NORFOLK — It was neither as sexy nor as thorough a win as Old Dominion has had this season, but it might have been just as telling.

Rain or shine, the Monarchs continue to look like they might be for real.

Colton Joseph passed for 271 yards and three touchdowns Saturday night, and ODU used a 14-point second quarter to glide to a 21-7 nonconference victory over Liberty at soggy and sparsely populated S.B. Ballard Stadium.

The Monarchs (4-1) won for a third straight time and remain poised to contend for a Sun Belt Conference title as their league schedule begins with next week’s home game against Coastal Carolina.

ODU’s lone loss came in the season opener at Indiana, which is now ranked 11th in the Associated Press poll.

The Flames extinguished their last best chance to get back into the game when, trailing by the final margin, they lost a fumble near midfield with 4:03 to go.

The Monarchs won despite losing two fumbles inside the Liberty 10-yard line. They missed field-goal tries of 52 and 32 yards, the latter after a bobbled snap with 4:33 left.

A heavy afternoon rain mostly subsided into the evening, but not before leaving The Steve’s playing surface soggier than microwaved pizza.

The victory came two weeks and an open date after ODU handed Virginia Tech a program-altering 45-26 loss on the road. It came three weeks after the Monarchs perpetrated a 54-6 beating of FCS program North Carolina Central to open the home portion of the schedule.

ODU took a 21-7 lead when Joseph found a streaking Ja’Cory Thomas open down the left sideline for a 55-yard touchdown with 13:17 remaining in the game. Liberty pulled to within 14-7 on Julian Gray’s 4-yard touchdown run with 9:11 to go in the third quarter.

Gray’s diving effort came three plays after Michael Merdinger’s 53-yard bomb to Donte Lee.

The Monarchs squandered a late first-half chance when Jospeh lost a fumble just before crossing the goal line. ODU settled for a 14-0 lead going into halftime.

The Monarchs held a 271-74 advantage in first-half total offense.

A 31-yard touchdown bomb from Joseph to Thomas put ODU ahead 14-0 with 4:01 left in the second quarter.

The score came after a 41-yard pass from Joseph to Tre Brown III moved the Monarchs out of the shadow of their own goalposts an- into Liberty territory.

The first quarter-and-a-half was dominated, mostly, by a punt-off, with neither team gaining serious offensive traction.

Joseph’s 22-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open TJ Johnson finally broke the ice, giving the Monarchs a 7-0 lead with 7:34 left in the first half. The score was the first of Johnson’s career since transferring from Southwest Mississippi Community College.

ODU missed its best early opportunity when Ricardo Williams recovered a Liberty fumble on the Flames’ 3-yard line a minute into the second quarter. But the Monarchs’ Maurki James fumbled it back at the 2 just three plays later.

The weather, even with mid-70s temperatures as rain poured over the Southeast, left most of what was expected to be a sellout crowd doing other things with their Saturday.

The stands on both sides of the stadium were merely dotted with the poncho-draped brave, even as the rain slowed to a trickle well before halftime.

Liberty quarterback Ethan Vasko, a former Oscar Smith High star whose status was questionable because of a nagging shoulder injury, played sparingly and split the game with backups.

The teams played to a 0-0 tie in the first quarter. Liberty’s Jay Billingsley was wide left on a 46-yard field-goal try to end his team’s first possession.

Liberty cornerback Amarian Williams was ejected for targeting in the final seconds of the first quarter.

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/09/27/odu-holds-off-liberty-for-third-straight-win/