The Old Dominion Monarchs (1-0, 1-0 ATS, 0-1 O/U) take on the East Carolina Pirates (0-1, 1-0 ATS, 0-1 O/U) in a week two battle on Saturday afternoon. The Monarchs stunned VA Tech with a home victory last week. The Pirates lost their home opener against NC State. These foes last met in 2019 in a game East Carolina won by a 24-21 score.
The Old Dominion Monarchs enter this one with confidence. They were labeled as six-point dogs in a remarkable 20-17 home win against Virginia Tech of the ACC. The Monarchs won six games last season and are not expected to be a contender in their first season in the Sun Belt conference. They were projected to finish last in the Sun Belt East preseason media poll.
The Monarchs have a skilled QB in Hayden Wolff. The sophomore QB displayed his potential in his freshman year and finished with 1933 passing yards and a 10:7 TD to INT ratio. He collected 165 yards against the Hokies last week. ODU has one of the best RBs in the conference in Blake Watson. The junior accumulated a remarkable 1112 yards in 2021 and posted 56 last week. The Monarchs also return last year’s top WR, Ali Jennings III. The junior WR eclipsed 1000 yards last year and 122 against VA Tech. The offense is definitely the strength of this team.
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— ODU Football (@ODUFootball) September 3, 2022
The Monarchs' defense likely won’t be as good as the offense. They ranked 99th against the pass last season while the rush defense was solid, landing 26th. They did lose key players in the secondary which could affect the pass defense. Overall the defensive unit fared well against the Hokies but still allowed 340 total yards.
Old Dominion scored an average of 28.5 points last season, ranking them 68th. The defense allowed an average of 27.6 points, placing them 80th in the FBS.