NORFOLK — Any nerves Old Dominion had Thursday about playing on national TV were hard to detect.
Its defense displayed a camera presence worthy of a Primetime Emmy.
Devin Roche rushed for a career-high 145 yards, Colton Joseph accounted for three touchdowns and the Monarchs dominated the line of scrimmage in a 33-0 Sun Belt Conference victory over Troy at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
With the win, which came before an ESPN audience, ODU (7-3, 4-2 Sun Belt) locked up its first winning season since 2016.
Joseph, a dual-threat sophomore quarterback, passed for 147 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 90 yards and two more scores.
The Monarchs held Troy (6-4, 4-2) to 139 yards of total offense while generating 503.
ODU set a program record with nine sacks while pitching its first shutout since a 6-0 win over Charlotte in 2017.
David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.
