ODU Football 2011 Review - Part II

Today we’ll complete our review of Old Dominion University football’s 2011 season.  In Part I of our review, we looked at the season through the prism of the three keys we identified before the first game: a healthy Thomas DeMarco, the play of both sets of linemen, and a “slow-and-steady” approach. 

Despite a lengthy post that analyzed the season from those points of view, it was an incomplete analysis; it left out too many pieces of the puzzle.  For example, it prevented us from highlighting the impact of special teams on the outcome of games.  Also, there were four First Team All-CAA Monarchs; we only discussed one (CAA Defensive POY Ronnie Cameron).

So here, in Part II, we’re going to review specific events, performances and outcomes from the year that didn’t fit into Part I.  Enjoy!

The Monarchs warm up before their contest with UMass.

Best Individual Performances – Offense

5. Reid Evans, 42-28 win over Richmond: The Spiders came into Norfolk the first weekend of November short-handed on defense.  Richmond’s coaches devised a defensive strategy to take away the long pass.  Taylor Heinicke took advantage of this and hit Evans on several short passes; the junior wideout finished with 12 catches for 149 yards receiving.  It seemed like he literally caught everything thrown his way.  Evans would be voted Third Team All-CAA Wide Receiver following the regular season.



Goodwyn (36) in action at Delaware.



4. Colby Goodwyn, 40-17 win over Georgia State: Goodwyn was held out of the Monarchs’ opener against Campbell, so Week Two was his first action of the season.  Similar to the 2010 season, the Panthers’ defensive strategy seemed to be focused on shutting down the ODU pass game.  Coach Bobby Wilder’s offense was happy to respond with emphasizing the run – Goodwyn finished with a career-high 184 rushing yards on 24 carries and one touchdown.  The chance for another touchdown was denied after the refs ruled he fumbled at the goal line, even though video evidence clearly showed his knee was down before he dropped the ball. 

3. Larry Pinkard, 23-20 win over James Madison: Old Dominion’s administration revived the Oyster Bowl for the contest between the Monarchs and the Dukes.  Heinicke found Pinkard six times for 94 yards, and the redshirt freshman scored the only two touchdowns of the game for ODU.  Those seem like modest numbers, not necessarily worthy of a top-three offensive performance.  Right?

Wrong!  What stands out about this performance was the insane, “I honestly don’t believe that just happened” catch in the second quarter.  (The patient reader will be rewarded with a picture later in this post.)  Heinicke scrambled to evade three defenders on a fourth down play, and eventually threw the ball up for grabs towards the end zone.  Pinkard out-jumped two JMU defenders, who literally had him sandwiched between them, and hauled in the pass.  Without Pinkard’s performance against JMU, Old Dominion wouldn’t have been in position to win at the end. 

2. Antonio Vaughan, 41-14 win over Campbell: The season-opener was the first game action for all the redshirt freshmen that sat out the 2010 season.  Vaughan wasted no time making an impact; ODU’s first offensive play from scrimmage was a quick pass he caught and ran for 43 yards.  Vaughan was the star of the game, accounting for 191 all-purpose yards along with two total touchdowns.  This set the tone for his performance this year, as he finished second behind only Goodwyn with 960 total yards from scrimmage.

On his first play from scrimmage as a Monarch, Vaughan (5) turned a quick pass into a 43 yard completion. 



1. Taylor Heinicke, 55-48 loss to Georgia Southern: The Georgia native turned in one of the best performances of any freshman quarterback in an FCS playoff game.  In addition to completing 25 of 44 for 341 yards, he threw for five touchdowns without an interception on the road against a fabulous Eagles defense.  The freshman was also the team’s leading rusher (75 yards) and his rushing touchdown late in the game brought ODU within a touchdown of tying the game.  Alas, the Monarchs couldn’t recover the onsides kick (the ball failed to go ten yards before ODU touched it), and thus ended the Monarchs’ season.  But if Heinicke’s performance is a sign of future playoff performances, the Monarchs are in good hands the next three seasons.

Best Individual Performances – Defense



Arain (6) played his best game of the season against UMass.



5. Alex Arain, 48-33 win over Massachusetts: The wideout-turned-safety-turned-linebacker had the best game of his career against the Minutemen.  The junior finished with twelve total tackles, which included one tackle-for-loss.  Arain also forced a fumble and was credited with breaking up a pass.  Unfortunately Arain’s season ended prematurely, as he was injured against Richmond and did not return to play.  Still, Arain finished ninth on the team in tackles (46).



4. Ronnie Cameron, 39-35 loss to Towson: In the heart-breaking loss, Cameron was at times dominant.  The CAA’s Defensive POY finished with eleven total tackles, 2.5 sacks and another TFL.  But the less we talk about this game, the better we’ll sleep at night.



