The 2023 Old Dominion Monarchs football team represented Old Dominion University for the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Monarchs played their home games at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia. It was their second football season in the Sun Belt Conference, competing in the East Division. The team was coached by fourth-year head coach Ricky Rahne. The Old Dominion Monarchs football team drew an average home attendance of 17,847 in 2023.
Preseason
In the Sun Belt preseason coaches' poll, the Monarchs were picked to finish in last place in the East division.[1]
Media poll (East division)
|
Predicted finish
|
Team
|
Votes (1st place)
|
1 |
James Madison |
78 (4)
|
2 |
Appalachian State |
75 (4)
|
3 |
Coastal Carolina |
71 (1)
|
4 |
Marshall |
68 (1)
|
5 |
Georgia Southern |
52 (1)
|
6 |
Georgia State |
31
|
7 |
Old Dominion |
17
|
Jason Henderson was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Linebacker Jason Henderson was named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team. Punter Ethan Duane was named to the second team.[1]
Schedule
The football schedule was announced February 24, 2023.[2]
Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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September 2 | 8:00 p.m. | at Virginia Tech* | | ACCN | L 17–36 | 65,632 |
September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana | | ESPN+ | W 38–31 | 18,154 |
September 16 | 12:00 p.m. | Wake Forest* | - S.B. Ballard Stadium
- Norfolk, VA
| ESPN2 | L 24–27 | 18,276 |
September 23 | 3:30 p.m. | Texas A&M–Commerce* | - S.B. Ballard Stadium
- Norfolk, VA
| ESPN+ | W 10–9 | 16,938 |
September 30 | 3:30 p.m. | at Marshall | | ESPN+ | L 35–41 | 22,652 |
October 7 | 6:00 p.m. | at Southern Miss | | ESPN+ | W 17–13 | 23,011 |
October 21 | 7:00 p.m. | Appalachian State | | NFLN | W 28–21 | 20,017 |
October 28 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 25 James Madison | | ESPNU | L 27–30 | 26,239 |
November 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Coastal Carolina | - S.B. Ballard Stadium
- Norfolk, VA
| ESPN+ | L 24–28 | 17,982 |
November 11 | 1:00 p.m. | at Liberty* | | ESPN+ | L 10–38 | 21,481 |
November 18 | 6:00 p.m. | at Georgia Southern | | ESPN+ | W 20–17 | 20,032 |
November 25 | 2:00 p.m. | Georgia State | - S.B. Ballard Stadium
- Norfolk, VA
| ESPN+ | W 25–24 | 15,717 |
| 2:30 p.m. | vs. Western Kentucky* | | ESPN | L 35–38 OT | 5,632 |
|
Game summaries
at Virginia Tech
Game One – Old Dominion Monarchs (0–0) at Virginia Tech Hokies (0–0)
at Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, VA
- Date: September 2, 2023
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: clear • Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C)
- Game attendance: 65,632
- Referee: Gary Patterson
- TV: ACC Network
Game information
|
- First Quarter
- (4:07) VT – Old Dominion snap through the back of the Endzone for a Safety (VT 2–0)
- Second Quarter
- (14:53) VT – Jaylin Lane 20 yd Pass From Grant Wells (John Love Kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 4:07; VT 9–0)
- (9:33) ODU - Dominic Dutton 16 yd Pass From Grant Wilson (Ethan Sanchez Kick) (Drive: 12 plays, 83 yards, 5:14; VT 9-7)
- (2:03) VT - Ali Jennings 10 yd Pass From Grant Wells (John Love Kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 3:12; VT 16-7)
- (0:00) ODU - Ethan Sanchez 28 yd Field Goal (Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 2:03; VT 16-10)
- Third Quarter
- (9:59) VT – Ali Jennings 6 yd Pass From Grant Wells (John Love Kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 2:19; VT 23–10)
- (5:43) ODU - Keshawn Wicks 5 yd Pass From Grant Wilson (Ethan Sanchez Kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:16; VT 23-17)
- (2:09) VT - Grant Wells 1 yd Rush (John Love Kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:34; VT 30-17)
- Fourth Quarter
- (9:28) VT – John Love 27 yd Field Goal (Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 3:43; VT 33–17)
- (5:38) VT - John Love 21 yd Field Goal (Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 2:35; VT 36-17)
|
Statistics |
ODU |
VT
|
First downs |
19 |
18
|
Total yards |
295 |
368
|
Rush yards |
201 |
109
|
Passing yards |
94 |
259
|
Turnovers |
3 |
0
|
Time of possession |
26:20 |
33:40
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Old Dominion |
Passing |
Grant Wilson |
13/25, 94 yards, 2 TD
|
Rushing |
Grant Wilson |
19 carries, 81 yards
|
Receiving |
Ahmarian Granger |
3 receptions, 14 yards
|
Virginia Tech |
Passing |
Grant Wells |
17/29, 251 yards, 3 TD
|
Rushing |
Bhayshul Tuten |
19 carries, 55 yards
|
Receiving |
Ali Jennings |
5 receptions, 72 yards, 2 TD
|
Louisiana
Pregame line |
Over/under
|
LA –6.5 |
55
|
Game Two – Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (1–0) at Old Dominion Monarchs (0–1)
at S.B. Ballard Stadium • Norfolk, VA
- Date: September 9, 2023
- Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: N 5 MPH
- Game attendance: 18,154
- Referee: Ted Pitts
- TV announcers (ESPN+): Chip Tarkenton (play-by-play) and Andy Mashaw (analyst)
Game information
|
- First Quarter
- (10:59) LA – Harvey Broussard 3 yd Pass From Ben Wooldridge (Kenneth Almendares Kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:56; LA 7–0)
- (10:26) ODU – Ahmarian Grangers 30 yd Pass From Grant Wilson (Ethan Sanchez Kick) (Drive: 2 plays, 55 yards, 0:26; TIED 7–7)
