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Tale of two separate spring sessions for ODU, William & Mary football

ODU football
Posted at 1:15 PM, Mar 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-24 13:15:42-04

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - It's mid-March with March Madness in full-swing, but a pair of our local colleges and universities are in football mode. However, at Old Dominion and William & Mary - it's a tale of two different spring seasons.

At ODU, a program which has not played a game since November 2019, the Monarchs are currently taking part in a traditional spring practice.

Meantime, William & Mary is in the midst of a six-game spring season after delaying its fall campaign due to COVID-19.

Tuesday, News 3 Sports Director Adam Winker asks both programs' head coaches to dish on the dichotomy of practices vs. games during the spring session.

"As you would have a spring practice, it counts - games are counting," William & Mary head coach Mike London explained. "So they're getting on the job experience. They're playing competitive reps vs. really good teams, having a chance to compete. It does help in a lot of ways."

"It's just natural for everybody to want a game," ODU head coach Ricky Rahne admitted. "It's a little easier to compete when there's a score up there. But, a true competitor, a true champion is competing against themselves and competing against the standard more often than not."

William & Mary hosts James Madison Saturday at Zable Stadium. ODU will conduct its annual spring game Saturday April 3rd.