BOWLING GREEN, OH. — Old Dominion players had said they felt they were close to getting on the winning side of these close games and Saturday the Monarchs finally saw one go their way.
Aaron Young scored on a four-yard touchdown rush with 24 seconds to play to give the Monarchs a 30-27 win at Bowling Green, ODU's first victory of 2024. The win pushed the silver and blue to 1-3 with Sun Belt play kicking off next week.
Grant Wilson returned at quarterback and immediately went to work, leading the Monarchs on a game-opening scoring drive for the first time this season. Wilson capped it off with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Pat Conroy to give Old Dominion the early 7-0 lead.
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After Bowling Green evened the score, Wilson and Conroy hooked up again, this time on the first play of the ensuing drive for a 75-yard catch-and-run touchdown, putting the Monarchs back in front. Jaison Patterson pulled the Falcons back to a tie with a 17-yard TD rush early in the second, but Ethan Sanchez booted a 53-yard field goal to send ODU into the locker room at halftime up 17-14. The 53-yarder was the second-longest in program history.
Bowling Green took its first lead of the contest early in the third, when Connor Bazelak found Harold Fannin Jr., who made the catch and shook some defenders on his way to a 59-yard touchdown.
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The fourth quarter kept fans on the edge of their seats, be it in the stadium or at home. Colton Joseph, who replaced Wilson after a series in the third quarter, found paydirt on a 14-yard rush with 11:57 to go in the game, but the Monarchs missed the extra point, limiting their lead to 23-21.
The Falcons responded and got a little help from ODU on a special teams blunder. On what appeared to be a missed 51-yard field goal that would give the Monarchs the ball back, Koa Naotala was flagged for leaping on the play, giving the Falcons a first down. It would lead to a Terion Stewart 13-yard touchdown rush and Bowling Green would take the 27-23 advantage after a missed two-point conversion attempt.
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However, the Monarchs had some fight left. Joseph engineered the first game-winning drive of his college career, leading the Monarchs on a 13 play, 79 yard drive, which ended with Young's short touchdown that would serve as the game winner.
Wilson, who was presumably removed due to an injury, completed six of his 14 pass attempts for 118 yards and the two touchdowns. Young rushed for 74 yards on 12 carries and the score, while Conroy pulled in three receptions for 99 yards and the two TD's.
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Old Dominion did not commit a turnover and came up with one big one. Jahron Manning's third interception of the season set up Joseph's rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
The Monarchs return to action next Saturday when they open Sun Belt play at Coastal Carolina. Kickoff is set for 7:00 PM.