3. Eriq Lewis, 35-31 win over William and Mary: The redshirt freshman played well enough throughout camp to earn one of the starting cornerback positions.  Lewis’ production during the season validated Coach Wilder’s decision; he was one of only seven freshmen selected to an All-CAA squad.  But here we give Lewis recognition for his performance against William and Mary.  While he had only four tackles, he intercepted passes on each of the Tribe’s two fourth-quarter possessions.  His performance literally sealed the win for the team’s ninth win. 



2. Craig Wilkins, 45-42 win over Hampton: Pirates quarterback David Legree came into the 2011 season having completed less than 50% of his passes.  After an offseason of improving his game, he had the performance of his life in Norfolk, completing 25 of 35 passes for 260 yards and two total TD’s (one passing, one rushing).  Had it not been a Herculean effort from Wilkins, Legree would have guided Hampton to a win at Foreman Field.  Wilkins posted an amazing 17 tackles, including one TFL.  Five of those tackles were of Legree, who displayed incredible elusiveness against Monarch defenders most of the game.  Wilkins made just enough plays for Old Dominion to win.



Cameron (96) and Wilkins (12) led Old Dominion's defense this season.



1. Edmon McClam, 45-42 win over Hampton: Admittedly, it appears odd that ODU’s top two individual defensive performances came from a game whose final score is 45-42.  However, McClam’s best career game included the game-securing sequence in the fourth quarter.  The senior defensive lineman forced fumbles on consecutive plays, ending Hampton drives before they could answer Monarch scores. 

After the Monarchs scored on a fourth-quarter blocked punt to take a 38-34 lead over the Pirates, Hampton took over at its own 40 with 6:41 remaining.  Legree completed a short pass to Isiah Thomas; McClam chased down Thomas eight yards past the line of scrimmage and forced a fumble on the tackle.  Paul Morant recovered the ball at midfield, but ODU’s drive stalled after three plays.  Following a punt, Hampton took over again at its own 17; McClam sacked Legree on first down, and Cameron recovered the ball at the Hampton 10.  Two plays later, ODU scored a touchdown to stake a 45-34 lead. 

While Wilkins led the team in tackles that day, it was McClam who came up big in the fourth quarter to secure the win.  The senior finished with six tackles along with the two sacks and two forced fumbles.

Best Special Teams Performances

For this category, it’s too difficult to list one player per game.  The term “special teams” has the word “team” in the description, and as we’ll see, several players came up big in games in kicking situations. 



Old Dominion's punting unit was key to its success in 2011.



5. 45-42 win over Hampton: The Pirates came into Foreman Field and really took it to the Monarchs, leading 34-31 after three quarters.  But early in the fourth quarter, James Faircloth blocked a punt and Pinkard returned it for a touchdown to give ODU the 38-34 lead.  From there, McClam and the defense took over and made enough plays to escape with the win. 

First Team All-CAA punter Jonathan Plisco punted thrice for a 47.0 average, with a long of 59 yards.  DeMarco punted twice on fourth down, and both attempts were downed inside Hampton’s 20.

4. 40-17 win over Georgia State: In the first half against their future CAA conference mates, the Monarchs blocked two punts.  Alex Arain’s block was scooped up and returned for a touchdown by freshman receiver Blair Roberts; Paul Morant’s block landed out of bounds, and ODU scored on the possession.  These blocks and Plisco’s 46.7 yards per punt on nine punts completely changed field position in ODU’s favor.  Placekicker Jarod Brown also hit a 51 yard field goal in the Georgia Dome.

3. 48-33 win over Massachusetts: The game against Hampton was not the only contest in which ODU scored on a blocked punt to take a lead.  Down 26-25 in the third quarter, and having lost DeMarco to an injury, the Monarchs backed up UMass deep in their own territory.  Amidst chants of “BLOCK THAT KICK!” from the fans, Jakwail Bailey did block a punt that went through the end zone for a safety.  With a 27-26 lead, Heinicke led the offense to three touchdowns on subsequent possessions to close out the game.

A subtle coaching strategy on kickoffs also deserves special recognition.  The Minutemen brought eventual First Team All-CAA kick returner Jesse Julmiste into Norfolk.  In earlier games against Campbell, Hampton and Delaware, poor kickoff coverage resulted in long returns.  The coaches therefore directed Jarod Brown to intentionally kick towards an up-man rather than kicking long to Julmiste.  The strategy worked – on ODU’s seven kickoffs, Julmiste had only two returns for 46 yards, while Chase Danska had five returns for 51 yards.  Danska finished with only six other returns during the season.

