ODU Struggles, Virginia Tech Wins 37-17 (9-14-24)
By: Xavier Jones
Headline Photo Credit: Arturo Jones-LMS Network
The Old Dominion Monarchs took the field yesterday evening against the Virginia Tech Hokies at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, VA. The winless Monarchs are seeking their first victory of the season while the Hokies want to win in consecutive weeks. The crowd was pumped and ready to watch their Monarchs go head-to-head with the Hokies.
The Virginia Tech Hokies received the opening kickoff, and on their first drive, they scored on a 25-yard TD rec from Kyron Drones to Jaylin Lane. However, Old Dominion’s first possession resulted in a punt after generating nothing on the offensive end. The next offensive possession for the Hokies resulted in another touchdown after a 1-yard run by Kyron Drones, pushing their lead to 14-0. Trailing by two scores, the Monarch’s next drive went 3-and-out forcing them to punt the ball away. At the end of the first quarter, you could tell that ODU couldn’t find a flow on the offensive side of the ball. Going into the 2nd quarter down 14-0, the Monarchs will look to generate some offense before this game gets out of hand.
At the start of the 2nd quarter, ODU switched to QB replacing Colton Joseph with Quinn Henicle. The first possession for each team in the second quarter resulted in 3-and-outs. Next offensive drive for the Monarchs, Quinn Henicle calls his number and scores on a 65-yard TD run to cut into their deficit. After a missed field goal attempt by the Hokies, Old Dominion drives the ball down the field and makes a 28-yard FG by Ethan Sanchez. Throughout the 2nd quarter, Old Dominion’s defense was able to hold its own and keep the Hokies from adding to their lead. At the half, Virginia Tech led 14-10 over Old Dominion. The 2nd quarter for ODU was like night and day for them compared to the first quarter. After making a change at QB, the Monarchs were able to score 10 unanswered points to cut into their deficit. Going into the half with the momentum, ODU will be looking to keep that train rolling and pull out an upset victory.
At the start of the 2nd half, ODU’s offense reverted to what they looked like in the first quarter. The Hokies’ defense started to get stingy by forcing a couple of turnovers and only allowing ODU to score once in the entire 2nd half. The Hokies went on to score 23 unanswered points before ODU got a garbage-time touchdown. In my opinion, Old Dominion’s offense looked a lot better after Quinn Henicle took over as QB. Virginia Tech forced ODU to become pretty much one-dimensional in the 2nd half. The Monarchs’ passing game never really generated anything throughout the entire game. The big plays were the reason why Old Dominion was able to put any points on the board.
The next game for Virginia Tech is on September 21st against Rutgers in Blacksburg, VA, and Old Dominion’s next game is September 28th against Bowling Green.
