For ODU, more than a rivalry is on the line
Monarchs could move into a tie for first place in division with an upset
NORFOLK — It’s a rivalry game with stakes that extend far beyond mere bragging rights.
When upstart Old Dominion visits No. 25 James Madison tonight, the Monarchs have a chance to outdo themselves after knocking off Sun Belt Conference power Appalachian State last week.
ODU, picked to finish last in the league’s East Division in a preseason poll, could turn a corner toward contending for a title.
The Monarchs (4-3, 3-1 Sun Belt), who enter the game as 19½-point underdogs, can secure a share of first place in the division with a win.
Though ODU’s players have heard plenty of chatter about the rivalry, it’s not their main focus.
“We’re fired up about that, for sure,” junior center Xavier Black said. “It’s personal for a lot of guys in the room, so we’re definitely going to have some motivation going into it. But it’s the next game, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
Black, who grew up a few miles from Harrisonburg, has several friends who play for the first-place Dukes (7-0, 4-0). ODU safety Shawn Asbury grew up in Stafford playing youth football with JMU wideout Elijah Sarratt and considers Sarratt his best friend.
“It’s going to be a fun game,” Asbury said.
Asked whether the Monarchs have a chief rival, coach Ricky Rahne said, “I don’t know.” And then came a long pause.
“For me, it’s whoever we’re playing,” he said, remaining on brand. “But I think for our fan base in football, I would say now, it’s probably JMU.”
The Dukes’ 37-3 win at ODU last season came in the middle of the Monarchs’ six-game freefall to close things out. It was the first meeting between the teams in 10 years, and their first as FBS programs.
ODU holds a 2-1 edge in the series, which started in 2011. But geography trumps history in forming the rivalry because the two programs recruit from the same talent pool.
Rahne laughed at his own suggestion that he might ask his players to ignore social media in advance of the game.
“That’s half their social life,” he said. “And by half, I’m probably underestimating it by 40%. So they’re going to hear about it, and they know how important the game is to our fan base and to each other.”
The fact that the Dukes have entered the Associated Press Top 25 lends no extra gravitas to the rivalry, Asbury said.
“We’re not really paying too much mind about them being ranked,” he said. “I think we’re just going in there and just doing our job and just trying to win the game.”
ODU needed, quite literally, every second of last week’s game to hold off App State. The Monarchs couldn’t celebrate until breaking up a pass in the end zone as time expired.
It was, Rahne said, the team’s most balanced game this season, but it was far from being a complete effort.
Upsetting the Dukes might require one.
“They’re just a very versatile team, and very balanced,” Rahne said. “We’re going to have to play our best football. We know that. We haven’t done that yet, so we’re excited to be able to go out there and play our best game.”