NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Mistakes, turnovers and penalties sent Old Dominion to its second straight loss this past weekend. The Monarchs know there isn't much time to waste when it comes to getting them fixed.
James Madison visits S.B. Ballard Stadium this Saturday as both teams kick off Sun Belt play with the Royal Rivalry. With a Dukes team that's had its number coming to town, ODU knows the importance of getting back to playing clean football.
"Everybody is well, well, well aware of how important this game is," Old Dominion head coach Ricky Rahne said. "The reality of it is, in a game where we just defeated ourselves, we've got to take the next step and we've got to concentrate on being the best version of Old Dominion that we possibly can be."
"There are just certain things that you've got to be better situationally," added sophomore linebacker Jackson Forrest. "It's just things we can fix so it's not like the world's going to end. It's things that we're going to attack and fix and do what we need to do."
Three key Monarch miscues led to 17 East Carolina points in Saturday's 20-17 setback. A fumbled snap on a punt which ended as a turnover on downs led to a Pirate touchdown, Quinn Henicle threw a pick-six and a Devin Roche fumble ended up as an ECU field goal. With a sound JMU team next up on the schedule that has shined at times in all three phases, mistakes and turnovers like those could lead to a game that gets out of hand.
Saturday's game kicks off the conference slate for the silver and blue as the Monarchs chase a Sun Belt championship. While Rahne and company stress the importance of their 1-0 mentality and not putting any added emphasis on any game over another, the head coach knows the gravity of the rivalry with the Dukes and what it means to the fanbase and beyond.
"I'd be naive if I didn't think this game meant more," he said. "It means more to our alumni, it means more to our fanbase, it certainly means a ton to myself, our coaching staff and all of our players," Rahne pointed out. "We all know how important the first conference game is. But that doesn't take away the emotion or make me not understand the emotion that goes into a rivalry game."
Regardless of how any given season has gone for the Monarchs under Rahne, five wins, 10 wins or anywhere in between, JMU has been the problem ODU has yet to solve. The Dukes have won all four meetings between these two programs as Sun Belt foes, two by just three points and two more lopsided affairs. This year's James Madison squad is 3-0 and coming off a 26-13 win at San Diego State in Billy Napier's first season leading the squad.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m Saturday night.
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