A Look Ahead: Old Dominion

Normally this time of year, I am looking to preview the Hokies season opener opponent. Unfortunately, the Old Dominion team that will visit Lane Stadium in a couple of weeks is so radically different from last season, it will be a bit of a mystery for how the Monarchs will look Labor Day weekend.

The mystery starts with the quarterback position. Grant Wilson, a Fordham transfer, was named the starter this week, turning the prime time matchup into the Battle of the Grant Ws. I actually found some Fordham game film from last season, and quickly found out Wilson was a backup behind senior Tim DeMorat. Wilson was 4 for 5 passing all season, and I couldn't find any film on him. It appears he can run, as he was credited with 8 carries and had 45 yards rushing... although he also had negative 20 yards on sacks. Fordham ran a hurry up no-huddle type gun offense, so Wilson may be adept at playing at a fast pace.

Old Dominion runs a very similar offense to Virginia Tech, with lots of rub routes underneath and they will try to mix in a few vertical shots. But, once again the faces will be unfamiliar. Gone is top running back Blake Watson, tight end Zach Kuntz, and Ali Jennings will line up for the Hokies. The new top running back is transfer Kadarius Calloway, who was the number 2 recruit in Mississippi and 98th in the country coming out of high school, but had to go the JUCO route. According to 24/7, he was a safety recruit, and he had way more receiving yards than rushing yards according to his profile on ODU's page. At wide receiver, the only returning player who impacted the game against the Hokies last year is slot receiver Jordan Bly, who put up 22 catches for 10 yards a catch, but didn't find the end zone last year.

Defense is less of a mystery. Old Dominion's interior guys are going to pinch inside and try to tie up the Hokies inside zone combo blocks, and keep the linebackers clean. And we know they will blitz from all over, almost recklessly, on third down against the Hokies inexperienced offensive line. The Monarchs return an outstanding inside linebacker, Jason Henderson, who played a monster game against the Hokies last season. Otherwise, the names are new. Jahill Taylor, an experienced backup defensive tackle at North Carolina, transferred in to start inside. New starter Denzel Lowry got four sacks in limited playing time last season. Former Hokies commit Shawn Asbury returns in the secondary, along with former Hokies target Lamereon James. But, outside of Henderson and Taylor, it doesn't appear that many proven productive players line up on defense.

After the Hokies performance last season, I think it would be incredibly bad taste to say that this is a game the Hokies should win easily. Add in the respect between coaching staffs and the familiarity, even if the Hokies were running away with the game I don't think Brent Pry would push the envelope. But, this doesn't look like ODU will be a good team. If the Hokies struggle beyond typical early season struggles, it is a major red flag for the rest of the season.