The Monarchs also recovered an onsides kick early in the game after its first score.  Plisco punted four times for an average of 45.0 yards per attempt.

2. 27-17 loss to Delaware: This game would have been ranked #1 had it not been for one kickoff return.  Old Dominion took a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter, unexpectedly hanging with the 2010 FCS national runners-up.  But then Delaware returned the subsequent kickoff 60 yards to ODU’s 32 yard line; Tim Donnelly threw a touchdown pass on the next play, and the Monarchs couldn’t recover.

But special teams played a part in putting ODU into position to even be competitive in the fourth quarter.  In the first quarter, the Monarch punt-rush squad forced Delaware’s punter to rush his kick and he fumbled the ball; ODU recovered the ball and scored a touchdown.  For much of the game this was the only Monarch touchdown.  Later in the first quarter, the Blue Hens attempted a field goal, which Chris Burnette blocked to prevent a score. 



Plisco converted this fourth-quarter fake punt into a first down.



Plisco had perhaps his best game, which says a lot for someone who has selected an All-American all three seasons of his career.  The junior was his usual stellar self with seven punts for an average of 48.6 yards per attempt.  A couple of his longer kicks drew “ooohs” and “ahhhs” from Delaware’s crowd.  But it was his execution of a fake punt inside ODU’s own 25 yard line that put his performance over the top.  Down 16-10 in the fourth quarter, ODU failed to convert on third down in their own territory.  When everyone assumed Plisco would punt, he instead took off running.  With excellent blocking ahead of him, the punter ran for 15 yards.  It was this drive on which Old Dominion took its 17-16 lead.

But then the kickoff unit gave up the aforementioned long return, and the game was never the same.

1. 23-20 win over James Madison: The heavens opened up the morning of this game, resulting a slick field.  The sun failed to make an appearance, as it was probably blown away by the strong winds.  Under these conditions, both teams played as well as could have been expected on special teams.  With the Dukes keeping Heinicke and the ODU offense out of the end zone in the second half, Brown kicked three field goals to account for all nine points scored in the half.  Plisco punted four times for an average of 48.5 yards per kick. 

Down by one field goal, the Dukes were able to drive into field goal position and stopped the clock with time for one last field goal attempt.  Immediately after the sound of JMU’s kicker making contact with the ball came another thump – the sound of Wilkins’ hand getting a piece of the FG attempt.  The ball had enough momentum to eventually wander towards the end zone, but it had no chance of splitting the uprights after Wilkins blocked it.  Old Dominion’s special teams had a direct impact on the outcome of this game, down to the final play.

Games Whose Outcomes Don’t Get Enough Recognition

The results of two games in the middle of the season didn’t get as much attention as others, but should have. 

31-23 win over Rhode Island.  On the first weekend of October, ODU defeated UMass for its first conference win.  It also lost the only starting quarterback it had ever known.  Although Taylor Heinicke played well in one half against the Minutemen, the true freshman was making his first career start at Rhode Island.

Down 14-7 late in the first half, Heinicke found Larry Pinkard for a seven-yard touchdown with 22 seconds remaining.  The Rams took a six-point lead early in the third quarter and the lead changed three more times thereafter.  Eriq Lewis sealed the win with an interception on URI’s last pass of the game.

Despite getting outgained 313-297, the Monarchs won the turnover battle with two INT’s on the day.  While it would be understood if the coaches altered the game plan to compensate for any first-start jitters Heinicke may have had, he still attempted 32 passes; the team did not deviate drastically from its passing attack. 

Heinicke’s first start resulted in the team’s first conference road win.  It gave him and other players a boost of confidence that they could win on the road in the CAA.

37-14 win over Villanova.  On Homecoming weekend in October at home, Old Dominion lost in heart-breaking fashion against Towson.  Up next for the Monarchs was a talented-but-vastly-inexperienced Villanova team.  It would be understandable for the Monarchs to have come out deflated against the Wildcats.

Let this be the last time the Towson game is referenced.



Instead, they were as crisp as usual.  Antonio Vaughan and walk-on running back Lorenzo Smith scored 42-and-53 yard plays in the first nine minutes of the quarter, respectively, sparking the team to an early lead.  The Wildcats showed signs of life in the first half, cutting the lead to 23-14 at one point, but ODU’s defense shut down their offense in the second half. 

Simply put, the Monarchs did not let the loss to Towson define their season.  The following week was the Oyster Bowl against JMU, which got considerably more attention than the Monarchs’ win over Villanova.  Nevertheless, the ability to depart Philadelphia with a convincing “W” immediately after the Towson game showed the resiliency of the squad.

