NORFOLK — From padded reaching sticks to gauntlets of tackling dummies to good, old-fashioned two-man strip drills, college football coaches will try just about anything to keep their ball-carriers from fumbling.
Old Dominion is officially open to ideas.
The scuffling Monarchs enter Saturday’s noon homecoming game against Appalachian State with the dubious distinction of leading the nation with 18 turnovers, including 10 fumbles lost.
If ODU (4-3, 1-2 Sun Belt) plans to reverse its recently declining fortunes, ideas for holding on to the ball can only help.
“There’s about 422,000 drills on that stuff,” sixth-year coach Ricky Rahne said. “In fact, if you really wanted to be wealthy, then you’d continue to come up with things that coaches will buy, because we will buy, basically, any dumb invention that may limit one less fumble.”
The Monarchs committed three turnovers in last week’s 63-27 loss at rival James Madison. Five turnovers helped derail a 48-24 loss at Marshall a week earlier.
The snake-bitten setbacks have left ODU, considered a chief contender for a league title just three weeks ago, scrambling to regain its footing with five regular-season games remaining.
With help from the remaining opponents of first-place JMU, the Monarchs aren’t entirely out of the conversation for an East Division crown.
Bowl eligibility for the first time in two years remains firmly on the table. Of ODU’s remaining opponents, only App State (4-3, 1-2) and Troy (5-2, 3-0) sit above .500 overall.
But after a 4-1 start that included blowout wins over North Carolina Central, Virginia Tech and Coastal Carolina was reduced to imploded rubble, the Monarchs have turned their focus inward.
“I would say we’re still confident,” said senior offensive lineman Stephon Dubose-Bourne, a former star at Indian River High in Chesapeake. “We know who we are. We just have to make certain changes. Just go back to doing what we always do.”
The Monarchs had five turnovers in their first three games, three of which came in a 27-14 season-opening loss at Indiana, now the nation’s second-ranked team.
ODU survived four turnovers in the rain against Liberty and coughed the ball up just once in a 47-7 defeat of Coastal.
Eight turnovers, four of them fumbles, have come in the past two games, leading to seven touchdowns and a field goal.
Turnover prevention drills abound on the internet, with coaches from the peewee ranks to the NFL lending their ideas on how to stamp out a basically unavoidable problem that’s as old as the game itself.
But it starts between the earholes of the man with the ball.
“You don’t want to play scared,” Rahne said. “You talk about the techniques. You talk about the fundamentals.
“It can’t be a situation where it’s like, ‘Don’t drop it,’ or, ‘Don’t fumble’ — all those sort of things. It’s got to be a thing where we speak in the affirmative and show guys what to do in order to allow them to execute.”
The Monarchs have turned the ball over three or more times on four occasions this season. Yet to play a turnover-free game, they are 3-0 when they’ve committed just one.
ODU, essentially, has been two teams this season. There’s the 4-1 bunch that seemed destined for — at a minimum — the program’s first winning season since 2016. And then there’s the more recent 0-2 iteration that has looked nothing short of hapless at times.
Despite the recent trend to the contrary, the Monarchs remain in search of the former.
“Obviously, the past two weeks haven’t been our best ball,” said sophomore cornerback Zion Frink. “I feel like in the locker room, we know we’re them boys. We still feel confident and know that we’re the guys.”
David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.
Appalachian State (4-3, 1-2 Sun Belt) at Old Dominion (4-3, 1-2)
Appalachian State running back Rashod Dubinion runs after a catch against Oregon State during the first quarter of a game in Boone, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
When: noon
On the air: ESPNU, 94.1 FM
The Mountaineers: Despite recent wins over Oregon State and Georgia State, App State remains in search of consistency. The Mountaineers have won two, lost two, won two and lost one, the latter a 45-37 home setback to Coastal Carolina. App State sits near the middle of the Sun Belt pack in scoring offense (27.9 ppg) and scoring defense (28.1 ppg). Senior RB Rashod Dubinion, a transfer from Arkansas, leads the league with 100.7 rushing ypg, though his progress could be hampered this week by significant injuries on the offensive line.
The Monarchs: As much as anything, ODU’s success has been tied directly to its ability to hold on to the ball. The Monarchs have committed eight turnovers in their past two games, both unsightly losses that served to hijack one of the most promising starts in program history. QB Colton Joseph (1,690 passing yards, 16 TDs, 8 INTs) is among the nation’s most efficient rushers, but he’s thrown four picks in two games. The Monarchs are third in the Sun Belt with 182.9 passing ypg allowed. App State leads the league with 277.9 passing ypg.
As the season turns
Old Dominion leads the nation with 18 turnovers this season. Results have varied.
Opponent;ODU turnovers;Result
No. 2 Indiana;3;L, 27-14
N.C. Central;1;W, 54-6
Virginia Tech;1;W, 45-26
Liberty;4;W, 21-7
Coastal Carolina;1;W, 47-7
Marshall;5;L, 48-24
James Madison;3;L, 63-27
Source: ODU Athletics
