NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Friday in Norfolk featured rain with temperatures in the 40's. Parts of Hampton Roads got snow. It might make one long for some time in better weather conditions.
Old Dominion football, along with some of its fans, will hit the road to such conditions for the Monarchs' postseason bowl game. ODU will take the field in the Cure Bowl in Orlando on December 17, the program's fourth bowl contest in program history.
"I'm really excited about this," head coach Ricky Rahne said. "This is the perfect opportunity, I love the timing of it, I love the location and, very bluntly, I'm excited about the opponent."
That opponent is South Florida, hailing from the AAC. Both the Monarchs and Bulls are 9-3 on the season. They can both score, both have strong running games and they'll square off on the gridiron for the first time ever.
"You've got two 9-3 teams playing each other," smiled Rahne. "That's pretty good right there. That's what bowl season is all about."
"It's excited to get to play another [Group of Six] team, a team that's had a lot of success all year, that's well-coached with great players," senior center Ryan Joyce added. "This will be a fun match-up and a good challenge for us."
Camping World Stadium in Orlando may be a neutral site, technically, but the atmosphere may feel like enemy territory for the Monarchs. The venue is about 80 miles from USF's campus, meaning the primary colors in the stands may be green and gold.
"It's one of the more fun things about college football and football in general," Joyce noted. "Being able to have that home field advantage and away games that are unique. I think this will just be another chance to do that."
"I love good environments," added senior defensive end Kris Trinidad. "I thrive in them. I'm really excited to play them as well."
Of course, the Monarchs hope there will be plenty of support in the seats. Longtime fans like Harry McBrien, who is a member of the Monarchists, is one of many who live and breathe ODU football. He hopes that there will be more than just a sprinkle of silver and blue in the stadium come kickoff.
"The Monarchs travel well," McBrien pointed out. "We're going to have a lot of fans down there, direct flights from Norfolk, Richmond, from our core fan group, so it's going to be an easy go."
The bowl venture is the total package for coaches, players and those supporting them as Old Dominion looks to cap off a memorable season with a championship.
"Our guys want to get a tenth win," Rahne said. "They want a ring together, they want to get a tenth win together and I think that's really important to the guys on this team."
"That would be the most I've ever won in my career or my life, to be honest," Trinidad noted. "I'm really excited about that. It really has the guys motivated to go get that."
"10 wins for us would be huge," McBrien added. "We haven't seen that in almost a decade, so we've been waiting for a long time and everybody's really excited."
Of course, some questions remain about who exactly the Monarchs will have available. Quarterback Colton Joseph is among those who may reportedly enter the transfer portal. Rahne would not address Joseph's status for the game during his comments Friday, but did say he likes the team's quarterback room.
Old Dominion and South Florida kick off at 5 p.m. December 17 in the Cure Bowl.
