Sept. 6, 2011

Georgia State Game Notes

Game Two
Saturday, September 10, 2011 - Noon (EST)
Georgia Dome - Atlanta, Ga.
Old Dominion Monarchs (1-0, 0-0 CAA) vs.
Georgia State Panthers (1-0, Independent)

TV: CSS, TCN, CSN-NE, CSN+, Cox11
(Play-By-Play: Bob Neal, Color: Cole Cubelic)
Radio: ESPN RADIO - 94.1 FM
(Ted Alexander - Play-by-Play; Andy Mashaw - Color Analyst;)
Audio: Monarch Media (Subscription Required)
Livestats: via Georgia State Sports

CAA Weekly Teleconference Audio: Available at the CAA Press Box at CAAFootball.com
Bobby Wilder Weekly Press Conference Video: Available on Monarch Media
Breakfast with Bobby: via PilotOnline.com

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THE QUICK HITS
* Old Dominion enters Saturday's game with Georgia State riding a six game win-streak. The win streak is currently fourth among FCS schools. The Monarchs' last loss came with a 50-37 setback to #14/16 Cal Poly back on Oct. 9, 2010.

* Old Dominion restarted its football program in 2009 after a 69-year absence and in its three years has compiled an 18-5 overall mark as the best start-up in FCS history.

* Old Dominion went 9-2 in its inaugural season, 8-3 in 2010, and currently stands at 1-0 this season.

* After playing two years as an independent in the FCS, the Monarchs join the CAA, considered by many to be the best FCS conference in the nation. Six of the CAA's 11 programs were ranked in the national preseason polls and seven are ranked this week - William & Mary, Delaware, New Hampshire, James Madison, Villanova, UMass, and Richmond. ODU will face all but New Hampshire this season.

* With week one's win over Campbell (41-14), Old Dominion improved to 2-1 in openers and 2-1 in home openers. The Monarchs also improved to 3-0 all-time vs. Campbell and 4-1 against the Pioneer League. Old Dominion also improves to 11-4 at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium

* Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium continues to be the place to be in Hampton Roads on Saturdays. In the Monarchs' 15 games, all have been sellouts. While the last two season's have averaged 19,782, additional seating has brought Foreman Field's capacity to 19,818. ODU is currently third in average attendance through week one behind Tennessee St. (25,209) and Florida A&M (21,162).

* As a team through week one, the Monarchs are ranked in the Top 10 nationally in Sacks (6th - 5.0), Passing Offense (7th - 367.00), Tackles for Loss (8th - 10.0), Total Offense (9th - 506.00), Net Punting (10th - 42.25),

* Individually in the national stats this season, quarterback Thomas DeMarco ranks 10th in total offense (332.00), Paul Morant ranked seventh in interceptions (1.0), and Jarod Brown is tied for sixth in field goals (2.00).

ALL-TIME VS. GEORGIA STATE:

Date:	Score:	Attendance:	Site:
10/23/2010	W, 34-20	19782	Norfolk, Va.

LAST TIME VS. GEORGIA STATE:
Old Dominion University football scored 34-straight points to turn a 6-0 deficit into a 34-6 lead and cruised to a 34-20 win over Georgia State Saturday evening at Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium.

The Monarchs were down early to the first-year Georgia State program after a pair of Iain Vance field goals put Georgia State up 6-0. The Panthers' opening drive saw the squad reach the ODU 2 thanks to a 30-yard run by Rosevelt Watson. However at first and goal, the Monarch defense clamped down forcing Georgia State to kick the field goal.

The next Georgia State drive produced Vance's second field goal. The Panthers were once again inside the red zone, but the ODU defense would not budge, forcing the 34-yard attempt from Vance.

The rest of the night then belonged to Old Dominion with the Monarchs going on a tear scoring 34 straight points and holding Georgia State scoreless for two quarters.

After the Monarchs gave up 126 yards of offense to the Panthers in the opening stanza, ODU only allowed the Panthers to gain 47 yards in the second half while racking of 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Mario Crawford got the Monarchs onto the scoreboard giving his Old Dominion team the lead for good. The Monarchs' leading rusher used a six-yard run for his second touchdown of 2010 to give ODU the 7-6 edge with 7:03 remaining in the second quarter.

After a three and out by the Panthers, Old Dominion found itself in the end zone yet again. Twice the Monarchs converted fourth down to continue its charge downfield capping the drive with a 18-yard reception by Marquel Thomas..

