ODU turns a 1-6 start into bowl eligibility, pulls away from Charlotte to win fifth straight
Old Dominion is in.
Defying all odds, logic, expert prognostication and plain common sense, the Monarchs are bowl-eligible.
Ali Jennings caught nine passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns and ODU played takeaway defense early Saturday in an all-important 56-34 Conference USA win over Charlotte at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
With the victory, their fifth straight, the Monarchs (6-6, 5-3 C-USA) qualified for the postseason for the second time in program history and completed one of the nation’s feel-good college football stories of 2021.
Charlotte (5-7, 3-5), which was also playing for bowl eligibility, saw its season come to an end.
The Monarchs will wait to learn their postseason fate, likely after next weekend’s conference title games. A decision could come sooner, though; on Saturday, East Carolina accepted a bid to the Military Bowl.
ODU’s improbable turnaround came after a 1-6 start and a full season spent in purgatory. Out of caution against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Monarchs were one of three FBS programs which opted to sit out 2020, leaving coach Ricky Rahne and his team with an interminable offseason filled with nothing but empty workouts and dreams of future game days.
The outcome was in doubt until near the end. Hayden Wolff’s 36-yard touchdown pass to Jennings removed it. The play, a bomb down the right sideline, gave the Monarchs a 49-34 lead with 3:49 remaining, all but sealing Charlotte’s fate.
The 49ers’ next possession ended when Deeve Harris scooped up a fumble on the Charlotte 2 and took it across the goal line to account for the final margin.
With the 49ers driving, only a touchdown and a two-point conversion from tying the game, ODU’s Tyre Bibby sacked Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds, who fumbled. Linebacker Jordan Young fell on it with 5:34 to play, and the Monarchs took care of the lead.
David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com
