Coastal Carolina vs. Old Dominion Recap

By David Asbury

Chicken Fried Domination 
On Saturday night, our Old Dominion Monarchs destroyed the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 47-7.  The dominant victory improves their overall record to 4-1 and opens conference play with a win.  The Monarchs dominated the match in every facet of the game.  They crushed the Chants on offense.  They crushed the Chants on defense.  ODU outgained the Chants 619 yards to 189, a 430-yard difference and program record.

Quarterback Colton Joseph had another stellar performance.  He scored five touchdowns!  Joseph threw four first-half touchdown passes and added a 50-yard scoring run in the third quarter before backup Quinn Henicle came in to relieve him.  Joseph finished 17 of 30 for 315 yards, including three touchdowns to AR Gladding.  It is the fourth-straight multi-touchdown pass game for Joseph and the seventh of his career.  Joseph is making a very very strong case for Sun Belt Player of the Year.

Colton Joseph separates from the defense on the way to the endzone. Photo courtesy of CB Sports Photography

The whole offense played lights out gaining 619 total yards with a beautiful balance.  317 yards through air and 302 on the ground.  It currently stands as the best offense in the Sun Belt averaging 498.4 yards per game (Texas State is 2nd with 457 ypg).  So many players on offense played well that it is hard to tell who actually stood out.  As stated, AR Gladding caught three touchdowns.  Gladding’s three touchdown game tied the single-game ODU record.  Ali Jennings was the last Monarch to have three, against East Carolina in 2022.  Trequan Jones ran for 98 yards on the ground keeping the offense on the field for long drives.  Ke’Travion Hargrove totaled 132 yards from scrimmage including an 80-yard touchdown catch and run. Tre Brown added 85 receiving yards.  And all those yards were made possible by the dominant offensive line that created huge lanes and kept Joseph upright. 

Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding celebrates 1 of his 3 touchdowns. Photo courtesy of CB Sports Photography

The ODU defense crushed the CCU offense limiting them to only 189 yards and just seven points.  Safety Jerome Carter had himself a game with 12 tackles, seven solo, and one tackle for a loss.  The defense also had two takeaways with Mario Easterly nabbing an interception and Jackson Forrest forcing and recovering a fumble on a strip sack.  ODU had 11 tackles for loss for minus-54 yards, including four sacks.  Forrest is young but he is stepping up to the opportunity with Henderson's retirement and injuries to other backers like Koa Naotala.  For CCU to stay competitive in this game, they really needed to lean on the running game.  But the ODU defense did its job and limited them to only 81 rushing yards, forcing Tad Hudson to pass and he did not pass well.  He averaged a very low 3.6 yards per attempt.  It was a great day for the defense and resulted in the lowest yards allowed to an FBS team by an Old Dominion defense.

The Chanticleers drop to 2-3.  They have a lot of issues they need to fix and time is running out to fix them.  This team is really struggling on offense passing the ball.  To make matters worse, ODU exposed their weaknesses on defense.  It is no surprise that they struggled this game and they are likely to continue to struggle.  Most CCU fans are starting to count the days until baseball season.  Others are looking at Tim Beck's buyout and wondering if they can raise the funds to fire him midseason.

Seth Naotala and Jahleel Culbreath combine for one of the 11 tackles for loss. Photo courtesy of CB Sports Photography

The Monarchs are 4-1.  This is best start to a season Old Dominion has had since the 2012 Monarchs started 5-0.  That year, ODU announced its decision to move up to FBS and thus were technically ineligible to win the CAA.  However they were the unofficial CAA champs after they defeated the James Madison Dukes.  The Monarchs would even defeat the Coastal Carolina Chants in the FCS Playoffs 63-35.  This year, is feeling very...familiar.  It feels like '12.

Hunter Malecki battles in the trenches. Malecki had 1 of the 4 sacks on the game, his first in his career. Photo courtesy of CB Sports Photography

As many have pointed out, the biggest challenge on ODU's remaining schedule will be those dastardly Dukes in Harrisonburg on October 18, 2025.  Some commentators have already said that this years' Royal Rivalry will be the unofficial Sun Belt Championship Game because it may decide who wins the Sen Belt or at least the Sun Belt East.  But first, the Monarchs must travel to Huntington, West Virginia to face the Marshall Thundering Herd.  ODU should win it with Marshall having a rebuilding year.  However, the Monarchs have never won in Huntington before and the Herd may be ahead of schedule rebuilding.  So winning next week would be an important milestone all on its own.  ODU should stay focused and not look ahead just yet.