Most Impactful Freshman

3. Larry Pinkard, wide receiver.  Pinkard finished behind fellow freshman Vaughan in both receptions (37 to 47) and receiving yards (488 to 520).  But Pinkard finished tied with running back Angus Harper for most total touchdowns with ten (nine receiving, one on the blocked punt).  Said another way, one of every four of his receptions went for a touchdown.  Pinkard seemed to pick up his game midway through the season, which coincided with Heinicke’s assumption of the starter’s role.  For these reasons, we’re going with Pinkard.



ODU fans didn't hear much of Lovato's name this season. 



2. Rick Lovato, long-snapper: In its first two seasons of existence, ODU got All-American performances from its long-snapper, Dustin Phillips.  With the graduation of Phillips after the 2010 season, Coach Wilder went with a true freshman from Middletown, NJ, as his replacement.  Lovato went on to have a season when fans did not call out his name.  THIS IS A GOOD THING FOR A LONG SNAPPER!  We can only think of one snap that was errant, on a field goal attempt to close the first half against JMU.  (The kick was blocked.)  For a program that emphasizes excellence on special teams, Lovato deserves recognition for his performance this season.

1. Taylor Heinicke, quarterback.  The freshman was recently awarded College Football Performance Award’s National Performer of the Year; it was the first time a freshman received the award.  He was named to the Third Team All-CAA as quarterback.  He had 25 touchdowns against one interception, which came at the end of the loss to Towson.  The young man just has “it.”

Best Individual Moment

This is not meant to identify a specific play necessarily; there are various moments that occur throughout games that help define seasons.  Sometimes the moments are bigger than the plays themselves.

5. Old Dominion taking a 17-16 lead at Delaware.  A team that had played 25 game in its entire existence went on the road to play the previous year’s national runners-up in its first-ever conference game.  On the touchdown, DeMarco scrambled first to his left and then to his right to complete a touchdown pass to Antonio Vaughan.  The extra point gave ODU the lead and put the rest of the conference on notice.  Win or lose (and the team DID lose), this moment was proof to the team that they could already compete with the conference’s best programs.

Old Dominion's front seven held Delaware to only 80 rushing yards on 38 carries, keeping the team in the game into the fourth quarter.

4. Pinkard’s second touchdown against JMU.  We thought Heinicke was just throwing it up for grabs to avoid a sack around the 40 yard line.  Instead, Pinkard came away with the catch against two JMU defenders. 



Larry Pinkard caught this pass for an unbelievable touchdown on fourth down.  (PHOTO CREDITED TO STEPHEN M. KATZ OF THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT)



3. Bailey’s blocked punt against UMass.  There were other blocked punts and kicks throughout the season (eleven total in 13 games), but this one was needed more meaningful than the others.  The team lost DeMarco and squandered a 25-0 lead.  There was a vibe to the crowd when UMass lined up to punt.  The Monarchs blocked a punt against Hampton to take a lead, so the fans more than just hoped for another one here; they expected it.  Bailey delivered, and ODU took back the lead.  The win would mark the team’s first conference victory.

2. DeMarco entering the game at quarterback against Richmond.  As previously discussed, DeMarco handled his demotion upon Heinicke’s strong performance as well as a senior quarterback could handle it.  With a two-touchdown lead late in the fourth quarter, and amid “DE-MAR-CO!” chants, Coach Wilder sent DeMarco in to replace Heinicke.  Although it was not his last action at quarterback at Foreman Field (he also played the next home game late against Norfolk State), it was fitting for the most important football Monarch in its brief history to see the field on Senior Night.

DeMarco was honored at the start of Senior Day.

1. Craig Wilkins blocking JMU’s field goal attempt to end the game.  The rivalry between the schools extended beyond basketball to the football field.  It’s going to be hard for the programs to top this game.



Team MVP

4. Jonathan Plisco.  Of Plisco’s 51 punts, 20 traveled at least 50 yards.  With the 2011 season being the Monarchs’ first in the CAA, they needed this performance from Plisco to change field position.  Add his two converted fake punts (he also ran for a first down in the third quarter against Villanova), and we’ve got a player who did as much to put ODU in position to win as anyone else.

3. Jeremy Hensley.  Hensley has been the starter at center since the program’s very first game.  While he missed multiple games last season due to an injury, he was the unquestioned starter when he returned healthy for 2011.  We’ve shared our thoughts in Part I that Heinicke could not have performed to such a high level if not for a strong effort from the offensive line; the Third Team All-CAA Hensley deserves praise for being the leader of that line.

Hensley (58) was the anchor of a stellar offensive line.

2. Ronnie Cameron.  Voted as the conference’s best defensive player, Cameron did more than knl ts dae e team in sacks and tackles-for-loss.  Having been through two seasons in the CAA with Hofstra, he led the team from his first day with his “know-how” on and off the field.  More than anyone else, he had the team ready for conference-play.

