NORFOLK — Had René Descartes been an offensive coordinator, even he might’ve wrestled with one of the profession’s most ancient practical dilemmas.
Scoring suddenly, with all its mood-altering benefits, is a joy. Orchestrating protracted drives, inherent hiccups and all, is a business.
Old Dominion coach Ricky Rahne, armed with years of play-calling experience, has his own discourse on the method.
A nine-minute scoring drive in the fourth quarter, executed in 2019 against Indiana when Rahne was Penn State’s coordinator, stands as more than a mere career highlight.
“Other than the birth of my children, which I’m obligated to say, and my marriage, it was the most joyous moment of my entire life,” Rahne said.
“You can’t be too good, because if you keep getting first downs on first and second, you can never hold the ball for nine minutes. It’s impossible.”
The Nittany Lions won that game 34-27 after Rahne’s offense went 75 yards in 18 plays, converting twice on third and fourth down.
But it hardly fits with the Monarchs’ recent m.o. as they head into Saturday’s Sun Belt Conference game at Louisiana-Monroe with bowl eligibility on the line.
ODU (5-3, 2-2 Sun Belt) is tied for the nation’s lead with both 16 plays of 40 or more yards and seven of 70 or more.
The Monarchs have scored from 80 or more yards on three occasions, including Colton Joseph’s school-record 98-yard touchdown pass to Tre Brown in an otherwise forgettable 63-27 loss at James Madison on Oct. 18.
By the time Ke’Travion Hargrove hauled in a short Joseph pass, crossed the midfield logo and left an Appalachian State defender diving at his heels in the first quarter last week, it was again obvious that ODU isn’t usually in the waiting-around business.
The 70-yard touchdown, part of a 24-21 win, came after ODU had run six handoffs and an incomplete pass over the course of two possessions.
The propensity to strike quickly is no accident.
“We take a lot of pride in it,” said junior receiver Ja’Cory Thomas, who has four touchdown catches. “Just having those explosive guys on the field, it makes it hard.”
The Monarchs hinted at Rahne’s 2019 moment of nirvana against App State. Leading 24-14 with 9:20 left, ODU got the ball on its own 9-yard line. A 14-play, 70-yard drive ended with a missed field goal, just a first down shy of closing out the game with one final epic possession.
An offense that can strike suddenly can be dangerous. One that can maneuver methodically when the situation calls for it, as Rahne saw at Penn State, can be lethal.
Monarchs offensive coordinator Kevin Decker, who ran Fordham’s record-setting unit before joining Rahne’s staff in 2023, doesn’t try to lull defenses to sleep to set up game-changing plays, Rahne said.
But checkmate can’t be declared until all the pieces are positioned to pounce. Besides, they can’t all go for 70 yards.
“We’d like to be a little bit more consistent on some things, but we’re going to look for those opportunities to get a big play as well,” Rahne said. “And when we have them, we’re going to take advantage of them. Or we’re going to try them and get them going.”
For those trying to defend against it, ODU’s sniping requires focus.
“It’s hard. You can’t really plan against it,” said Mario Easterly, a junior safety who squares off against the offense in practice. “You’ve just got to go out there and try to win your one-on-one. I’m going to take our guys over anyone, so it’s hard to stop. But I’m glad they’re on our side.”
Rahne, with the blood of a ruthless coordinator still coursing through his veins, will take touchdowns at any pace.
He proposed a hypothetical game in which his offense scores first-play touchdowns on eight consecutive possessions, rendering the mostly nonsense time-of-possession stat moot.
No defense, he reasoned, minds strapping up immediately with seven more points on the board.
Still, Rahne couldn’t help feeling nostalgic about a game-sealing drive in his last job. Leaving no room for even Cartesian doubt, it showed what an offense can do at the other end of the spectrum.
“I’ve never been happier on anything,” Rahne said. “I shouldn’t even say the birth of my children, because what did I do? I mean, my wife did all that. I didn’t do it. I just stood there and rooted on her and the doctor.”
David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.
Old Dominion (5-3, 2-2 Sun Belt) at Louisiana-Monroe (3-5, 1-3)
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
On the air: ESPN+, 94.1FM
The Monarchs: One victory away from its first bowl bid in two years and its third in coach Ricky Rahne’s five seasons, ODU is laser-focused on the task at hand: winning this week. The Monarchs, who at least sidled up to the national conversation after a 4-1 start, took a sharp turn downward after unsightly losses to Marshall and James Madison. Last week’s 24-21 win over Appalachian State served to level things off. QB Colton Joseph, after struggling at times for two weeks, passed for 310 yards and three TDs against App State. With 209.8 ypg, ODU has the Sun Belt’s most productive rushing offense.
The Warhawks: After a 3-1 start, ULM has lost four straight, including last week’s 49-21 defeat at Southern Miss. With 21 ppg, the Warhawks rank 13th in the Sun Belt in scoring offense. ULM’s defense is allowing just 183.9 passing ypg, which leads the league. RB Ahmad Hardy leads the SBC with 112.6 rushing ypg, and he’s tied for the lead with 13 rushing TDs. The Warhawks aren’t afraid to take shots down the field on offense, but success has rarely come. They’re last in the league with 30 offensive touchdowns. ULM’s schedule includes a 73-0 loss at Alabama, now the nation’s fourth-ranked team. The Warhawks have never faced ODU.
https://www.dailypress.com/2025/10/31/sudden-tds-are-fine-for-odu-but-so-are-the-methodical-ones/
