American college football season
The 2021 Old Dominion Monarchs football team represented Old Dominion University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Monarchs played their home games at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia , and competed in the East Division of Conference USA (CUSA). The team were coached by second-year head coach Ricky Rahne .
Previous season [ ]
Main article: 2020 Old Dominion Monarchs football team
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , Old Dominion did not play during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The last competitive season the Monarchs played, was in 2019 , when they finished the regular season 1–11, 0–8 in CUSA which they placed last (7th place) in the East division. They were not invited to play in any post season bowl game. Bobby Wilder resigned in December 2019, two days after losing to Charlotte.[1]
Schedule [ ]
Old Dominion announced its 2021 football schedule on January 27, 2021.[2] [3] The 2021 schedule consisted of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season.
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance 7:00 p.m. at Wake Forest * ACCN L 10–4225,673
September 11 7:00 p.m. Hampton * ESPN3 W 47–718,363
September 18 6:00 p.m. at Liberty * ESPN3 L 17–4518,471
September 25 6:00 p.m. Buffalo * S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA ESPN+ L 34–3518,197
October 2 9:00 p.m. at UTEP ESPN+ L 21–2811,025
October 9 2:00 p.m. at Marshall CBSSN Facebook L 13–20 OT 24,172
October 16 3:30 p.m. Western Kentucky S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA ESPN3 L 20–4316,418
October 30 3:30 p.m. Louisiana Tech S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA CBSSN W 23–2013,309
November 6 7:00 p.m. at FIU ESPN3 W 47–240
November 13 3:30 p.m. Florida Atlantic S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA ESPN+ W 30–1613,634
November 20 3:30 p.m. at Middle Tennessee ESPN+ W 24–179,606
November 27 2:00 p.m. Charlotte S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA ESPN+ W 56–3415,874
2:30 pm vs. Tulsa * ESPN L 17–306,557
*Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to game All times are in Eastern time
[2] [4]
Game summaries [ ]
at Wake Forest [ ]
Old Dominion at Wake Forest
1
2 3 4 Total
Monarchs
3
0 0 7
10
• Demon Deacons
14
14 7 7
42
Date: September 3, 2021Location: Truist Field Winston-Salem, NC Game start: 7:03 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 24 minutesGame attendance: 25,673Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 4 MPH Referee: Rodney BurnetteTV announcers (ACC Network ): Drew Carter (play–by–play), Forrest Conoly (analyst), and Abby Labar (sideline reporter)
Scoring summary 1 08:57 WF Christian Beal-Smith 48-yard rush (Nick Sciba kick)(3 plays, 64 yards, 0:44) WF 7–0
00:28 ODU Nick Rice 38-yard field goal(6 plays, 35 yards, 2:56) WF 7–3
00:12 WF Ja'Sir Taylor 99-yard kickoff returned (Nick Sciba kick)(0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00) WF 14–3
2 12:01 WF A. T. Perry 36-yard pass from Sam Hartman (Nick Sciba kick)(4 plays, 48 yards, 1:10) WF 21–3
02:45 WF Jaquarii Robertson 2-yard pass from Sam Hartman (Nick Sciba kick)(9 plays, 49 yards, 3:51) WF 28–3
3 08:44 WF Christian Beal-Smith 1-yard rush (Nick Sciba kick)(8 plays, 56 yards, 2:39) WF 35–3
4 12:50 WF Ke'Shawn Williams 4-yard pass from Sam Hartman (Nick Sciba kick)(7 plays, 52 yards, 3:22) WF 42–3
02:27 ODU Isaiah Spencer 9-yard pass from Hayden Wolff (Nick Rice kick)(8 plays, 55 yards, 2:59) WF 42–10
Pregame line
Over/under
WF –32.0
61.5
Statistics
Old Dominion
Wake Forest
First downs
17
20
Total yards
272
352
Rushing yards
145
164
Passing yards
127
188
Turnovers
2
1
Time of possession
32:19
27:41
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Old Dominion
Passing
Hayden Wolff
