Sooo Old Dominion is pretty bad at football. Right? Maybe not. The Monarchs were off to an 0-3 start with losses to Liberty, FIU, and Charlotte. Not exactly heavyweights. So when Virginia Tech came to town, there wasn’t much to be excited about for the average college football fan. And yet Old Dominion did the impossible. They knocked off ACC powerhouse and #13 ranked Virginia Tech, 49-35. So let’s dive into some numbers and crunch how exactly Old Dominion was able to pull the shocker.
86
The amount of points Virginia Tech had scored coming into this Week 3 matchup. The Hokies throttled Florida State on the road and easily handled William and Mary in its home opener. This propelled them all the way up to #13 in the AP poll and seemingly a threat in the ACC.
28.5
The number of points Virginia Tech was favored by going into Old Dominion. RIP to anyone that emptied the bank in this one.
2009
The year Old Dominion restarted its program. Between the FCS and now FBS numbers, the Monarchs have actually gone 73-37 with head coach Bobby Wilder. Since joining FBS Conference USA, Old Dominion has gone 27-26, a touch above .500.
0
The number of wins Old Dominion had against Power 5 teams going into Saturday. This number would be changed by the end of the afternoon.
28
Points scored by the Monarchs in the 4th quarter alone. After trailing 28-21 going into the 4th quarter, Old Dominion punched the gas to outscore the Hokies 28-7 in the final quarter to eventually end in a 49-35 victory.
495
Yards thrown by Old Dominion’s backup QB Blake LaRussa off the bench. The junior from Virginia Beach added 4 touchdowns in the upset win.
1,232
Yards of total offense between the two teams. ODU went for 632 to Virginia Tech’s even 600. The Monarch’s threw for the majority, going for 495 yards. The Hokies pounded the rock for 318 yards.
95
Penalty yards for Virginia Tech. Ouch. In comparison, ODU had just 2 penalties for 10 yards. The Hokies shot themselves in the foot, and it showed in the end.
20,532
Amount of fans at Old Dominion’s S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk. The majority of them went home happy, but for the VT fans that made the trip, it was a long trip back to Blacksburg.
It is also worth mentioning that for most of this game, Virginia Tech was without its starting QB Josh Jackson, who left with an apparent leg injury. Having a backup quarterback didn’t seem to bother Old Dominion, but it sure did hurt the Hokies.This is by no means the end of the road for Virginia Tech this season. They still sit at 1-0 in ACC play. However, this effectively ends their probably already slim chance at the College Football Playoff. For Old Dominion, this was a program defining win. Beating an in-state ACC team at home is a huge boost for a team that just recently became Division 1.