NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Power Five opponents don't often travel to smaller schools, but Old Dominion will have the chance to face another ACC opponent in front of its home crowd this Saturday.
Wake Forest invades S.B. Ballard Stadium, just the fifth Power Five program to visit Norfolk in history. It's a big opportunity for the Monarchs, both on and off the field.
"You just don't get very many of these opportunities," Ricky Rahne pointed out. "Very bluntly, a lot of teams don't get these opportunities and they always have to go to these different schools. You've heard [athletic directors] across the country, and even AD's in our state, bemoan the fact that they can't get anybody to play them and certainly not at their place."
"We always have a chip on our shoulder and always hungry out there to play," added defensive back Terry Jones. "It's starting to show on both sides of the ball what guys here at ODU can do."
The Demon Deacons join NC State, North Carolina and Virginia Tech (on two occasions) as ACC squads and Power Five programs to visit Ballard Stadium. While the team will be looking forward to the opportunity, expect a fun atmosphere and energetic crowd in the seats as well.
"It's something that we've got to take advantage of, not only from a team standpoint, but from a university standpoint and a fan standpoint," Rahne said. "We need to fill the place up and have a great atmosphere. It helps in recruiting, it helps in program building and noon on Saturday, that's a pretty great time to be able to do that."
Saturday's game will air on ESPN2, giving the Monarchs a chance to showcase their skills in front of a national audience.
Wake Forest comes in with a 2-0 record, coming off a victory over Vanderbilt this past Saturday. The Demon Deacons will attack the Monarchs with a balanced offense. Two of their running backs eclipsed the 100 rushing yard mark against the Commodores, including Demond Claiborne's 165-yard effort.
Old Dominion is coming off a 38-31 win over Louisiana, picking up its first victory of the season last Saturday.
Kickoff against Wake Forest is set for noon on Saturday.
