Struggling Monarchs hold on to beat FCS Albany 31-17

Picture taken from the Virginia-Pilot

As water fell this past Saturday night, the Old Dominion Monarchs opened their 2017 season against the University of Albany Great Danes. The game was wet, messy, and both teams had their fair share of mistakes. The Monarch faithful were on hand for disastrous opening-day conditions, as the rain carried throughout the game.

The game seemed all but over with the Monarchs heading into the fourth quarter holding onto a comfortable 24-3 lead. However, the Great Danes had a quick score, strong defensive showing, then an impressive 31-yard touchdown run from backup running back, Karl Mofor. Mofor had a game high 99 yards rushing on 21 carries in the absence of 2016 FCS all-American, Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks.

While the late surge did worry the Monarchs and their fans, they were able to put the nail in the coffin with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Blake Larussa to Johnathan Duhart. Duhart impressed all day, outmatching any corner Albany put on him and getting open behind the secondary. Look for him to continue to outmatch any corner/safety covering him.

The rain really did affect the game with three big passes being dropped that would have definitely taken the game out of reach early. The game was sloppy for Old Dominion but not to be unexpected from an opening day game: something that has plagued the Monarchs in recent years. One of the big upsides I saw was the ability to play both Larussa and Hoy. Larussa’s numbers would have been far different forbidding the downpour and Hoy looked great and very fast (almost as if he was gliding) with the limited reps he received. I think we’ll continue to see a great battle between the two moving forward while the coaches figure out who is the bonafide starter. I, personally, don’t think we could go wrong with either.

The biggest worry for Monarch fans should be the rushing game. Returning the best running back in C-USA and probably the overall best core in the conference, it seemed like an easy bet they would rush for 200+ yards against an FCS defense losing 2 of their top tacklers in the box. My best guess is that Albany game planned for the weather and the circumstances of Coach Wilder not being 100% in his starting QB. They knew he’d be less inclined to air the ball out, so decided to stack the box and play the run far more aggressively than normally. This trend could continue until one of the two Quarterbacks distinguishes themselves as the starter and we see a big game on the passing side.

As expected on defense, it was going to be an interesting game introducing a whole new linebacker core. The underclassmen that got playing time misread plays and had to adjust to the speed of the game. As time goes on, that group of players will become better and more comfortable at the highest level of amateur competition. With a defensive line that wreaked havoc, the learning curve should be less-trying.

This Saturday the Monarchs hit the road to play the UMass Minuteman in Massachusetts. Be sure to subscribe to the e-mail list for constant updates on new stories and game previews!