NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Heading into Saturday, October 15 of 2022 was the last time Old Dominion football had the chance to celebrate a win. That victorious feeling returned in the Monarchs' home stadium.
Grant Wilson accounted for five touchdowns and the ODU defense came up with a fourth down stop in the final seconds, preserving a 38-31 win over Louisiana at S.B. Ballard Stadium. The victory snapped a seven game losing streak and improved the squad to 1-1 in 2023, 1-0 in Sun Belt play.
"It was fun," head coach Ricky Rahne said of the locker room after the game. "Winning is fun. I said all week 'do your job' and I said that a bunch. Part of 'do your job' as a college football player is to have fun."
"My favorite part of it was halftime," added linebacker Jason Henderson, who tallied 17 tackles in the win. "Nobody was bowing their heads. Everyone was happy, everyone was excited, everyone knew we needed the energy and that it was a 0-0 ballgame and we had to win the second half."
After Louisiana scored on its opening drive, Old Dominion responded with a 55 yard drive in two plays, capped off by a 30-yard pass from Wilson to Ahmarian Granger, who pulled in the one-handed catch. Wilson would score on a three-yard TD rush in the second quarter to put the Monarchs up, 17-10, before the Ragin' Cajuns tied the game at 17 before the half.
Wilson found Reymello Murphy for two scores in the third quarter to swell the ODU advantage to 31-17. The first connection came on a 36-yard strike on the opening drive of the second half and the two would hook up again on a 61-yard score later in the frame.
Louisiana would cut the lead to seven, but in the fourth quarter, Wilson threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night, a 37-yard pass to Kelby Williams. Again, however, the Cajuns would close the gap to one touchdown when Ben Wooldridge hit Jacob Kibodi, who completed to score with a catch-and-run with 9:13 to play in the game.
The score would remain 38-31 until the final seconds when Louisiana had the ball at its own seven yard line. Wooldridge took four shots at the endzone, but the Monarch defense stood tall, capping off the win with a big fourth down stop.
"The defense has got to bow up," Henderson said. "We've got to make a stop and we have to act like we've been there before."
Wilson finished the night 13-of-19 passing for 247 yards and the four touchdowns. Keshawn Wicks was a backfield workhorse, gaining 103 rushing yards on 17 carries. Murphy led the receiving group with 97 yards on the two touchdown receptions.
Henderson's 17 tackles move him into fourth all-time on the Old Dominion career tackling list.
The Monarchs return to action at home next Saturday when they host Wake Forest. Kickoff is set for noon.
