NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Not since last November have Old Dominion football fans enjoyed a game in S.B. Ballard Stadium, but the atmosphere returns this Saturday as the Monarchs kick off in their home opener.
"We have so many new guys, it's still going to be a learning curve for those guys," said head coach Ricky Rahne. "It's going to be great to have the support of the home fans and not have to travel."
"Last year our student section was really good," recalled senior offensive lineman Zach Barlev. "Our crowd was amazing for our season. We might not have had the best season like we wanted to have, but every week our stadium was packed and as a college football player, you just love being at a home game seeing a packed stadium."
Old Dominion will welcome North Carolina Central, which is 1-1 on the young campaign. This marks the first meeting between the two programs since 2010, but if you think the Monarchs might be looking past the FCS team, you'd be mistaken. Rahne pointed out the program is 28-9 since the start of 2022 and has just one MEAC loss in each of the last three seasons. With plenty of experience returning and a fanbase that gets behind the Eagles, ODU is not expecting Saturday to be a walk in the park.
"This team doesn't have the illusion of thinking to themselves 'OK, well this week we get to play big-time football,'" the head coach noted. "They play big-time football every week based on the things I've seen, so it's going to be a challenge for us."
"I remember two years ago what happened," Barlev added. "I think they looked down on their opponent and they had a close game (ODU vs. Texas A&M-Commerce in 2023). We can't do that this week. We have to treat them like we treated Indiana last week so we don't over look them."
"We're a team that, in some situations, can be seen as an underdog," pointed out senior defensive end Kris Trinidad. "We know how serious we take situations like that. There's no telling what other men will do, so we respect every opponent we play."
Sports
Old Dominion drops season opener at Indiana
The Monarchs opened their season with a 27-14 loss at No. 20 Indiana this past Saturday. Colton Joseph rushed for two touchdowns of 75 and 78 yards, respectively, but also threw for three interceptions that led to 10 Hoosier points. Joseph was only sacked once, but the offense had trouble finding a consistent rhythm. ODU also gave up a 91-yard punt return for a touchdown, though its redzone defense was relatively strong, holding IU to two touchdowns in five trips inside the 20-yard line. Rahne says the goal for offenses is usually 70 percent touchdowns in redzone opportunities.
Kickoff between Old Dominion and North Carolina Central is set for 6 p.m. Saturday evening.
