Norfolk, VA: During the Sun Belt Conference preseason media day in July, Old Dominion was picked fifth in the league’s East Division by the coaches. It seems that the SBC coaches overlooked the fact that the Monarchs had their returning quarterback, Colton Joseph. In their conference opener on Saturday night, the redshirt sophomore matched a career-high with five touchdowns—including four passing scores in the first half—as Old Dominion dispatched Coastal Carolina 47-7 in front of an announced crowd of 20,895 at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
The Monarchs compiled 619 total yards, including over 300 through the air and more than 300 on the ground. Joseph finished the night 17-for-30 passing for 315 yards while running for 66 yards and one more score, as Old Dominion built a 34-0 lead at halftime while racking up 379 yards of offense.
Game Recap Courtesy of ODU Media Relations: ODU led, 34-0, at halftime en route to its most lopsided victory ever over an FBS opponent. It was the fourth win in a row for ODU (4-1 overall, 1-0 Sun Belt), which is off to its best start since 2012. ODU last won four games in a row in 2021, when the Monarchs went to their first bowl game under Head Coach Ricky Rahne.
ODU outgained Coastal, 619-189. The offensive yardage differential of 430 yards was the largest for ODU in a game in program history. It was also the second week in a row that the Monarchs held an opponent to an FBS low in offensive yardage. Before Rahne began to clear his bench midway through the third quarter, the Monarchs had outgained Coastal, 504-100, in offensive yards.
Joseph completed 17 of 30 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns before heading to the bench for good midway through the third quarter. He ran seven times for 66 yards and another TD. Running back Trequan Jones rushed 14 times for 98 yards while wide receiver Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding hauled in seven passes for 101 yards and three touchdowns – all career highs for the sophomore from Brooklyn, New York.
Coastal (2-3, 1-1) scored a late touchdown on a 3-yard Tad Hudson pass to Cameron Wright, which followed a missed ODU field goal. It was just Coastal Carolina’s second drive into ODU territory. Hudson finished the game 19-of-30 passing for 108 yards and the score. He also threw and interception and had a lost fumble on a strip sack.
The Chanticleers return home next Saturday to host ULM at 7pm in Conway.