The Old Dominion Monarchs travel to North Carolina to take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Saturday. ODU sits at 3-7 on the season and just 2-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. In addition, they come in having lost four straight games. The App State Mountaineers were the early season darlings of college football with a near-win over UNC followed by a thrilling Hail Mary win and finally a win at Texas A&M. Since then, however, they have cooled off and sit at 5-5 overall and 2-4 in the Sun Belt Conference. Game time for Saturday's Sun Belt matchup is set for 2:30pm EST.
The NFL, College Football, College Basketball, the NHL, and the NBA…oh my! Check out all my premium picks for a variety of premium events. My Best Bet of the week is available for only $49.99 (normally $100) if you use this link. Don't miss out as this comes with a profit guarantee. Win or get the money back in credit!
The Old Dominion Monarchs football team has struggled in the conference after starting off a surprising 2-0 to start the season. They now have lost four straight games in the Sun Belt Conference following last week's 37-3 loss to James Madison. They were more than doubled in total offense, allowing 492 to JMU while gaining just 227 yards themselves. The Monarchs finished with just 76 yards on the ground in the one-sided, blowout defeat. This was the first game played between James Madison and ODU in a decade and represented the 72nd annual Oyster Bowl. Playing without TE Zack Kuntz and WR Ali Jennings III, the Monarchs offense looked anemic. Jennings injury will sideline him for the rest of the season. ODU coach Ricky Rahne was not looking for excuses, however.
“We didn't play anywhere near well enough to win this game, really, in any facet,” he said. “So, that's on me. I've got to find a way to get us to play better on Saturdays.”
?????????? ?????????????????? ????@JasonH_42 is stamping his name in the record books!#ReignOn | #SunBeltFB pic.twitter.com/UYBj1C7jjX
— ODU Football (@ODUFootball) November 15, 2022
Old Dominion is officially out of the bowl picture after last week's loss and is now strictly playing for pride. Their offense, already down a weapon in tight end Kuntz, took another hit with the announcement that Jennings is done for the year. The numbers were already bad for the Monarchs this season, ranking 108th in the country in scoring offense. They are 121st rushing the football and 54th throwing the ball, although their passing attack will certainly be adversely affected now. ODU's defense has been solid, ranking 54th in scoring defense. They are just 113th against the run, however, while ranking 83rd against the pass. ODU is near the middle of the pack in turnover differential, ranking 64th in the country.
Key Injuries: TE Kurtz and WR Jennings II are both done for the year.