11/17, 88 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Elijah Davis
12 carries, 69 yards
Receiving
Stone Smartt
3 receptions, 26 yards
Wake Forest
Passing
Sam Hartman
18/27, 188 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing
Christian Beal-Smith
11 carries, 74 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
A. T. Perry
4 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD
Hampton [ ]
Hampton at Old Dominion
1
2 3 4 Total
Pirates
0
0 7 0
7
• Monarchs
10
24 7 6
47
Date: September 11, 2021Location: S. B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA Game start: 7:06 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 15 minutesGame attendance: 18,363Game weather: SunnyReferee: Scott HardinTV announcers (ESPN3 ): Ted Alexander (play–by–play) and Andy Mashew (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 09:22 ODU Elijah Davis 15-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(7 plays, 91 yards, 2:27) ODU 7–0
04:55 ODU Nick Rice 24-yard field goal(8 plays, 42 yards, 2:22) ODU 10–0
2 14:10 ODU D. J. Mack Jr. 13-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(8 plays, 92 yards, 3:15) ODU 17–0
09:32 ODU Isaiah Spencer 2-yard pass from D. J. Mack Jr. (Nick Rice kick)(9 plays, 48 yards, 3:13) ODU 24–0
03:15 ODU D. J. Mack Jr. 3-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(11 plays, 76 yards, 4:43) ODU 31–0
00:00 ODU Nick Rice 18-yard field goal(9 plays, 77 yards, 1:53) ODU 34–0
3 07:00 ODU D. J. Mack Jr. 4-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(7 plays, 48 yards, 2:20) ODU 41–0
04:20 HAMP Jadakis Bonds 24-yard pass from Jett Duffey (Axel Perez kick)(7 plays, 75 yards, 2:40) ODU 41–7
4 14:19 ODU Nick Rice 23-yard field goal(12 plays, 70 yards, 5:01) ODU 44–7
10:39 ODU Nick Rice 33-yard field goal(5 plays, 26 yards, 1:51) ODU 47–7
Pregame line
Over/under
ODU –21.5
55
Statistics
Hampton
Old Dominion
First downs
13
32
Total yards
187
572
Rushing yards
104
358
Passing yards
83
214
Turnovers
0
0
Time of possession
26:55
33:05
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Hampton
Passing
Jett Duffey
7/16, 83 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Elijah Burris
12 carries, 45 yards
Receiving
Jadakis Bonds
5 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD
Old Dominion
Passing
D. J. Mack Jr.
11/22, 162 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Jon-Luke Peaker
18 carries, 141 yards
Receiving
Zack Kuntz
3 receptions, 61 yards
at Liberty [ ]
Old Dominion at Liberty
1
2 3 4 Total
Monarchs
3
14 0 0
17
• Flames
14
14 14 3
45
Date: September 18, 2021Location: Williams Stadium Lynchburg, VA Game start: 6:06 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 4 minutesGame attendance: 18,471Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SE 2 MPH Referee: Jeff FlanaganTV announcers (ESPN3 ): Matt Warner (play–by–play), Joe Jauch (analyst), and Emily Austen (sideline reporter)
Scoring summary 1 11:25 LIB CJ Daniels 14-yard pass from Malik Willis (Alex Barbir kick)(10 plays, 68 yards, 3:28) LIB 7–0
03:17 LIB Malik Willis 17-yard rush (Alex Barbir kick)(6 plays, 79 yards, 2:45) LIB 14–0
00:46 ODU Nick Rice 43-yard field goal(4 plays, 4 yards, 0:40) LIB 14–3
2 13:23 LIB CJ Daniels 33-yard pass from Malik Willis (Alex Barbir kick)(6 plays, 80 yards, 2:18) LIB 21–3
06:29 ODU Elijah Davis 1-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(10 plays, 56 yards, 3:43) LIB 21–10
03:48 LIB Kevin Shaa 38-yard pass from Malik Willis (Alex Barbir kick)(7 plays, 60 yards, 2:31) LIB 28–10
00:42 ODU Zack Kuntz 30-yard pass from D. J. Mack Jr. (Nick Rice kick)(12 plays, 75 yards, 3:06) LIB 28–17
3 11:10 LIB Kevin Shaa 8-yard pass from Malik Willis (Alex Barbir kick)(4 plays, 48 yards, 2:00) LIB 35–17
05:18 LIB Malik Willis 1-yard rush (Alex Barbir kick)(10 plays, 60 yards, 3:17) LIB 42–17