1. Taylor Heinicke.  Heinicke emerged as the leader of the highest-scoring offense in the CAA.  It was even more of a challenge given that he supplanted the most popular player in ODU’s history, but it was as smooth a transition as possible. 

Heinicke, his arm and his elusiveness took ODU's offense to a different level from the very start.

And there we have it!  With 2011 in the books, we now focus on the future.  Once basketball season is over, there are a couple things lined up to post.  How does ODU match up against the rest of the conference?  How will departures and additions impact the Monarchs?  Can I really attend all eleven regular season (and any subsequent playoff) games?

2011 was a memorable season for the Old Dominion Univeresity Monarhcs.  But with less than ten players graduating, 2012 should be even better.

ODU Football 2011 Review - Part I

2011 was a landmark season for Old Dominion Football.  More importantly, God bless America.

(Author's disclosure: this is not a short column.  Writing about an entire college football season adequately cannot be accomplished in a couple hundred words!)

I was wrong about Old Dominion University football in 2011.  And I couldn’t be happier about it.

I spent considerable time researching the Monarchs and their opponents this past summer in preparation of the 2011 season, their first in the Colonial Athletic Association.  The summary of my work along with my predictions can be found by clicking on this link.  Let’s review a couple quotes, starting with this one:

“No matter how well the Monarchs performed in their record-setting 9-2 first season, or in their 8-3 sophomore campaign against a tougher schedule without sub-FCS competition, I just don’t see how this team can replicate those records in 2011.  The Colonial Athletic Association finished the 2010 season above two FBS conferences (the MAC and Sun Belt) in the Sagarin ratings.  Five CAA teams have wins over FBS opponents the last two seasons – JMU, W&M, Villanova, UNH and Richmond.  If ODU is simply competitive in its eight conference games, the won/loss record this season will not define the season.”

My assessment was not a based on a disbelief in the Monarchs; it was based on the knowledge of how good the rest of the CAA has been the last decade.  While the Monarchs were competitive against the best teams they faced in 2010 (William and Mary, Cal-Poly), they still didn’t do enough to win those games.  There’s a difference between having faith in one’s team versus being realistic based on known outcomes.

And here’s the second quote to address:

“We’re going to develop a best-case scenario, a worst-case scenario, and what we actually expect to happen in 2011.  This will be the first post we bring up at the end of the season to review how accurate we were. 

This is what we expect to actually happen.  Old Dominion will go 3-0 out of conference.  The Monarchs get their first CAA win on the road at Rhode Island, and get its second win against Towson at home.  After that they win only one of its final four games (Villanova would be the most likely victory) and finish 6-5.”

I nailed the OOC prediction but undershot the regular season win-total by three.  The Monarchs finished the regular season 9-2, good enough to finish tied with Towson, Maine and New Hampshire atop the CAA.  Due to tie-breakers, Towson finished with the regular season title. 

When the FCS playoffs were announced, the Monarchs were awarded a home game against Norfolk State, champions of the MEAC.  After cruising to a 35-7 lead, they took their collective foot off the gas pedal and won 35-18.  The season ended at Georgia Southern the following week, 55-48; the 48 points they scored tied for the most in a game all season, but the 55 points allowed were also a season high.

There were many twists and turns this season that could be told in linear fashion.  Instead, with this first installment of our review, we’ll analyze how things went through what we determined were the three keys to a successful season.  This affords a different take than just reviewing weekly results, game after game.  Part II will examine superlatives from the season (e.g. MVP, best game, etc.).

3. A Healthy Thomas DeMarco

This aspect is a bit challenging to assess.  Coming into this season, DeMarco had led ODU to 17 wins in its first two seasons.  His two backups were a true freshman (Taylor Heinicke) and a JUCO transfer (Nate Ong), neither of which was with the program in 2010.  Coach Bobby Wilder’s stated goal was to let Heinicke sit out 2011 and compete next year as a redshirt freshman.

DeMarco started off the season doing what he does best, guiding the team to two easy wins against Campbell and Georgia State.  In rainy conditions against Hampton in Week Three, he led the Monarchs to a 45-42 comeback win over the Pirates. 

DeMarco (17) started at QB in the program's first 27 games.

The senior had a more difficult day against Delaware, throwing for only 207 yards 23-of-46 attempts.  While we had previously seen DeMarco miss pretty simple passes on occasion, we had never seen him miss so many in one game.  (This is not a criticism - he seemed to be more hyped for this game than any other we had seen to date.)  If the Monarchs had gotten a normal game from DeMarco, they might have been in better position to win at the end.  The Monarchs even held a one-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Blue Hens were the better team in the final stanza and won, 27-17.

