NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- For the first time since 2019, Old Dominion and Norfolk State met on the gridiron and once again the Monarchs reigned supreme.
The Spartans pulled to within a touchdown in the third quarter, but ODU picked up some timely turnovers and pulled away down the stretch to earn the 31-10 victory.
"It would not shock me if they win their league," Monarchs' head coach Ricky Rahne said after the game. "21-point win. Obviously we've got to take care of the football better and we need to tackle better, but those are things that can be corrected so we'll get them corrected."
"That was a game that's going to build character for us and keep us moving in the right direction in terms of what we want to be ultimately as a football team," remarked Norfolk State head coach Michael Vick. "We had our chances and that's all you can ask for and you don't get any mulligans in this game so we've just got to keep fighting, keep pushing."
One of the game's most crucial plays came on the opening drive. Norfolk State running back Jalyn Daniels broke free and was rushing towards the endzone, but ODU's Zion Frink ripped the ball away at the one-yard line and Brandon Crutchfield recovered the fumble in the endzone to give ODU possession. The Monarchs would turn that into points, as Quinn Henicle capped off the drive with a 13-yard rushing touchdown.
Henicle would tally a score through the air in the second quarter, finding TJ Johnson for a 11-yard strike to give Old Dominion a 14-0 lead and Nathanial Eichner added a 37-yard field goal to put the home team in front, 17-0.
But Norfolk State wasn't going anywhere. Josiah Davis picked off a Henicle pass in Old Dominion territory, leading to a Deljay Bailey three-yard QB rushing touchdown and the Spartans went into the break down 17-7.
Marco Peery's 37-yard field goal closed the gap to 17-10, but then ODU surged. Jackson Forrest recovered a fumble that would lead to another touchdown connection between Henicle and Johnson, this time for a 14-yard score. The quarterback would add his fourth total touchdown on the next drive, a two-yard rush to cap off the scoring.
Henicle finished the day with 137 passing yards and two touchdowns, adding 68 rushing yards and two additional scores. Bailey was 14-for-20 through the air for 94 yards, while Daniels led the green and gold with 84 rushing yards.
The silver and blue held NSU to just 220 total yards of offense, but the Spartan defense didn't perform poorly, containing Old Dominion to 319 total yards.
Old Dominion announced some excited news during the game. The program will retire former quarterback Taylor Heinicke's No. 14 jersey during the Monarchs' October 15 game against Georgia Southern.
ODU is back in action Saturday at Virginia Tech, while Norfolk State visits Norfolk State on Friday night.
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