HARRISONBURG, VA (WTKR)- For the first half, it looked like a heavyweight fight, with Old Dominion and James Madison trading punches back and forth.
Then the second half happened.
JMU outscored the Monarchs, 35-0, in the final two quarters as the wheels fell off for Ricky Rahne and company and the Dukes cruised to a 63-27 win at Bridgeforth Stadium Saturday afternoon. It marks Old Dominion's second straight loss and drops them to 4-3, 1-2 in Sun Belt play.
"We didn't come out," Rahne said of the second half meltdown. "Obviously, it's my responsibility as the head coach to make sure we come out in the second half and play well. We did not do that in any possible phase."
"Really just energy," senior defensive end Kris Trinidad added regarding the difference between the first and second halves. "We can't come out flat like that."
The first 30 minutes had the makings of a shootout. Old Dominion's special teams made a huge impact right from the get-go, as Brandon Crutchfield forced a fumble and Lucas Struck took it back five yards for a touchdown on the opening kickoff to give the Monarchs a 7-0 lead just six seconds into the game. JMU would tie the score on the ensuing drive, but on the next ODU possession, Colton Joseph found Tre Brown for a 98-yard touchdown connection, the longest offensive play in Monarch history and the longest play from the scrimmage in the country this year so far. The two teams traded scores throughout first and second quarter and the Monarchs went into the locker room trailing 28-27.
Things turned south for the silver and blue almost immediately in the third quarter. Joseph threw the first of his two interceptions on the first play from scrimmage of the second half, which James Madison turned into a touchdown. The Monarch defense responded with a three and out, but Quinn Henicle, ODU's back-up quarterback who assumed punt return duties Saturday, muffed the return and JMU recovered at the Old Dominion 26-yard line, leading to another score. Joseph's second pick of the afternoon also led to a Dukes' TD and the rout was on.
Rahne said during his postgame remarks that Henicle had performed well during practice returning punts throughout the week. It was an attempt to find some consistency at the position after the unit struggled last weekend at Marshall.
"He just took his eyes off of it and that was the issue," Rahne said of Henicle's blunder. "Obviously hindsight's 20/20, but he did an unbelievable job all week."
Rahne added he would continue to evaluate the punt return spot going forward.
ODU's offense hit a hard stop after halftime, as well. After racking up 275 total yards in the first half, the Monarchs were only able to muster 10 total yards in the final two quarters. They gave up 624 total yards, tied for the most ever given up in program history, while also allowing the second-most points they ever have in a game.
James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett tallied 448 total yards and accounted for six total touchdowns on the day, which included four rushing scores.
Joseph was 12-13 for 204 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, while Tre Brown finished the game with four receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns, all of which came before halftime.
Rahne, who said his team was "lacking conviction" in the second half in all three phases, proclaimed his hope is that his team will come together to correct some of the issues moving forward. With five games remaining, the possibility of a strong season is still very much in play for Old Dominion.
"When we come together and fight adversity head on, knowing it's going to be painful, knowing it's not going to be comfortable...all growth is painful," he pointed out. "We've got to come together. Each one of us has got to make that choice."
"At times like this, you can only look forward to the work," Trinidad noted. "I know this is about to be a good week. I can see it in everybody's eyes. We never want to feel like this again."
Old Dominion returns home to face Appalachian State next Saturday at noon in the Monarchs' homecoming game.