4 03:29 LIB Alex Barbir 31-yard field goal(14 plays, 67 yards, 8:28) LIB 45–17
Pregame line
Over/under
LIB –27.5
53
Statistics
Old Dominion
Liberty
First downs
15
23
Total yards
201
424
Rushing yards
67
182
Passing yards
134
242
Turnovers
1
1
Time of possession
28:16
31:44
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Old Dominion
Passing
D. J. Mack Jr.
15/27, 134 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Elijah Davis
11 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Zack Kuntz
4 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD
Liberty
Passing
Malik Willis
21/28, 242 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing
Malik Willis
9 carries, 77 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
CJ Daniels
5 receptions, 70 yards, 2 TDs
Buffalo [ ]
Buffalo at Old Dominion
1
2 3 4 Total
• Bulls
7
28 0 0
35
Monarchs
7
0 14 13
34
Date: September 25, 2021Location: S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA Game start: 6:05 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 53 minutesGame attendance: 18,197Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) • Weather: SunnyReferee: Anthony PerezTV announcers (ESPN+ ): Ted Alexander (play–by–play) and Andy Mashaw (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 10:14 UB C. J. Bazile 85-yard blocked field goal returned (Alex McNulty kick)(4 plays, 7 yards, 3:16) UB 7–0
02:37 ODU Blake Watson 2-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(4 plays, 26 yards, 1:12) TIE 7–7
2 13:49 UB Kyle Vantrease 4-yard rush (Alex McNulty kick)(9 plays, 74 yards, 3:42) UB 14–7
08:25 UB Quian Williams 13-yard pass from Kyle Vantrease (Alex McNulty kick)(8 plays, 91 yards, 3:38) UB 21–7
03:14 UB Dylan McDuffie 20-yard rush (Alex McNulty kick)(9 plays, 55 yards, 3:41) UB 28–7
02:07 UB Tim Terry Jr. 67-yard fumble returned (Alex McNulty kick)(3 plays, 42 yards, 1:07) UB 35–7
3 08:18 ODU D. J. Mack Jr. 42-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(8 plays, 47 yards, 3:15) UB 35–14
00:34 ODU D. J. Mack Jr. 2-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(11 plays, 85 yards, 5:07) UB 35–21
4 08:36 ODU Jon-Luke Peaker 7-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(5 plays, 63 yards, 1:48) UB 35–28
00:19 ODU Zack Kuntz 19-yard pass from D. J. Mack Jr. (Nick Rice PAT failed)(10 plays, 46 yards, 2:44) UB 35–34