Four plays later, the Monarchs got the ball back as Fred Credle caused Georgia State's Danny Williams to fumble the ball with Donald Smith right there for the recovery. With the ball back in possession, ODU extended its lead to 17-6 with a 44-yard field goal by Jarod Brown Brown's 44-yard field goal was his third longest of his career.

Old Dominion put up 15 more points in the third quarter. Georgia State opened the third stanza with the ball and made its way down into ODU territory. With the Panthers on the ODU 42, Panther quarterback Drew Little threw 13-yards to Parris Lee, but J.J. Williams caused the opposition to fumble. Craig Wilkins made the recovery setting up ODU for an eight-play, 71 yard drive resulting in a 23-yard touchdown run by Colby Goodwyn. For Goodwyn, it was his third rushing touchdown of the season.

Another Georgia State fumble turned into another Monarch score later in the third quarter. As the nation's leading punter Jonathan Plisco booted the ball 47 yards, Panther punt returner Albert Wilson fumbled, giving the Monarchs' Alex Arain the opportunity to return the ball back to Old Dominion at the Panthers' own nine yard line. Although the Monarchs were pushed back for negative yardage, Brown kicked to 29-yard field goal attempt through the uprights to give ODU the 27-6 advantage with 2:44 left in the quarter.

Scoring still wasn't over for the Monarchs as Georgia State fumbled again. Wilkins not only caused the fumble, but collected his second fumble recovery of the afternoon. Starting deep into Panther territory, the Monarchs needed just five plays to find the end zone yet again. Thomas DeMarco (Palm Desert, Calif.) on the qb keeper posted his team-leading fifth rushing touchdown this year to put ODU ahead 34-6 heading into the final quarter.

Georgia State notched a pair of touchdowns during the fourth quarter for the game's final score. Travis Evans had a 32-yard reception and Little found his way over the end line on a nine-play, 80 yard Georgia State drive midway through the quarter.

Defensively, the Monarchs had a big night from T.J. Cowart who led the way with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, and three pass break-ups. Cowart, who also had three pass break-ups in games with nationally-ranked William & Mary and Gardner-Webb, has made 13 in his career as a Monarch.

Wilkins, who forced a pair of fumbles along with a fumble recovery that led to Monarch scores, finished the night with seven tackles, including 2.5 for seven negative yards for the Panthers.

NOTES FROM THE FIRST MEETING - 10/23/2010

PUTTING THE "D" IN DEFENSE:
Craig Wilkins, J.J. Williams, and Fred Credle each forced Georgia State fumbles in the last meeting with the Panthers. The three force fumbles ties the mark for the most in a game. The Monarchs also had three forced fumbles against Campbell and VMI in 2010.

Additionally, the four fumble recoveries - Alex Arain, Donald Smith and two by Wilkins, were the most by the Monarchs in a game thus far in the three seasons of ODU football. The previous high of three came in 2009 in a loss at Fordham.

Also, the Monarchs' 10 pass break-ups were the most by the team in its three year history. Led by T.J. Cowart's three, ODU surpasses its previous high of nine against Presbyterian in 2009.

BREAKING-UP IS HARD TO DO:
T.J. Cowart registered three pass break-ups in last year's win over Georgia State. Not only did he have a trio vs. Panthers, but he also had them against #12/13 William & Mary and Gardner-Webb, last season tying for the most in a game by a Monarch. Cowart has interrupted opponent quarterback throws 15 times in his three years at Old Dominion as the Monarchs' leader in the stat.

12th MONARCH MOMENTS:
Thanks to the "Blue Out" at Foreman Field and all the noise of being "Loud and Proud" from the 12th Monarchs, Georgia State had nine penalties, the most penalties by an opponent on ODU's home field.

THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS:
Jarod Brown's 44-yard field goal that gave ODU a 17-6 edge over Georgia State heading into the half was his third longest field goal of his career. Brown's longest field goal as 45 yard against N.C. Central and he also hit a 43-yard attempt in ODU's 41-14 win over Campbell last weeekend.

ANOTHER ODU FIRST - CAA WEEKLY AWARDS:
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Antonio Vaughan was rewarded for his impressive Monarch debut against Campbell last Saturday by being named CAA Football's Rookie of the Week, ODU's first CAA weekly award in the program's history. Vaughan finished his Monarch debut, a 41-14 win for Old Dominion over Campbell in the season-opener, with 191 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. He hauled in six catches for 97 yards, including a 34-yard second-quarter touchdown pass from Thomas DeMarco. Vaughan later showed his ground skills by scampering 30 yards to paydirt in the third quarter, boosting the ODU lead to 38-7. The CAA Football Rookie of the Week was also effective in the Monarchs' return game posting a 16-yard punt return and two kickoff returns for 48 yards.

