in the country so far this season.
JMU quickly scored again, with Barnett finding Nick DeGennaro on a 65-yard TD pass with 3:05 left.
The Monarchs then marched 75 yards with Joseph then connecting with Brown again on an 11-yard TD pass. The Monarchs missed the extra point but led 20-14.
The lead then see-sawed back and forth. DeGannaro put the Dukes up 21-20 with a 7-yard TD reception but then tight end Dawson Johnson, a transfer from Florida, hauled in a 16-yard pass and ODU led, 27-21.
JMU’s Jordan Fuller scored on a 2-yard run with 1:57 left and the Dukes carried a 28-27 lead into halftime, one they would not surrender.
ODU next hosts App State Saturday at noon in the Monarchs’ annual Homecoming game. The contest will be nationally televised by ESPNU.
Asked what advice he gave to his team, Rahne said:
"You have two options. You can splinter into two factions, which we love to do in this country, and you see how successful that's been, right?
"Or you come together to fight adversity together knowing it's going to be difficult, knowing it's' going to be uncomfortable. All growth is painful and we've got to all come together. Each and every player has to make that choice."
Defensive lineman Kris Trinidad said that's exactly what the Monarchs will do.
"We're all feeling extreme frustration," he said. "We're going to see our true colors in practice this week.
"None of us ever want to feel what we're feeling right now."
Notes: Lucas Struck recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff forced by Brandon Cruthfield to give ODU a touchdown on the opening kickoff … It was the second fumble recovery of the season for Struck … It was the first forced fumble of Crutchfield’s career … Struck’s touchdown is ODU’s first fumble return for a touchdown since LaMareon James returned a fumble against Wake Forest in 2023 … Colton Joseph’s 98-yard touchdown pass to Tre Brown was the longest offensive play in ODU history. The 98-yard strike from Joseph to Brown is the longest play in FBS so far this season … Dawson Johnson’s 16-yard touchdown was the first of his career … Brown’s 138 yards on four receptions were a career high and his first 100-yard receiving game … Jerome Carter tied his career high with 12 tackles … Linebacker Seth Naotala, a JMU transfer, had six tackles and half a sack … Jeremy Mack recorded nine tackles and two tackles for loss.