ODU Football Rolls Past Troy, 33-0, To Clinch First Winning Record Since 2016

By Harry Minium

NORFOLK, Va. – Under the bright lights of national television, the Old Dominion football team crushed Troy, 33-0, to clinch its first winning record in nine seasons and guarantee the Monarchs will play in a bowl game.

Playing on ESPN’s prime time Thursday night slot, the Monarchs bolted to a 20-0 first-half lead and coasted to their third victory in a row.

Devin Roche, the sophomore running back from Baltimore, had his best collegiate game, carrying 16 times for 145 yards. He also returned a punt for 49 yards.

Quarterback Colton Joseph passed for 147 yards and a touchdown and ran for 90 more yards and two touchdowns. ODU rushed for 352 yards, third most ever for an ODU team and for the first time this season, had no turnovers. 

But it was the ODU defense that most impressed. ODU pitched its first shutout since 2017 and only its second shutout in 16 seasons.

The Monarchs had a school-record nine sacks and the 138 yards allowed was the lowest in program history. It was the first time Troy has been shut out since 2014, and that shutout came at Georgia. 

ODU outgained the Trojans, 503-138, in offensive yardage.

"This was an absolutely dominant performance," said Ricky Rahne, ODU's head coach. "I'm so proud of how our guys played tonight."

ODU (7-3 overall, 4-2 Sun Belt Conference) clinched bowl eligibility on Saturday, Nov. 1 with a 31-6 victory at ULM. But with 63 teams already bowl eligible and 34 more on the cusp of eligibility for the 82 slots available, some teams with six victories are almost certain to go without a bid.

With seven wins, ODU is now guaranteed a bowl bid.

The Monarchs last had a winning record in 2016, when the Monarchs went 10-3 and defeated Eastern Michigan in the Bahamas Bowl. If this team wins its final two regular-season games and wins a bowl, it would match that record.

The victory also guaranteed Rahne his first winning record as a head coach. As he usually does when asked about his coaching accomplishments, he demured when asked how that felt. 

“I’ve said from the very beginning, this team just loves playing football,” he said. "They love playing together."

The game ended with ODU's Christopher Spencer sacking Troy freshman quarterback Jack James.

"If you saw that last sack by Chris Spencer, you saw the entire defense go crazy," Rahne said. "Even on the last play of the game, they weren't done playing, they weren't done being invested in each other.

"That's the true mark of what this team does." 

The lopsided victory was a bit of a surprise. Troy (6-4, 4-2) had come relatively close to winning at Clemson and had won five of its last six games.

But Troy was never competitive. The Trojans got close to scoring only twice, and missed a 39-yard field goal and had a drive stall at the ODU 11 on downs. The Trojans crossed midfield only three times.

The day began for ODU at 2 p.m. when SportsCenter’s Campus Show set up shop at Kaufman Mall. Surrounded by 1,000 or so ODU students and fans, ESPN sportscaster Matt Barrie called it SportsCenter’s most successful stop on a college campus.

He kidded with Rahne, who ate an “ODU Burger” on national TV while Monarch basketball coaches Mike Jones and DeLisha Milton-Jones tossed basketballs at a dunk tank, sending ESPN broadcaster Harry Lyles Jr. into the water.

The positive vibes carried on throughout the day as ESPN did numerous live shots and into the evening, when the cameras turned on at S.B. Ballard Stadium.

"I want to thank the fans for all they did today and for coming out tonight," Rahne said. "It was a great turnout considering how cold it was. Our fans really supported us today and tonight."

It was the second successful Thursday night prime ESPN game for the Monarchs, who defeated Georgia Southern, 47-19, last season.

It was the final game of three for ODU in its annual USAA Military Appreciation week, and the Monarchs were 3-0, with the Monarch men's basketball team defeating Norfolk State, 60-57 and the women defeating Delaware, 73-66 in overtime. 

James Franklin, who was fired last month as head coach at Penn State, was at S.B. Ballard Stadium to support both head coaches – ODU’s Rahne and Troy’s Gerad Parker were both assistants for him in State College. He was on ODU’s sideline most of the game and exchanged hugs and high fives with Rahne family members, including his wife, Jen, and mother, Deb.

"James Franklin is one of my best friends in the world," Rahne said. "To everyone else he's James Franklin, but to me, he's my friend. So to have him here was awesome."

Things started poorly for ODU when, on their opening drive, the Monarchs failed to convert a fourth down and three at the Troy 28. Fortunately for ODU, the Trojans returned the favor, as on Troy’s first offensive play, Tae Meadows was stripped of the ball by defensive lineman Kris Trinidad. Safety Mario Easterly recovered the fumble.

The Monarchs quickly turned that turnover into a touchdown, as Ja’Cory Thomas hauled in a 19-yard TD pass from Joseph with 9:37 left in the first quarter.

ODU’s next two drives bogged down, but still produced points, as placekicker Nathanial Eichner kicked field goals of 32 and 28 yards to make it 13-0.

Joseph then topped off a 62-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run, in which he ran over a defender at the one, and Eichner’s kicked made it 20-0 with 5:54 left in the first half.

Joseph added a 26-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter to make it 26-0 (ODU’s two point conversion failed).

Then, midway through the fourth quarter, Trequan Jones reeled off a 65-yard touchdown run to make it 33-0.

"We were pounding the rock tonight," Joseph said. "The offensive line was getting off the ball and moving the D line back. They were making holes, a lot of space to run."

Jackson Forrest led ODU with 10 tackles while Trinidad added two sacks and two forced fumbles. Nickendre Stiger, the senior transfer from Kansas State, had his first career interception.

"It's a great feeling" to get the shutout, said linebacker Jeremy Mack Jr., who had five tackles and a sack.

"It's going to be a great feeling when we come in Sunday for our team meeting. But ultimately, we've got three more games. We're looking for more shutouts."

ODU closes out its season with a road trip to Georgia Southern this Saturday, and then hosts Georgia State on Saturday, Nov. 29. 

The Monarchs will find out their bowl destination on Sunday, Dec. 7, when the College Football Playoff and all bowl bids are announced.  

Notes – The shutout by ODU is the second in program history and the first since a 6-0 win over Charlotte in 2017 … The 138 yards gained by Troy is the fewest allowed in a game in program history … ODU set a school record with nine sacks … On Troy’s first play of the game, Kris Trinidad forced a fumble, the fourth of his career. Mario Easterly recovered the fumble, the first of his career … Devin Roche’s 49-yard punt return was the fourth longest in ODU history … Nathanial Eichner made multiple field goals in a game for the first time since he made three on October 1, 2022 when he played for Alabama State … Nickendre Stiger intercepted the first pass of his career in the third quarter … Devin Roche carried a career high 16 times for a career best 145 yards. He also had a career long 67-yard run … ODU’s 352 rushing yards are the third most ever in school history and the most in a game this season … Trequan Jones rushed for 96 yards and Colton Joseph had 90 rushing yards … Tre Brown had his second career 100-yard receiving game with 112 yards on five receptions … Jackson Forrest had a career high 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks … Kris Trinidad had five tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles … Mario Easterly registered seven tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery … Christopher Spencer recorded his first career sack and LeDarrion Menter notched his first career half sack ... It was the first time that Troy was shutout in a game since 2014 (Georgia) and the first time ever they have been shutout in a Sun Belt Conference game.