Pregame line
Over/under
UB –13.0
50.5
Statistics
Buffalo
Old Dominion
First downs
17
27
Total yards
297
433
Rushing yards
106
209
Passing yards
191
224
Turnovers
1
3
Time of possession
37:32
22:28
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Buffalo
Passing
Kyle Vantrease
17/26, 191 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Dylan McDuffie
16 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Quian Williams
9 receptions, 134 yards, 1 TD
Old Dominion
Passing
D. J. Mack Jr.
24/41, 224 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
D. J. Mack Jr.
18 carries, 84 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Ali Jennings III
7 receptions, 68 yards
at UTEP [ ]
Old Dominion at Texas–El Paso
1
2 3 4 Total
Monarchs
0
7 14 0
21
• Miners
3
14 3 8
28
Date: October 2, 2021Location: Sun Bowl El Paso, TX Game start: 9:05 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 9 minutesGame attendance: 11,025Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: N 2 MPH Referee: Rodney BurnetteTV announcers (ESPN+ ): Erik Elken (play–by–play) and Trevor Vittatoe (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 09:55 UTEP Gavin Baechle 29-yard field goal(7 plays, 33 yards, 3:24) UTEP 3–0
2 11:08 UTEP Justin Garrett 7-yard pass from Gavin Hardison (Gavin Baechle kick)(16 plays, 80 yards, 8:10) UTEP 10–0
00:51 UTEP Tyrin Smith 7-yard pass from Gavin Hardison (Gavin Baechle kick)(15 plays, 87 yards, 8:06) UTEP 17–0
00:10 ODU Ali Jennings III 20-yard pass from D. J. Mack Jr. (Nick Rice kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 0:41) UTEP 17–7
3 11:37 UTEP Gavin Baechle 40-yard field goal(8 plays, 64 yards, 3:19) UTEP 20–7
05:27 ODU D. J. Mack Jr. 5-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(19 plays, 75 yards, 6:10) UTEP 20–14
04:27 ODU AC White 11-yard punt returned (Nick Rice kick)(5 plays, 72 yards, 0:55) ODU 21–20
4 06:59 UTEP Deion Hankins 3-yard rush (Gavin Hardison two-point conversion pass to Justin Garrett)(9 plays, 63 yards, 4:47) UTEP 28–21
Pregame line
Over/under
UTEP –5.5
48.5
Statistics
Old Dominion
UTEP
First downs
19
17
Total yards
282
333
Rushing yards
88
142
Passing yards
194
191
Turnovers
2
0
Time of possession
25:32
34:28
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Old Dominion
Passing
D. J. Mack Jr.
20/34, 194 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Blake Watson
13 carries, 35 yards
Receiving
Zack Kuntz
8 receptions, 54 yards
UTEP
Passing
Gavin Hardison
10/20, 191 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing
Deion Hankins
23 carries, 75 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Jacob Cowing
4 receptions, 118 yards
at Marshall [ ]
Old Dominion at Marshall
1
2 3 4 OT Total
Monarchs
7
3 0 3 0
13
• Thundering Herd
3
3 0 7 7
20
Date: October 9, 2021Location: Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV Game start: 2:04 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 7 minutesGame attendance: 24,172Game weather: SunnyReferee: Jonathan NoliTV announcers (CBS Sports Network ): Chris Hassel (play–by–play) and Ben Leber (analyst)
Scoring summary 1 03:59 MARSH Shane Ciucci 42-yard field goal(4 plays, -6 yards, 1:21) MARSH 3–0
00:25 ODU Ali Jennings III 33-yard pass from D. J. Mack Jr. (Nick Rice kick)(9 plays, 81 yards, 3:34) ODU 7–3
2 06:38 ODU Nick Rice 47-yard field goal(13 plays, 73 yards, 5:48) ODU 10–3
00:25 MARSH Shane Ciucci 22-yard field goal(14 plays, 76 yards, 6:13) ODU 10–6
4 02:37 ODU Nick Rice 45-yard field goal(10 plays, 32 yards, 5:05) ODU 13–6
00:33 MARSH Willie Johnson 52-yard pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 2:04) TIE 13–13
1OT MARSH Shadeed Ahmed 22-yard pass from Grant Wells (Shane Ciucci kick) MARSH 20–13
