Gaining bowl eligibility could give Monarchs LB a shot at tackles record
NORFOLK — It’s late enough in the season that the math is getting easy again.
With an FBS-leading 166 tackles, Old Dominion linebacker Jason Henderson is again closing in on a 21-year-old record.
The junior is 27 stops shy of the single-season record of 193, set in 2002 by Lawrence Flugence of Texas Tech. Henderson isn’t likely to reach the mark today when Georgia State visits for the regular-season finale, but the Monarchs (5-6, 4-3 Sun Belt Conference) can give him a much better shot by winning and thus achieving bowl eligibility.
It’s why the record sits squarely in the back of Henderson’s mind.
“Obviously, we have a really good shot at being in a bowl game this weekend, and that’s what I’m worried about,” he said. “I’m not really worried about any of my own success.”
He’s already had plenty. A 6-foot-1, 227-pound native of Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania, Henderson led the nation with 186 tackles last season. Flugence’s record would likely have been toast had Henderson
not left the season’s penultimate game, at Appalachian State, with a first-quarter injury.
Either way, Henderson’s name will appear twice on the list of the greatest individual tackling seasons in FBS history. It’s a distinction not lost on ODU coach Ricky Rahne.
“I think it says a lot,” Rahne said. “One thing it says is that Jason’s a great football player.
“I think the other thing it says is that his teammates do a great job of doing their job, and he can run around and make those plays. And I think the last thing it says is it tells recruits, ‘Hey, I can accomplish any goal that I want to at Old Dominion. I don’t have to go somewhere else.’ ”
Henderson, a former elite-level high school wrestler, is not just a one-trick pony. During last week’s 20-17 win at Georgia Southern, he set a single-season school record with 19 tackles for a loss.
“Every game is a blessing, so we’re just going to move on to the next one now that we have the opportunity,” Cavaliers kicker Will Bettridge said. “That’s how we keep pushing.”
UVA was not lacking for confidenceafterwinningforthethirdtime in its past six contests. After starting the season 0-5, the Cavaliers have been competitive in all but one game since the start of October, winning three while dropping two others in the closing minutes. Virginia is 2-5 in games decided by a touchdown or less this season and has lost four games by three or fewer points.
“What motivates us isn’t the record. What motivates us isn’t external things,” said Virginia senior wide receiver Malik Washington. “It’s the internal things. It’s the brotherhood. It’s our relationships inside that locker room.”
Washington has been a revelation for the Cavaliers in his one season in the program. After transferring from Northwestern, where he was solid but unspectacular in four seasons, the 5-foot-8 slot receiver broke the school’s single-season records for receptions (96) and receiving yards (1,311)withonegameremaining.The fifth-yearwideoutisoneof10semifinalistsfortheBiletnikoffAwardasthe country’s top wide receiver.
“It’s like having a safety blanket,” said Colandrea, who was named ACC Player of the Week after accounting for 344 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers against the Blue Devils. “Like Aaron Rodgers had Davante Adams, if he throws it anywhere near him, he’s going to come down with it.”
Colandrea has started the past two games in place of senior Tony Muskett, who has been nursing a high ankle sprain suffered Nov. 4 against Georgia Tech. Elliott said Tuesday that Muskett is out of his protective boot and has been running, but Muskett’s status for today’s game is uncertain.
Colandrea has performed admirably in Muskett’s place. That he played so well last Saturday without turning over the ball was a big step in his maturation.
“At some point, we’ve got to stop calling him a freshman,” Washington said of Colandrea. “He’s our quarterback. He’s balling right now. He’s been balling all season, man. He grew up (against Duke), and I think it’ll be really good to carry that over into (this week) and to next year.”
Do the Cavaliers have enough to give Elliott his first win over the Hokies in his first game coaching in the series? Virginia is seeking its first two-game winning streak against ACC opponents since 2021.
“The thing about Virginia Tech is every time they play Virginia, they always come to play,” Sanker said. “That’s what makes it so much more exciting is you know you’re not getting any slouch. They’re coming to play. That’s why I think it’s so important for us to continue chasing our best game because our best game versus their best game will be a great environment to be in.”