- (3:32) LA – Kenneth Almendares 28 yd Field Goal (Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 6:46; LA 10–7)
- Second Quarter
- (12:00) ODU – Ethan Sanchez 39 yd Field Goal (Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 4:00; TIED 10–10)
- (4:15) ODU – Grant Wilson 3 yd Rush (Ethan Sanchez Kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 3:55; ODU 17–10)
- (0:18) LA – Ben Wooldridge 1 yd Rush (Kenneth Almendares Kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:50; TIED 17–17)
- Third Quarter
- (12:36) ODU – Reymello Murphy 36 yd Pass From Grant Wilson (Ethan Sanchez Kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:20; ODU 24–17)
- (4:43) ODU – Reymello Murphy 61 yd Pass From Grant Wilson (Ethan Sanchez Kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 68 yards, 1:20; ODU 31–17)
- Fourth Quarter
- (14:57) LA – Terrance Williams 1 yd Rush (Kenneth Almendares Kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 4:37; ODU 31–24)
- (12:28) ODU – Kelby Williams 37 yd Pass From Grant Wilson (Ethan Sanchez Kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 83 yards, 2:24; ODU 38–24)
- (9:13) LA – Jacob Kibodi 37 yd Pass From Ben Wooldridge (Kenneth Almendares Kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 90 yards, 3:10; ODU 38–31)
|
Statistics |
LA |
ODU
|
First downs |
24 |
20
|
Total yards |
454 |
392
|
Rush yards |
169 |
145
|
Passing yards |
285 |
247
|
Turnovers |
0 |
0
|
Time of possession |
37:31 |
22:29
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Louisiana |
Passing |
Ben Wooldridge |
25/36, 285 yards, 2 TD
|
Rushing |
Jacob Kibodi |
10 carries, 54 yards
|
Receiving |
Jacob Bernard |
3 receptions, 70 yards
|
Old Dominion |
Passing |
Grant Wilson |
13/19, 247 yards, 4 TD
|
Rushing |
Keshawn Wicks |
17 carries, 104 yards
|
Receiving |
Reymello Murphy |
2 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD
|
at Marshall
Game Four – Old Dominion Monarchs (2–2) at Marshall Thundering Herd (3–0)
at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia
- Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
- Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 22,652
- Referee: Wayne Winkler
- TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Martin (play-by-play), Carl Lee (analyst)
- Pregame line: Marshall –14.5
Game information
|
- First quarter
- (14:03) ODU – Jack Shields 66 yard run, Ethan Sanchez kick (Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 0:49; ODU 7–0)
- (5:26) MAR – Rece Verhoff 42 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 1:40; ODU 7–3)
- Second quarter
- (13:23) ODU – Jordan Bly 19 yard pass from Jack Shields, Ethan Sanchez kick (Drive: 1 play, 19 yards, 0:06; ODU 14–3)
- (11:17) ODU – Kadarius Calloway 70 yard run, Ethan Sanchez kick (Drive: 1 play, 70 yards, 0:11; ODU 21–3)
- (9:11) MAR – Cade Conley 1 yard pass from Cam Fancher, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 4 plays, 57 yards, 2:00; ODU 21–10)
- (3:31) MAR – Caleb Coombs 22 yard pass from Cam Fancher, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:03; ODU 21–17)
- Third quarter
- (10:10) MAR – Rasheen Ali 1 yard run, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 9 plays, 94 yards, 4:42; MAR 24–21)
- (8:13) MAR – Elijah Alston 85 yard interception return, Rece Verhoff kick (MAR 31–21)
- (7:50) ODU – Kadarius Calloway 69 yard run, Ethan Sanchez kick (Drive: 2 plays, 73 yards, 0:23; MAR 31–28)
- (2:59) MAR – Rasheen Ali 1 yard run, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 4:44; MAR 38–28)
- Fourth quarter
- (8:21) MAR – Rece Verhoff 30 yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 4:59; MAR 41–28)
- (8:09) ODU – Kadarius Calloway 75 yard run, Ethan Sanchez kick (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:12; MAR 41–35)
|
Statistics
|
ODU
|
MAR
|
First downs |
11 |
30
|
Plays–yards |
54–434 |
84–464
|
Rushes–yards |
31–339 |
49–186
|
Passing yards |
95 |
278
|
Passing: comp–att–int |
11–23–3 |
29–35–1
|
Time of possession |
18:39 |
41:21
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Old Dominion
|
Passing |
Jack Shields |
11/23, 95 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
|
Rushing |
Kadarius Calloway |
11 carries, 236 yards, 3 TD
|
Receiving |
Reymello Murphy |
1 reception, 42 yards
|
Marshall
|
Passing |
Cam Fancher |
29/35, 278 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
|
Rushing |
Cam Fancher |
15 carries, 102 yards
|
Receiving |
Caleb Coombs |
8 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD
|
at Southern Miss
Game Six – Old Dominion Monarchs (2–3) at Southern Miss Golden Eagles (1–4) – Game summary
at M.M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS
- Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
- Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: -
- Game attendance: 23,011
- Referee: -
- TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
Game information
|
- First quarter
- Second quarter
- Third quarter
- Fourth quarter
|
Statistics |
ODU |
USM
|
First downs |
|
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Total yards |
|
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Rushing yards |
|
|
Passing yards |
|
|
Passing: Comp–Att–Int |
|
|
Time of possession |
|
|
Team |
Category |
Player |
Statistics
|
Old Dominion |
Passing |
|
|
Rushing |
|
|
Receiving |
|
|
Southern Miss |
Passing |
|
|
Rushing |
|
|
Receiving |
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References
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