Pregame line
Over/under
MARSH –21.0
62.5
Statistics
Old Dominion
Marshall
First downs
19
24
Total yards
314
390
Rushing yards
208
91
Passing yards
106
299
Turnovers
2
2
Time of possession
29:56
30:04
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Old Dominion
Passing
D. J. Mack Jr.
9/22, 106 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing
Blake Watson
26 carries, 168 yards
Receiving
Ali Jennings III
1 reception, 33 yards, 1 TD
Marshall
Passing
Grant Wells
30/46, 299 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing
Rasheen Ali
21 carries, 77 yards
Receiving
Shadeed Ahmed
7 receptions, 77 yards, 1 TD
Western Kentucky [ ]
Western Kentucky at Old Dominion
1
2 3 4 Total
• Hilltoppers
14
16 3 10
43
Monarchs
0
3 3 14
20
Date: October 16, 2021Location: S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA Game start: 3:35 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 20 minutesGame attendance: 16,418Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: SunnyReferee: Kevin VicknairTelevision network: ESPN3
Scoring summary 1 09:16 WKU Malachi Corley 26-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(8 plays, 68 yards, 3:42) WKU 7–0
04:24 WKU Dakota Thomas 9-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(12 plays, 81 yards, 3:30) WKU 14–0
2 05:23 WKU Daewood Davis 15-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(3 plays, 41 yards, 1:02) WKU 21–0
02:23 ODU Nick Rice 44-yard field goal(10 plays, 48 yards, 3:00) WKU 21–3
01:48 WKU Jerreth Sterens 74-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(3 plays, 75 yards, 0:35) WKU 27–3
00:00 WKU Brayden Narveson 20-yard field goal(8 plays, 45 yards, 1:16) WKU 30–3
3 10:37 ODU Nick Rice 38-yard field goal(11 plays, 54 yards, 4:23) WKU 30–6
03:43 WKU Brayden Narveson 31-yard field goal(4 plays, -9 yards, 1:30) WKU 33–6
4 14:55 ODU Elijah Davis 24-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(8 plays, 79 yards, 3:45) WKU 33–13
10:17 ODU Blake Watson 7-yard rush (Nick Rice kick)(8 plays, 78 yards, 3:02) WKU 33–20
05:41 WKU Brayden Narveson 41-yard field goal(13 plays, 42 yards, 4:31) WKU 36–20
03:51 WKU Dakota Thomas 17-yard pass from Bailey Zappe (Brayden Narveson kick)(2 plays, 23 yards, 0:38) WKU 43–20
Pregame line
Over/under
WKU –13.5
67
Statistics
Western Kentucky
Old Dominion
First downs
29
23
Total yards
518
446
Rushing yards
121
119
Passing yards
397
327
Turnovers
1
3
Time of possession
30:39
29:21
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Western Kentucky
Passing
Bailey Zappe
36/54, 397 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing
Adam Cofield
10 carries, 67 yards
Receiving
Jerreth Sterens
13 receptions, 221 yards, 1 TD
Old Dominion
Passing
Hayden Wolff
26/41, 327 yards, 2 INTs
Rushing
Blake Watson
22 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Ali Jennings III
13 receptions, 172 yards
Louisiana Tech [ ]
Louisiana Tech at Old Dominion
1
2 3 4 Total
Bulldogs
0
10 3 7
20
• Monarchs
0
10 7 6
23
Date: October 30, 2021Location: S.B. Ballard Stadium Norfolk, VA Game start: 3:32 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 39 minutesGame attendance: 13,309Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: SunnyReferee: Jonathan NoliTV announcers (CBS Sports Network ): Chris Hassel (play–by–play) and Sed Bonner (analyst)
Scoring summary 2 03:56 ODU Nick Rice 36-yard field goal(8 plays, 49 yards, 4:15) ODU 3–0
01:13 LT Isaiah Graham 32-yard pass from Austin Kendall (Jacob Barnes kick)(7 plays, 80 yards, 2:39) LT 7–3
00:58 ODU LeMareon James 100-yard kickoff returned (Nick Rice kick)(6 plays, 66 yards, 0:49) ODU 10–7
00:03 LT Jacob Barnes 30-yard field goal(6 plays, 66 yards, 0:49) TIE 10–10
3 10:19 ODU Zack Kuntz 5-yard pass from Hayden Wolff (Nick Rice kick)(9 plays, 55 yards, 3:02) ODU 17–10
06:51 LT Jacob Barnes 44-yard field goal(7 plays, 13 yards, 3:18) ODU 17–13
4 12:01 LT Marcus Williams Jr. 7-yard rush (Jacob Barnes kick)(5 plays, 43 yards, 0:39) LT 20–17
01:52 ODU Nick Rice 29-yard field goal(20 plays, 58 yards, 10:02) TIE 20–20
00:00 ODU Nick Rice 46-yard field goal(5 plays, 26 yards, 0:28) ODU 23–20
Pregame line
Over/under
LT –4.0
52.5
Statistics
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech
First downs
15
20
Total yards
335
311
Rushing yards
59
162
Passing yards
276
149
Turnovers
0
2
Time of possession
24:21
35:39
Team
Category
Player
Statistics
Louisiana Tech
Passing
Austin Kendall
22/36, 253 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Marcus Williams Jr.
14 carries, 42 yards, 1 TD
Receiving
Smoke Harris
7 receptions, 63 yards
Old Dominion
Passing
Hayden Wolff
23/34, 149 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Blake Watson
28 carries, 108 yards
Receiving
Zack Kuntz
8 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD
References [ ]
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