DeMarco came out with guns blazing the next week against UMass, though.  In just one half he threw for 219 yards and three touchdowns.  However, he suffered an injury after escaping the pocket and was held out of the second half.  Against Campbell, Ong had played in garbage time in the fourth quarter.  So fans could expect to see the JUCO transfer come out for the second half to replace DeMarco and preserve Heinicke's redshirt season…right?

There are certain, specific points in time that define football seasons.  The insertion of Heinicke into the lineup to start the second half against UMass is one of them. 

Despite expecting to sit out the season, Heinicke played extraordinarily well – much better than what could have been expected of a true freshman in his first live action.  He completed eight of eleven passes, two of which went for touchdowns, as Old Dominion went on to win 48-33.  The following week, ODU received its first top 25 ranking in the FCS.

Fast-forwarding to the end of the season, Heinicke completed 68.7% of his passes for 2,385 yards.  If those statistics weren’t good enough to impress the reader, then how about his 25 touchdowns against one interception?  He added 466 yards scrambling (excluding yards lost on sacks) and four rushing touchdowns.  These are numbers that seniors usually only dream of, let alone anything close to what is expected of a freshman. 

Heinicke (14) exploded on the scene against UMass and took the offense to a different level of production.

And this brings us back to DeMarco.  It is difficult for any starting quarterback to lose his starting job, no matter the reason.  But we must also factor in that this senior was the only starting quarterback his program had ever known.  Additionally, Heinicke proved to be a better, more accurate passer than DeMarco was.  Heck, Heinicke’s completion percentage was exceeded in the CAA only by the league’s Offensive POY, New Hampshire’s senior Kevin Decker. 

In short, how DeMarco handled this situation is a testament to his leadership.  It would have been understandable for DeMarco to complain, cause division within the locker room and generally be a distraction.  But by all accounts, he was a true “professional” in how he handled himself, continuing to mentor the freshman who had supplanted him as the starter.  Even by just watching how the team played, the Monarchs didn’t seem like a group of players consumed with in-house fighting. 

So our position is that although DeMarco was physically injured and started only five games this season, he was a healthy contributor to the success the team enjoyed.  He remained as the team’s holder on extra points and field goal attempts, and even executed fake punts for first downs in the playoffs.  DeMarco could have sabotaged this team, but his true colors as a leader probably kept the team together despite his absence on the field.

The senior graduates as the team’s best quarterback all-time; not many players can stake that claim.  Losing the starting quarterback position to injury does not take away from that.

To the delight of Monarch fans, DeMarco saw action against the Spiders on Senior Day.  He graduates as the most important player in Old Dominion football's brief existence.

2. Play of the Trenches

I started getting interested in football in the late ‘80’s, when Jim Kelly turned around the Buffalo Bills and started taking the team to the playoffs.  I was dazzled by his passing game and Thurman Thomas’ running attack.  As I began to study football more (I was only 12 in 1990), I realized how important the offensive line was.  If they couldn’t block up front, nothing Kelly or Thomas could do mattered.

With this in mind, I thought the two most important units of ODU’s roster this year would be the offensive and defensive lines.  Suffice it to say, the play of the lines paved the way for the team’s 10-3 finish.

Offensive line

Old Dominion led the CAA in scoring offense with 36.7 points per game; the next closest was Towson at 34.8/game.  While Heinicke’s statistical success was documented above, no quarterback could have posted such numbers without supreme protection.  Consider this: per the CAA’s statistical records, ODU quarterbacks attempted 474 passes.  If a team is going to attempt 36 passes per game, it must protect its quarterback. 

(That last sentence is sponsored by John Madden’s School of Obvious Football Statements, whose motto is, “They’re going to have to score more points than their opponent to win the game today.”)

On the season, DeMarco and Heinicke were sacked 21 times.  Twenty-one!  The only other CAA team with fewer sacks with the same number of games (13) is Maine, which allowed only 20 sacks.  (Maine quarterbacks also attempted 46 fewer passes.)  Part of this success is the quick-pass spread offense the team runs.  Another part of it is how elusive DeMarco and Heinicke are. 

The offensive line was the backbone of the Monarch offense.

But even considering the above factors, any team that gives up only 1.6 sacks per game got spectacular play from its offensive line.  Outside of the first game, the same five players started every game this season:

·         Ryan Jensen, left tackle

·         David Born, left guard

·         Jeremy Hensley, center (Third Team All-CAA Lineman)

·         Robbie Duncan, right guard

·         Jake Lowney, right tackle

(Note – Brandon Carr started the first game at RG in place of Duncan.  The other four linemen started all 13 games this year.)