WIN STREAK:
With the 41-14 win over Campbell in week one, the Monarchs' extended their win streak to six games, the fourth longest win streak among FCS teams.

Team:	League:	Streak:	Last Loss:
Dayton	Pioneer	W10	9/11/10 - L, 35-31 vs. Duquesne
Penn	Ivy	W8	9/25/10 - L, 22-10 vs. Villanova
Texas Southern	Southwestern	W8	9/25/10 - L, 21-14 vs. Tuskegee
Florida A&M	Mid-Eastern	W7	10/2/10 - L, 19-0 vs. S. Carolina St.
Old Dominion	Colonial	W6	10/9/10 - L, 50-37 vs. Cal Poly
Norfolk State	Mid-Eastern	W5	10/23/10 - L, 17-13 vs. Florida A&M
Colgate	Patriot	W4	10/30/10 - L, 44-14 vs. Lehigh

WELCOME NEWBIES:
While the coaching staff has been excited about a veteran team taking the field for the 2011 inaugural CAA season, you can't forget about the newcomers who are making an impact already after week one. 19 Monarchs took their first snaps in the 41-14 win over Campbell last Saturday and among them were a pair of starters in redshirt freshmen wide receiver Antonio Vaughan, running back Angus Harper and safety Eriq Lewis. Vaughan received CAA Rookie of the Week honors after collecting 191 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns and making six catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Harper ran the ball 10 times for 28 yards and a touchdown. Lewis made four tackles and had a pass break-up. Also getting into the mix were true freshman Josh Mann, a local product from nearby Virginia Beach and Ocean Lakes High School, who played at right guard and Lorenzo Smith, who lead the rushing corps with 14 carries for 65 yards. Smith had only been a member of the running back crew for the last two weeks after moving from cornerback during preseason camp due to the injury to Mario Crawford. Other true freshmen getting playing time - long snapper Rick Lovato, wide receivers Blair Roberts and Jakwail Bailey, tight end Mitch Castleberry, and on defense, safety Neal-Anthony Hale and linebacker James Faircloth.

IT'S OKAY, YOU CAN SCORE FIRST:
Campbell struck first in the 2011 season opener, the sixth time the opponents have scored first in the Monarchs' 23-game history. However all six times ended in victory for the Monarchs including 2010 games with Monmouth, Georgia State, and VMI, as well as 2009 contests with Jacksonville and Presbyterian.

IMPRESSIVE DEBUT:
Wide receiver Antonio Vaughan finished his Monarch debut with 191 all-purpose yards (30 rush, 97 rec., 48 kick return, 16 punt return), the third highest total in the Monarchs' young history. Only Thomas DeMarco (224 yds. vs. N.C. Central - 2009) and Colby Goodwyn (356 yds. vs. Cal Poly - 2010) have had more. Vaughan gave ODU the 28-7 edge with 4:36 remaining in the second quarter, with his first career touchdown. He had his second touchdown on the play following a fumble forced by Keenan Terry and recovery by John Darr in the third quarter.

FIRST SCORING OF THE YEAR:
Kai Blanco scored the first ODU touchdown of the 2011 season. It was his third touchdown of his career. He also had scores against William & Mary and VMI last season. Other first touchdowns of the season came by Marquel Thomas in 2009 and Prentice Gill in 2010 versus Jacksonville.

ON THE PASS:
Thomas DeMarco, gave ODU a 21-7 edge, with his 26th rushing touchdown of his career. The senior signal caller finished with 310 passing yards, the fourth time he has passed for 300 or more yards in a game.

FLYING THROUGH THE UPRIGHTS:
Jarod Brown had a 32-yard and 45-yard field goals to improve to 13-14 all-time in field goals. His second field goal was three yards short of tying his longest - 48 at N.C. Central in last year's season finale. He was also 5-of-5 on PAT's improving to 44-of-46 all-time. The most PAT's that have sailed through the uprights for Brown was when he went 6-of-6 against Savannah State and VMI last year.

MORE PEOPLE WATCH THE MONARCHS WIN:
A new attendance mark was set in the Monarchs' home opener against Campbell in week one thanks to new seats in the loge level of the Ainslie Game Day Building. 19,818 people were in attendance to witness the Monarchs' 41-14 victory over the Camels.

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