WILDER SEEKING SHADES OF 2010
Near-miss vs. W&M gives him hope vs. Tech
NORFOLK — Bobby Wilder says Virginia Tech’s football team, to his trained eye, is better than last season. Genuine candor from Old Dominion’s coach entering Saturday’s encounter with the Hokies? Convenient embellishment?
On this there is no question: Tech is the most gifted opponent to visit ODU since the latter revived football in 2009.
The Hokies (2-0) are ranked 13th by The Associated Press and 10th by the coaches. They are seasoned at quarterback and on the offensive line, and they appear deeper at receiver and faster on defense than in 2017.
Conversely, the Monarchs are burdened by their first 0-3 start, and if Saturday at Ballard Stadium becomes a sequel to their 38-0 setback last season in Blacksburg, few will be surprised.
But there is a blueprint for ODU to challenge Tech, one Wilder knows well because he lived it.
Week 3 of the 2010 season marked the 14th game of the Monarchs’ start-up. The opponent was neighboring William and Mary, playing its 1,091st game, a rich history that dated more than a century.
Nine months removed from reaching the semifinals of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, W&M was No. 12 and 13 in the FCS polls, the first ranked opponent to play at ODU. Plus, the Tribe and Monarchs were Colonial Athletic Association brethren.
“In 2010, we didn’t know any better,” Wilder said. “We just thought, ‘OK, here comes a team that’s in our league that we have an opportunity to make a statement to.’ And we were trying to develop an identity. We were trying to show that we belonged in the CAA at that time. And all the stars aligned for that game.”
The prime-time kickoff drew a wired, sold-out crowd of nearly 20,000, and ODU gave its fans early hope. Linebacker Michael Williams intercepted Mike Callahan on the Tribe’s opening drive, and the Monarchs subsequently drove 48 yards to a touchdown and 7-0 lead, Thomas DeMarco connecting with Kai Blanco from 4 yards out.
Defending well and aided by three missed W&M field goals, ODU led 14-7 at halftime and 17-14 deep into the fourth quarter. The Monarchs believed, and underdogs that believe are menacing.
But with 4:45 remaining, Callahan passed 4 yards to reserve tight end Gareth Hissong for the winning touchdown and a 21-17 victory. A fifth-year senior, Hissong had never caught a pass in a Tribe uniform.
ODU’s showing might have been dismissed had W&M’s ranking proven inflated. Far from it.
Later that season, the Tribe defeated No. 1 Villanova, No. 2 Delaware, No. 8 New Hampshire and No. 18 Richmond en route to a share of the CAA title and an FCS playoff bid.
Meanwhile, the Monarchs went 8-3, and a year later they defeated W&M in the regularseason finale to cement their first postseason appearance.
“It’s very similar,” Wilder said, “in what we did to William and Mary in 2010 and what we need to do in this game. We need to have that level of excitement from the fan base. We need to have some things happen early in the game to help us gain some momentum.”
Safe to say, ODU never generated momentum last year at Tech. The Hokies led only 3-0 midway through the second quarter, but they smothered the Monarchs’ offense — ODU punted 10 times and didn’t sniff a score.
‘Twas hardly a shock. True freshman quarterback Steven Williams was making his first collegiate start, and the Monarchs’ best players on offense, receiver Jonathan Duhart and running back Ray Lawry, missed the contest with injuries.
Converting only 2 of 14 third downs, ODU stranded its defense on the field for more than 38 minutes. And as the game wore on, the defense wore down.
“I felt we were very competitive defensively and in special teams,” Wilder said. “We just didn’t have enough weapons last year to be competitive offensively. This year is different. We have the weapons offensively to be competitive — if, I give that big if, we can play with some consistency. We’ve got good players all across the offense.”
Maybe. Duhart’s credentials are unassailable, but Lawry was a senior last season, and the remainder of this year’s offense has much to prove. Saturday against Virginia Tech would be an improbable time for encouragement to emerge, but so was 2010 versus William and Mary.
“We play like (last year at Tech) defensively and mix in some offense,” Wilder said, “who knows?”