Although these five players did not play every minute of every game they started, the fact that they all started the final twelve games of the season provided much-needed consistency.  That alone is an improvement over the 2010 season, when there were so many injuries that tight end Kai Blanco was forced to suit up as a lineman. 

Another measure of the line’s success is the team’s rushing performance.  The Monarchs finished third in the conference with an average of 168.2 rushing yards per game.  The best performance of the season came on the road against Georgia State; the Monarchs ran through, around and past the Panther defense for 282 rushing yards on 54 attempts.  The flexibility of this pass-oriented offense can take advantage of defensive fronts designed to take away the pass.  As good as Angus Harper (633 yards, ten touchdowns) and Colby Goodwyn (581 yards, three TD’s) are, the line did its job in opening holes for them. 

So the Monarchs have the “skill position” players to accumulate statistics (and wins); the proof is in the points and yards per game.  But the season was predicated on the performance of the line against CAA-quality defenses, and it did more than enough to let playmakers make plays.

The play of the line cannot be discounted when discussing Heinicke's sensational season.

Defensive Line

Whereas Old Dominion’s offense led the conference in scoring, its defense was in the middle of the pack (seventh, at 27.8 PPG).  It is clear that the offense has grown from the first game three years ago.  From the standpoint of points allowed per game, though, the defense simply hasn’t shown the same progress over the same time.  Defensive coordinator Andy Rondeau, the program’s only DC to date, was relieved of his duties following the season.

But the level of points allowed is not indicative of the play of the line.  In fact the statistics clearly point to a successful season by that unit.  Behind the strength of its line, ODU was third in the conference in allowing only 143.7 rushing yards per game.  (The team ranked tenth in allowing 242.4 passing yards/game; only Villanova allowed more.)  The team also finished second in total sacks (36) and sacks per game (2.8).

The 143.7 rushing yards per game is inflated by the season-ending performance against Georgia Southern, which uses a triple-option running attack.  The Eagles ran for 477 yards against ODU, which is more than a quarter of the 1,868 rushing yards allowed all season.  Prior to the playoff loss, the Monarchs allowed only 116 yards per game. 

Ronnie Cameron (96) was the anchor of the Monarchs' defensive line.

The play of the line was not lost on others within the conference.  Ronnie Cameron was named CAA Defensive Player of the Year.  The senior led all CAA defenders in tackles-for-loss (17) and was tied for sixth in sacks (6.5)…from the defensive tackle position.  Cameron also led all DT’s in the conference with 5.6 tackles per game.  Among his accolades, Cameron was named a Second Team All-American by the Associated Press.

But Cameron was not alone along the line.  Nose guard Chris Burnette posted 49 total tackles along with eight TFL’s.  The junior also made his impact on special teams, as he was credited with blocking three kicks.  His efforts got him voted to the Third Team All-CAA.  Chad King’s 5.5 sacks were second on the team only to Cameron, despite missing the final four regular season games.  And Edmon McClam contributed 42 tackles and blocked another kick himself.  The senior contributed big plays in the fourth quarter against Hampton, when the team needed them the most.

The defensive line’s play against Delaware was among the best performances by a specific unit in any game this season.  The Blue Hens returned four starting offensive linemen from the 2010 squad that reached the FCS national title game.  They also sported Preseason CAA Co-Offensive POY Andrew Pierce, a running back who rushed for 110 yards per game the previous season.

Old Dominion held the Blue Hens to 80 yards rushing on 38 attempts.  To be frank, it was stunning to see how well the line performed – they were playing against quite the decorated offensive line (on the road), and were more than just holding their own.  Unfortunately, quarterback Tim Donnelly outplayed DeMarco, passing for 304 yards on 26-of-39 passing.  Despite the loss, the line’s performance in the game demonstrated that they would be alright in conference play.

But the season ended because the Monarchs couldn’t stop GSU’s triple option running attack.  We won’t dwell on that here because all eleven defenders must be disciplined in their assignments.  That's not something that can be blamed solelyon the line; the Monarchs caught the best triple option team and couldn't solve it.  Sometimes that just happens.  There will be more on this in Part II of our analysis.

Chad King (93) was a force for the Monarchs.  Amazingly, the UMass lineman was not called for holding on this play.

1. Slow-and-Steady Wins the Race

One aspect of college football (all of college athletics, really) that is supremely underrated is this simple fact – they are played by college athletes.  No one between the ages of 18-22 has life figured out.  It is in part through athletics that these young men learn life-long lessons that they otherwise wouldn’t get at such a young age. 

