ODU’s Tough Start To Season (8-31-24)

By: Tyrone Montgomery Jr.

Headline Photo Credit: ODU Football

Football is back! Yes, the Old Dominion Monarchs have returned to action this past Saturday after a long offseason.

There were some new faces as well as some familiar faces too. However, we got the same product from the Monarchs as they begun the start to the regular season on the road.

ODU traveled to South Carolina to take on a familiar team, the Gamecocks. This was a game that went back and forth for the most part. Home field advantage certainly is a thing even with college football. Controlling the game with clock management and tempo is a sure way to win football games. The Gamecocks dominated with time of possession as they had the ball for 36 minutes while the Monarchs only had the ball for 24 minutes. 

Last season, ODU was inconsistent with running the ball. Getting rushing yards can come from anyone. However, it is nice to lean upon your running backs for that. Monarchs Junior QB Grant Wilson is a dual threat QB. He can beat you with both his arm and his legs. He had the longest run for the Monarchs in this game as he broke off a 36 yard run. The Gamecocks controlled the running game too as they collectively ran for 174 while ODU only managed to gain 108. 

It is important to be able to run the ball effectively even in this pas happy era of football we are in now. That was the deciding factor in this game. It’s really important to be able to run when the game is close as this one was. That takes a lot of pressure off of the QB. Running Backs Aaron Young and Bryce Duke tried their best in this game. No need for panic yet as the Monarchs lost this one 23-19 against the Gamecocks. However, this is not the start to the season ODU wanted or even expected.