Old Dominion Monarchs College Football Preview 2021: Keys To The Season
Old Dominion Monarchs Biggest Key: Offense
Block. Nothing is happening unless the Old Dominion offensive front is better than it was two years ago.
To belabor the point from before, the team was among the worst in the nation – or close to it – in way too many offensive categories back in 2019, and it all stemmed from being unable to do anything up front.
It allowed a gajillion plays in the backfield, there wasn’t any running game, there weren’t enough third down conversion, and it all tied together. It’s not like the Monarchs have 2020 Alabama skill talent, but there’s enough in place to be better. They all need the opportunity to work.
Old Dominion Monarchs Biggest Key: Defense
Keep that run defense working. It wasn’t all miserable in the 1-11 2019 season.
The offense might have been non-existent, and the defense wasn’t always a rock, but the front line was outstanding against the run. It allowed 200 yards twice, gave up under four yards per carry, and despite the 22 touchdowns allowed, it really was a positive.
Start there.
For a team that needs to reboot under a new coaching staff, find a good rotation up front, relay on what should be a decent group of linebackers, and build around that.
Old Dominion Monarchs Key Player To A Successful Season
C Issac Weaver. Jr.
To hammer this point home, the offensive line has to be night-and-day better for the 2021 season to be stronger than the 2019 clunker. There’s a whole lot of rebuilding and reworking needing to be done up front, but the 6-6, 296-pound Weaver is a nice veteran up front who earned all-star honors in 2019. He has the experience and skill to be a true anchor and leader for the offense.
Old Dominion Monarchs Key Game To The 2021 Season
at UTEP, Oct. 2
The Monarchs get a few games to warm up before the start of the Conference USA season. They should beat Hampton, they’ll almost certainly lose at Wake Forest and Liberty, and the Buffalo game will be tough.
There are a few winnable conference games – at Middle Tennessee, Charlotte – late in the season, but ODU should be the decided underdog for most of the year. UTEP, though, is gettable.
The Monarchs are 2-1 since 2014 against the Miners, and being 1-0 in conference play would be a big deal under the new coaching staff.
– Old Dominion Schedule Analysis
2019 Old Dominion Monarchs Fun Stats
– 2nd Quarter Scoring: Opponents 101 – ODU 39
– Sacks: Opponents 52 for 283 yards – ODU 17 for 124 yards
– Passing TDs; Opponents 20 – ODU 5