ODU’s Final regular season win clinches them a playoff spot
Written By: Matthew McCracken
Sports Editor
Two late interceptions by Monarchs’ freshman cornerback Eriq Lewis sealed the 35-31 victory for Old Dominion (9-2, 6-2) over the William and Mary Tribe (4-6, 2-5) Saturday at Zable Stadium.
“It was more of just preparation in the film room and knowing what they like to do in certain situations,” Lewis said of his interceptions.
Old Dominion claimed the lead late in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard run by redshirt freshman running back Angus Harper. Third down and one from the seven yard line, Monarchs’ freshman quarterback Taylor Heinicke pitched it out to Harper, who avoids a sure Tribe tackle, running it into the end zone to give the Monarchs their first lead since the second quarter.
“In my head, I was already thinking we were going to have to kick the field goal here. For him, [Harper] to break that tackle and score was uncommon,” coach Wilder said.
Despite the late turnovers by the Tribe, much of William and Mary’s success was under the legs of senior star running back Jonathan Grimes. Grimes set a Tribe record with 38 carries, finishing with 233 rushing yards and three touchdowns. This also put him over the 2,000-yard mark for the year. Grimes accounted for 244 of the Tribes’ 503 total offensive yards.
“I really respect the way he plays the game of football. He runs, he blocks, he catches. I think he’s one of the best players in the country,” coach Wilder said.
Neither team led by more than seven points the entire game. Leading receiver for the Monarchs was junior Nick Mayers, who finished the day with nine receptions for 101 yards. Tribes’ leading receiver was senior D.J. Mangas, who finished with six catches, 76 yards and a touchdown.
The Tribe shut out much of the Monarchs’ deep threat, but didn’t account for the versatility of these ODU receivers.
A reverse to freshman receiver Antonio Vaughn turned into a 27-yard pass to junior receiver Reid Evans, allowing the Monarchs to tie the game at 21 late in the third quarter.
William and Mary answered with a 17 play, 80-yard drive that took nine minutes and 13 seconds off the clock. There was no sign of Monarch defense on the field as Grimes got every single yard he wanted. Tribes’ sophomore quarterback Brent Caprio ended the day with 245 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on twenty completions.
“Adversity defines your character. Anyone can do well when things are going well, but in football, how do you react when someone punches you in the face?” coach Wilder said.
Easily forgotten under Grimes performance for the Tribe, Monarchs’ Harper finished the game with 107 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries.
Argued by many to be the CAA rookie of the year, Heinicke finished the day without a passing touchdown. He had 273 yards passing, 58 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown.
The Monarchs were guilty of 11 penalties of 117 yards, many of which came at crucial times in the game. Two in particular were called against the Monarchs’ run stopper in senior defensive tackle Ronnie Cameron.
“I didn’t let that slow me down. You can’t let situations like that slow you down,” Cameron said.
Both teams had at least 500 yards of offense. Neither defense had an answer for the weapons on offense. The offensive shootout was put to a holt after Lewis’ two late fourth quarter interceptions. The Monarchs were able to kneel the ball to run out the clock, bringing victory back to Norfolk for their last regular season game.
In their third year as a program, the Monarchs are 26-7. With this season being their first in the CAA, the Monarchs were picked to finish tenth out of 11. Only losing two games to Delaware away and Towson at home, the Monarchs are riding a four-game winning streak into what they hope is a first round bye and home field advantage in the playoffs.
“We didn’t just knock on the door of the playoffs, we just kicked the door down,” coach Wilder said.
The Monarchs await Selection Sunday on Nov. 20 for their position in post-season play.
Photo By Ashleigh Fischer
