Saturday, Sept. 25 -- 6 p.m. ET
SB Ballard Stadium -- Norfolk, VA
ESPN+
One thing about Old Dominion football games this year -- SOMEBODY scores a lot of points!!
The Buffalo Bulls are hoping they are the team to do just that Saturday when the Bulls and Monarchs battle for a second win that would move the winner to 2-2 in non-conference play.
The winning team in each Monarchs game has scored over 40 points. Wake Forest downed ODU 42-10 to open the season. The Monarchs followed with a 47-7 victory over Hampton before falling last week at Liberty 45-17.
Here is more on the two teams . . .
OLD DOMINION MONARCHS (1-2, 0-0 C-USA)
>> ODU fell behind 21-3 early in the second quarter and trailed 28-17 last week against Liberty. The Monarchs were unable to score after intermission, while LU tacked on 17 more points.
>> The Flames rolled up 424 yards of offense while limiting Old Dominion to 201.
>> The Monarchs ran 35 times, picking up 67 yards (1.9 ppg). Sophomoe Elijah Davis contributed 57 yards on 11 carries (5.2 ypc) with one TD. Quarterback D.J. Mack Jr. was credited with minus-24 yards on 12 touches as the Flames registered five sacks and nine tackles for loss.
>> Mack completed 15-of-27 passes for 134 yards with one TD and one pick.
>> Zach Kuntz, Jordan Bly and Stone Smartt combined for 11 receptions, 114 yards and a touchdown.
>> Junior linebacker Ryan Henry led the Monarch defense with nine tackles, including one TFL. Henry did not play football in high school at Miami South- ridge but the football bug bit and he played two years at ASA College in Miami. His father, Charles, played at Miami (Fla.) and for the Dolphins.
>> Senior kicker Nick Rice has yet to miss a field goal (6/6) or extra point (8/8). He has a career long of 48 yards and hit a 43-yarder last week.
>> The first of two between the Monarchs and Bulls. ODU is next scheduled to play a school in the MAC other than Buffalo in 2024, when ODU travels to Bowling Green.
>> Senior Isaac Weaver has started 37 career games on the offensive line. His first two years he started 24 games at left tackle. In 2019, he started 10 games at center. Weaver started the opener at Wake Forest. He made his first career start at left guard last week against Hampton. At Liberty, Weaver slid back to left tackle for his third start of
the season and 38th of his career.
>> Four defensive ends on the team have accumulated sacks so far this season, with three of them recording the first sacks of their careers.
Amorie Morrison, Marcus Haynes, Deeve Harris and Cory Jackson have all notched sacks, with all but Haynes registering their first. ODU is tied for third in C-USA with eight sacks. All but one of those
sacks comes from a defensive end.
>> ODU has four players on the team from countries outside of the Unites States. Frederik Antonine (Canada), Ethan Duane (Australia), Dominik Soos (Hungary) and Gerrik Vollmer (Germany).
BUFFALO BULLS (1-2)
>> Three members of the UB football team hail from Norfolk, VA, -- running back Kevin Marks (Norview), cornerback Isaiah King (Norview) and wide receiver Khamron Laborn (Maury).
>> This is Buffalo’s first trip to the state of Virginia since playing Virginia on Nov.13, 1999 Virginia.
>> UB is coming off a 28-25 loss to #16 Coastal Carolina. The Bulls led 14-7 after one quarter, but the Chanticleers 21 of the game's next 24 points for a 28-17 advantage. A late Bulls TD was not enough, and CCU left with a 3-0 record.
>> Coastal Carolina owned a 455-408 edge in total offense. While the Chanticleers had just eight more yards passing, Buffalo had 262 yards rushing and 146 passing.
>> The Bulls were good on 9-of-16 third downs. CCU had just nine third down opporunities and converted three. The Bulls lead the MAC and rank 12th nationally in third down conversions at 54.9 percent (28 -of-51).
>> All three Buffalo touchdowns came on runs, while 3-of-4 Chanticleer TDs came through the air.
>> Dylan McDuffie led the Bulls with 15 caries for 92 yards. Ron Cook Jr. ripped off a 63-yard run among his six carries. Kevin Marks Jr. Had a game-high 20 carries, good for 64 yards and a score.
>> Senior Kyle Vantrease completed 13-of-20 pass attempts, yielding 146 yards.
>> Dominic Johnson caught a game-high six passes for 66 yards.
Since making the move from quarterback to wide receiver prior to the 2019 season, Dominic Johnson is enjoying his best season at his new position. Johnson was originally recruited as a quarterback and played the position from 2016-18. But with a crowded quarterback room, the athletic Johnson was given the opportunity to get on the field as a wide
receiver. He is the Bulls’ second leading receiver with 11 catches for 120 yards. His 11 receptions are one more than the total fom his first two seasons playing the position.
>> After a breakout season in 2019, Taylor Riggins missed the entire 2020 campaign with an injury. The Bulls’ defensive end is now healthy and returning to his All-MAC form. Riggins was a first-team All-MAC selection in 2019. Riggins is tied for the MAC lead with four sacks through three games. He now has 17.5 career sacks - good for seventh in school history. He was named the MAC East Defensive Player of the Week following his standout performance against Coastal Carolina.
>> The Bulls will need to get back to work quickly after Saturday's game. Their first three MAC games are against Western Michigan, (at) Kent State and Ohio.