Preview: Q&A with Old Dominion Beat Writer David Hall

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — When CJ Windham watches game film of Old Dominion, it's almost like the wide receiver is looking in a mirror.

Maybe not in style, as the Monarchs have slight schematic differences, particularly on defense, from what Middle Tennessee does. But the persona of ODU? The demeanor, the way they carry themselves, the swagger of a team playing well and wanting to capitalize on that level of play?

Yeah, that looks like the Blue Raiders.

"I'm seeing a team that's clearly hungry," Windham said. "They're trying to accomplish the same things that we're trying to accomplish at this point, trying to make it to a bowl game (and) extend the season a little bit."

Old Dominion started this year sluggishly, going 1-6 in their first seven games, with that lone win coming against FCS foe Hampton. But as the Monarchs have dived deeper into C-USA play, they enter this Saturday's game on a three-game win streak, with victories over Louisiana Tech, FIU and FAU. Now, with just two games remaining in the season, ODU stands a chance to reach bowl eligibility in Ricky Rahne's first full season as head coach.

While Rahne was hired after the 2019 season, ODU opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so their season opener against Wake Forest was the program's first game in 643 Days. Old Dominion is the second team Middle Tennessee will face this season who opted out of 2020's season, as UConn also did not play any games in 2020.

"This is a good football team coming in here, much improved," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "Their quarterback, I've been very impressed with him. He's done a good job protecting the ball, their running backs are good. They've got big tight ends, very special. They've got a bunch of guys that have played a bunch of ball up front."

The Monarchs' quarterback, Hayden Wolff, who took over the starting job halfway through the season at Western Kentucky, has given ODU a jump start in the back half of their schedule, throwing for more than 280 yards three times in four starts. The redshirt freshman is 3-1 as a starter, and has thrown for five touchdowns across those four games.

On defense, the Monarchs did an excellent job keeping the FAU Owl offense off the scoreboard last week, holding Willie Taggert's team to just 16 points and scoring twice themselves on two safeties.

"Defensively, they don't give up a lot of big plays. They haven't created a lot of turnovers, but they're not giving up a bunch of plays. Very good up front, linebackers can run. Secondary is going to challenge us, they'll mix up their coverages in man and zone."

But with the 5-5 Blue Raiders also staring down a potential bowl in their future, the first potential perfect home season since 2001, it's not hard to see how hungry Middle Tennessee is to get back to postseason play for the first time since 2018.

"We know they're going to give their best effort, and I hope they know they're going to get our best effort also, because we're both fighting for the same thing," Stockstill said.

GoBlueRaiders.com sat down with David Hall, who covers Old Dominion football for the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., to get a closer look at the Monarchs.

1) It's clear that the offense has been playing much more efficiently since Hayden Wolff took over as starting quarterback. What are some of his best skills as a signal caller, and who are some of his favorite targets he looks to when he needs to make a play through the air?

Wolff is an accurate passer, as his 61.7 completion percentage indicates. He's not especially mobile, but he does a nice job of going to alternate reads in a hurry. Tight end Zack Kuntz, a transfer who followed coach Ricky Rahne from Penn State, and West Virginia transfer Ali Jennings have emerged as Wolff's favorite targets. The sure-handed Kuntz offers considerable size at 6 foot 8, and the 6-2 Jennings somehow manages to catch balls that he has no business catching.

2) Blake Watson has also been key to the Monarchs' resurgence, running for over 100 yards in each of the past five games. What are some of his best traits as a running back, and how has the offensive line developed this season to help him lead the rushing attack?

At just 5-9 and 193 pounds, Watson is simply slippery. He's really tough to tackle, and he's a master at taking what the offensive line gives him. An offensive lineman told me recently that the line takes great pride in Watson's growing numbers. Those guys don't really have stats, so they view what Watson does as a reflection of their own success. The line has gone from a collection of five pennies to a cohesive nickel, working together seamlessly to create holes for Watson that he has a knack for finding.

3) While the offensive resurgence has gotten a lot of attention during the Monarch's win streak, the defense has clearly improved as well from the team's opener at Wake Forest. Which unit of the defense is playing the best right now, and who should Blue Raiders fans keep an eye on for ODU when MT has the ball?

Linebacker Jordan Young is the unquestioned leader of the defense, and he's fun to watch. Nobody seems able to block him for long, and he seems to be a factor on every play. Defensive end Marcus Haynes headlines a defensive line that has been increasingly effective and has probably become the defense's most influential unit.

4) ODU currently leads the country in blocked kicks, with six through 10 games, including the huge blocked PAT returned for two points against FAU last week. What has led to that success? Is there a particular unit, like the defensive line or linebackers, that has a knack for breaking through the line on special teams in those situations?

Anybody playing on those special teams units would tell you that they should've blocked more. The Monarchs just get to the ball, and no one can pinpoint exactly why — other than that it's something they work on every day. The bulk of the credit certainly goes to the line, though it was safety R'Tarriun Johnson who found himself in the right place at the right time and returned that blocked PAT against FAU. That's a sign of a collective effort.

5) Old Dominion has clearly picked up some momentum in the back half of their season, winning three straight games entering Saturday's contest and putting the Monarchs right on the edge of bowl eligibility if they can win out. What do you think will be the keys for ODU to get a win on the road in Murfreesboro this week?

Certainly, winning at the line of scrimmage will be paramount, as it is each week. ODU's players have fully bought into Rahne's "1-0" mentality. That is, they want to win each snap, each series, each quarter, each half, etc., until they've put together a complete game. The Monarchs will need to take care of the ball, create some turnovers and do what they've been doing in recent weeks. By the way, don't ask them about bowl eligibility unless you want to hear an answer littered with "1-0." They truly don't seem to look beyond the next play.

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Players Mentioned

CJ Windham

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics