BLACKSBURG, VA (WTKR)- Ever since Virginia Tech topped Old Dominion in Norfolk last year, quarterback Colton Joseph has had a certain date circled on his calendar- the day he would get the chance to have another shot at the Hokies.
"I knew this was the time I needed to shine the most and the time I needed to come out here and just get my get-back really, after what happened last year," Joseph said.
He and the Monarchs did just that Saturday night, dominating from start to finish in a 45-26 win at Virginia Tech. The victory marked ODU's first road win over a power conference opponent in program history.
"Our guys really feel confident every week," head coach Ricky Rahne pointed out. "They're confident in their abilities, they're confident in who they are and our guys played really well."
The Monarchs struck in the first quarter, when Joseph capped off a drive with a six-yard touchdown rush, but the turning point came later in the first quarter. With the Hokies driving in the redzone, Jeremy Mack Jr. stripped Tech quarterback Kyron Drones as he ran towards the endzone. The ball was fumbled and recovered by Chris Forbes, but the officials initially signaled that Drones was down. Ricky Rahne alertly called timeout, which gave the referee a chance to review the call and it was eventually overturned.
The silver and blue capitalized, engineering a seven play, 97 yard drive, ending in a 10 yard touchdown run by Maurki James to double the lead to 14-0 early in the second quarter.
Later in the frame, the defense came up big again. Drones tried to make a play with his arm this time, throwing down field, but Jerome Carter came up with the interception at Old Dominion's 12-yard line. Once again, the offense turned the takeaway into points, with Trequan Jones capping off a 12 play, 88 yard drive to extend the ODU advantage to 21-0.
"It's a key factor," said wide receiver Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding. "We hold each other down on both sides of the ball, so when the defense comes out there and executes, it allows us to gain momentum and go out there and execute on offense."
The Monarchs would add one more touchdown before halftime, a 13-yard pass from Joseph to Tre Brown and Rahne's club held a 28-0 lead at the break.
After Riley Callaghan's 50-yard field goal made it 31-0, the Hokies were finally able to find the scoreboard, but the silver and blue had an answer. Joseph found Abdul-Rahim Gladding for a 13-yard touchdown and the Monarchs kept control from there.
Joseph finished the day completing 16 of his 22 pass attempts for 276 yards and two touchdowns, adding 63 rushing yards and the first quarter score. Jones picked up 101 yards on the ground on 13 carries and the touchdown. He's found the endzone four times in the last two games. Ja'cory Thomas paced the receivers, pulling in three receptions for 83 yards.
Old Dominion gained 526 yards of total offense and scored touchdowns in all six of its trips to the redzone. The Monarchs sacked Drones four times on the night.
As for Virginia Tech, the Hokies fell to 0-3 for the first time since 1987, Frank Beamer's first season as the program's head coach. After being outscored 34-0 in the second half of last weekend's loss to Vanderbilt, Tech went another entire half before finding the scoreboard again.
The Monarchs enjoy a bye next weekend before welcoming Liberty to S.B. Ballard Stadium on September 27. Kickoff time will be announced Monday.