With this in mind, it was important for this young Old Dominion team to maintain a steady emotional state.  After a successful two-year start against mostly lower-tier FCS programs, the Monarchs would face CAA opponents in eight consecutive weeks to close the season.  In our preview we documented the accomplishments of programs such as James Madison and Delaware.  There are no proverbial “nights off” in the conference.

It was inevitable that ODU would be presented different challenges throughout the season they had not yet encountered.  With so many wins in two years, it is easy to forget that the team was still learning how to play together.  The team has yet to graduate a four-year letterman yet!

DeMarco was one of only eight seniors on the 2011 roster. 

To the credit of the players and coaching staff, at no point did the team seem overwhelmed by any situation.  (The only game where the team seemed to have an “off night” was Delaware, but that is at least partially attributable to the team being too pumped for its first conference game.)  This was evident both within games and on a game-by-game basis.

Within Games

·         In rainy, miserable weather conditions against an outstanding performance by Hampton’s David Legree, the Monarchs made plays in the fourth quarter and took a late ten-point lead.  They would hold on to win by three.

·         Two weeks later against UMass, Old Dominion raced to a 25-0 lead and lost DeMarco for the second half.  The Minutemen reeled off 26 straight points of their own to take a one-point lead.  In the third quarter, though, ODU blocked a punt to retake the lead and scored three more touchdowns before winning 48-33.

·         In the revival of the Oyster Bowl, James Madison took a 20-14 lead in halftime.  With in-game adjustments on defense (and multiple injuries to JMU on offense), the Monarchs would go on to win the game by a field goal in dramatic fashion.

Game-by-Game

·         The game against UMass had lasting impacts in many dimensions, one of which is that it was the game immediately following ODU’s first loss of the season.  The Monarchs came back from the loss and took advantage of an inexperienced Minutemen secondary, scoring 48 points (tying for the highest total this season).

·         Towson scored a 60-plus yard touchdown on fourth-and-twenty-nine with less than 90 second left.  The only play I’ve witnessed more shocking was the Tennessee Titans’ “Music City Miracle” kickoff return.  I cannot imagine how difficult this was for the entire ODU program.  The next week, however, the players recovered sufficiently to defeat Villanova, 37-14.  The game against the Wildcats was by far the most important of the season.  Playing on the road after such a devestating turn of events against Towson, the Monarchs could have sulked and been completely distracted by the stunning loss to the Tigers.  Instead, they came out and beat up on their opponents.  This was by far the most important win for the team this year, as they wouldn’t let the Towson loss to define their season.

·         The Oyster Bowl against JMU was another emotionally-charged game between old rivals facing off in football for the first time.  No matter the outcome, ODU could have suffered a letdown the following week against Richmond.  The crowd was definitely hungover from the JMU game, as it struggled to find the same vibe it had the week before.  But the team itself was clearly ready for business, scoring on six of its eight red zone possessions against a Spiders squad with a good red zone defense.  The Monarchs finished with a 42-28 win.

ODU defeated Richmond 42-28 in November, but it was hard to root against a program that brought and displayed its own American flag on the sidelines.

There’s much credit to go around for the team’s focus week-in, week-out.  The players themselves are on the field and deserve credit for preparation before the game and as well as their in-game focus.  The coaches probably had more than a minor impact on keeping those players focused, too.  It is also important to consider that the players and coaches played eleven straight weeks; their bye week was not until the final regular season week of games.  Playing a college football game in eleven consecutive weeks had to have taken its toll, physically and mentally.

Although the team played fast on the field, they were slow-and-steady throughout the season.  No challenge was too big for them.  No high was too high, and no low was too low (other than the loss to GSU, which ended the ODU season; there wasn’t a game the following week).

So what does it all mean?  Old Dominion football exceeded the expectations of probably most people who follow the team (including this blogger)...but not themselves.  This program’s accelerated rise to a playoff-caliber team is a testament to the administration, the coaches, the players, and even the fans.  There was a plan in place and the plan is being executed.  As Coach Wilder says, “aim high!”

But this is not a complete analysis of the season.  In Part II we’re going to get into other details with some superlatives, because there are so many other stories to share.  Can you believe this post has gone roughly 3,000 words and we haven’t even mentioned First Team All-CAA Players Craig Wilkins and Jonathan Plisco?  How about not mentioning a single member of the outstanding wide receiver corps?  And I only referenced the memorable home playoff game against Norfolk State in passing; that game could get an entire blog post itself! 

There are still more side stories still to share.  We’ll get that in Part II of our 2011 analysis, which we hope to publish prior to National Signing Day in February.  Until then, if you've made it this far, then you know what a special season this was for Old Dominion.  And you also know this: bigger things are on the way.

Old Dominion has big shoes to fill with the graduations of King and Cameron.  But the program is heading in the right direction following a 10-3 record in its third season.