NORFOLK— Old Dominion’s record in recent seasons might smack of mediocrity, but the Monarchs stand out like no other team in one department.

They’re rarely out of a game.

ODU has played in 20 one-score contests in the past two seasons, six more than any other Football Bowl Subdivision program.

The Monarchs are 9-11 in such games, an indicator that a team with two postseason appearances in sixth-year coach Ricky Rahne’s tenure could be closer to indisputable success than it appears.

ODU had nine one-score games in 2024, going 3-6, and an NCAA-record 11 a season earlier.

This being neither horseshoes nor hand grenades, Rahne and his staff have worked to find whatever alchemy might get the program on the right side of close.

“If there was one thing, we would’ve got it solved during the year,” said Rahne, whose team opens the season Saturday at No. 20 Indiana. “Unfortunately, it was a number of different factors, and it wasn’t always finishing. Some of those games, we were coming back kind of furious.

“We’ve got to play a four-quarter game, and we’ve got to be consistent. That’s what we have to do in order to win those games.”

The Monarchs are 20-30 under Rahne, a former offensive coordinator at Penn State. They last had a winning season in 2016, when they went 10-3 and won the Bahamas Bowl under program-founding coach Bobby Wilder.

Rahne took over in 2020, after a 1-11 season got Wilder fired. ODU canceled the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Rahne to wait a year before hitting the sideline.

When he did, the near-misses commenced. The Monarchs played five one-score games in both of Rahne’s first two active seasons, going 2-3 in both. That means 60% of the 50 games Rahne has coached at the school have gone down to the wire, one way or the other.

The drama can be compelling for fans, but it leaves the players and staff looking for explanations.

“The difference is we’ve just got to dig deep,” said linebacker Mario Thompson, a junior from Richmond. “We’ve got to look beside the point. Don’t think about the play that made the game so tight. Just think about how much time we’ve got left on the clock to win that game.”

As Rahne pointed out, the 2024 season saw comebacks both failed and successful. It saw late field goals and touchdowns and last-ditch onside kicks.

Had the Monarchs gone even 6-3 instead of 3-6 in one-score games last season, they would’ve finished 8-4 in the regular season and awaited the extra practices that a bowl bid precipitates.

ODU would’ve also erased its ugly streak of seven straight losing seasons, which is a bar too low for Rahne to set for his team.

“If I start to think about trying to get a winning record and all those sort of things, if anything, I’m limiting ourselves,” Rahne said. “So if we go and we get to 7-6, now I’m supposed to be satisfied? I don’t think that that’s a great message to our team either.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

Old Dominion one-score games* since 2023:

Date Opponent Result

9/9/23 vs. Louisiana W, 38-31

9/16/23 vs Wake Forest L, 27-24

9/23/23 vs. Texas A&M Univeristy-Commerce W, 10-9

9/30/23 at Marshall L, 41-35

10/7/23 at Southern Miss W, 17-13

10/21/23 vs. Appalachian State W, 28-21

10/28/23;at James Madison;L, 30-27

11/4/23 vs. Coastal Carolina L, 28-24

11/18/23 at Georgia Southern W, 20-17

11/25/23 vs. Georgia State W, 25-24

12/18/23^ vs. Western Kentucky L, 38-35, OT

8/31/24 at South Carolina L, 23-19

9/7/24 vs. East Carolina L, 20-14

9/28/24 at Bowling Green W, 30-27

10/5/24 at Coastal Carolina L, 45-37

10/12/24 at Georgia State W, 21-14

11/2/24 at Appalachian State L, 28-20

11/16/24 vs. James Madison L, 35-32

11/23/24 vs. Marshall L, 42-35

11/30/24 at Arkansas State W, 40-32

*includes possible two-point conversions

^Famous Toastery Bowl

Source: Old Dominion Athletics

Standouts

Old Dominion University linebacker Jason Henderson lines up with the defensive line during practice at L.R. Hill Sports Complex in Norfolk on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)

Jason Henderson: Sr., 6-1, 225, LB. After defying the odds and working his way back from an injury suffered late in 2023, the two-time All-American went out for the year after a knee injury in the 2024 opener at South Carolina. Henderson led the nation in tackles per game in 2023 and could challenge the NCAA career record if he stays healthy.

Colton Joseph, So., 6-2, 200, QB: Joseph took over starting duties early last season and passed for 1,627 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 647 yards and 11 scores, making defenses account for his mobility — especially after adding 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason.

Ryan Joyce: Sr., 6-4, 304, C: A rare seventh-year transfer from Fordham, Joyce anchors a veteran offensive line as a block-caller who has seen it all.

Devin Roche: So., 5-7, 172, RB/KR: A Baltimore native, Roche is among the players hoping to make up for the production of the departed Aaron Young’s 887 rushing yards last season. The dynamic Roche will also handle the bulk of ODU’s returns.

Koa Naotala: Jr., 5-11, 222, LB: A former walk-on out of Newport News, Naotala led the Monarchs with 88 tackles last season in Henderson’s absence. He is questionable moving forward with an undisclosed injury.

Storylines

BGSU’s Terion Stewart is brought down by Old Dominion’s Koa Naotala and Mario Thompson during a college football game at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green on Saturday, September 28, 2024.

Seeking cigars: The Monarchs have played in 20 one-score games in the past two seasons, winning nine. That includes 16 Sun Belt Conference games, of which they won 14. Winning more nail-biters outside of the league could finally change the program’s fortunes.

Add one more: When he starts at Indiana, Colton Joseph will become ODU’s 10th opening day starter at quarterback in 11 seasons. Grant Wilson, now a backup for the Hoosiers, started consecutive seasons before transferring.

Hendu’s health: All-American linebacker Jason Henderson has battled injuries both of the past two seasons. He spent the offseason rehabbing his left knee, and ODU’s defense might only be as healthy as he is.

A tough road: After opening at Indiana, the Monarchs take on North Carolina Central, Virginia Tech and Liberty. To many, emerging better than 1-3 from that start would be gravy.

Now or never? Sixth-year coach Ricky Rahne has taken the Monarchs to two bowl games in five seasons on the field, but he hasn’t yet had a winning season. His contract is up in 2026. Rahne said he doesn’t base his personal happiness on how his team does in a season. “That’s not how any competitor goes into it,” he said. “Every year I go into is make-or-break.”

Schedule

Old Dominion University head coach Ricky Rahne takes notes during practice at L.R. Hill Sports Complex in Norfolk on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)

Aug. 30: at Indiana, 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 6. vs. North Carolina Central, 6 p.m.

Sept. 13 at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m.

Sept. 27 vs. Liberty, tba

Oct. 4 vs. Coastal Carolina, tba

Oct. 11 at Marshall, tba

Oct. 18 at James Madison, tba

Oct. 25 vs. Appalachian State, tba

Nov. 1 at ULM, tba

Nov. 13 vs. Troy, 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 22 at Georgia Southern, tba

Nov. 29 vs. Georgia State, tba

https://www.dailypress.com/2025/08/28/college-football-preview-odu/