Rahne wants his players to build confidence. He wants to further evaluate his players, especially the younger ones. And he wants his players, who have yet to win a game this season, to put in enough work while getting themselves healthy after a frustrating start.

The Monarchs (0-3) have Saturday off before heading to Bowling Green next week for their final non-conference game.

Close losses to South Carolina and East Carolina, followed by last week’s 37-17 home loss to Virginia Tech, have ODU reminding itself that there are still plenty of reasons to soldier on.

“We need to win games,” Rahne said Monday at his weekly news conference. “We’ve had the opportunity to win games, and we haven’t done it. And that is my job. But our season is very, very far from being over. We have a lot — a lot — of things to accomplish left in this year.”

The full Sun Belt Conference schedule, which begins Oct. 5 at Coastal Carolina, remains in front of the Monarchs. A league title is still firmly within reach.

Despite the losses, Rahne’s players believe the locker room is in fine shape.

“We’re all still working towards the same goal: winning the conference championship,” said safety Jahron Manning, who had a career-high 11 tackles against the Hokies. “I know a lot of people think about the 12-team playoff championship and everything like that. We’ve pretty much let that go out of our heads. So we’re mainly focused on Sun Belt and getting that goal accomplished.”

The Monarchs’ offense continues to be troubled at the line of scrimmage. After surrendering 62 sacks last season, they’ve given up an average of five per game this year.

This week is anything but a vacation.

“We need to grow,” running back Aaron Young said. “This is a big week for us. It’s huge. Day in and day out, we need to find a way to get better each day. Don’t let this week just slip away. Be in the moment every day and trust the process.”

Asked Monday about the sacks, Rahne gave a detailed breakdown of technical issues the team’s linemen have battled, most of them based on footwork and leverage at the point of attack.

After ODU rushed for 243 yards and passed for just 50 against Tech, Rahne gave a more general description of a blocker’s job.

“It’s a difficult thing,” he said. “Let’s just be honest. That’s why those guys get paid $30 million at the next level, right? Because it’s not an easy thing to do to go backward at a level and be able to react when you’re 300, 315 pounds, and you’re going against some of the greatest athletes in the world. But guess what: That’s what’s required, so we need to do it.”

ODU practiced Sunday night. Tuesday and Wednesday practices will follow, with sprinkles of a game plan for Bowling Green.

The players will lift weights and run on Thursday as their coaches scatter to recruit through the weekend.

Meanwhile, the players will work on what Rahne calls “eye discipline,” which involves not being fooled by motion, jukes or shifts.

Before Saturday’s game, the Monarchs had played in 14 one-score games in their previous 16 outings. It’s a phenomenon that can make a kicker feel especially valuable.

“I go to bed at night thinking, ‘How can I help this team?’ ” kicker Ethan Sanchez said. “Being a kicker, I’m not the biggest. I’m not the strongest. I’m low-key fast, though, and I do think I could help the team out with these one-score games.”

Kicker speed aside, Rahne had certain metrics going into the Tech game that weren’t met.

The Monarchs wanted to win the rushing yardage battle, which they didn’t. They didn’t want to give up extra yards on sacks or by failing to sustain blocks, which they did. And they wanted to get more turnovers than their opponent, which they didn’t.

The Hokies held ODU to zero yards of offense in a dismal third quarter that served as the game’s turning point.

It’s one of the reasons most of ODU’s players will stay on campus and work toward getting better this week despite the lack of a game.

“I think even the kids want it to be like an NFL bye week, where they see the guys going off to the Bahamas and everything,” Rahne said. “One, you don’t have a private plane. Two, you have class, and he doesn’t.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

In fact, the Monarchs had few answers for Virginia Tech at all.

Kyron Drones passed for 176 yards, rushed for another 117 and accounted for two touchdowns to lead Tech to a thoroughly dominant 37-17 win over the Monarchs at a packed S.B. Ballard Stadium.

The loss left ODU (0-3) winless this season while giving the Hokies (2-1) a 4-2 lead in the all-time series.

Bhayshul Tuten added 115 rushing yards and a pair of scores for Virginia Tech, which held a whopping 465-293 advantage in total offensive yards.

The Monarchs punted eight times, committed seven penalties for 74 yards, mustered just 50 passing yards from two backup quarterbacks and converted 1 of 12 on third down.

After leading 14-10 at halftime, the Hokies blew the game open.

“We didn’t play well enough in the third quarter to give ourselves a chance to win that football game,” ODU coach Ricky Rahne said. “I felt like we were ready and poised to play well in that quarter, and we didn’t. So that’s obviously on me.”

The Monarchs had played in 14 one-score games over their past 16, something Rahne attributed this week to his team’s competitiveness against a tough schedule.

Saturday’s portion of it proved too tough, especially shorthanded.

Already without injured All-American linebacker Jason Henderson for a second straight week, the Monarchs turned to their backup quarterbacks after incumbent starter Grant Wilson suffered an apparent left (non-throwing) wrist injury on the final play of the previous week’s 20-14 loss to East Carolina.

Joseph, a redshirt freshman, started and didn’t last the first quarter after Rahne decided to make a change. Henicle, a true freshman, completed 5 of 12 passes for 38 yards.

Neither player had experienced a single college snap.

The Monarchs were outgained 114-0 in the third quarter as Tech kicked a pair of field goals.

“Give credit to them,” said ODU running back Aaron Young, who had 67 of his team’s 243 rushing yards. “They played really hard. They have some talented players, some great coaches. We’ve just got to execute.”

Asked about the dismal performance on third down, Rahne pointed out that poor outcomes on previous downs likely exacerbated the problem.

Indeed, the Monarchs found themselves facing at least third-and-7 on nine occasions.

“We did not play well enough on those (previous) downs,” Rahne said, “which put us in too many third-and-longs, which obviously is going to put you behind the sticks — especially against a team that has very good pass rushers and very good corners.”

By the time Tariq Sims scored on a 16-yard run to pull the Monarchs to within the final margin with just more than three minutes to go, few people in the announced crowd of 22,208 were still around to see it.

The Hokies pretty much put it away when Tuten scored on a 22-yard run to put his team ahead 34-10 with 10:10 to go, turning many of the spectators into traffic-beaters.

Tuten’s 16-yard touchdown burst through ODU’s interior gave Tech a 27-10 lead five seconds into the fourth quarter.

John Love’s 32-yard field goal gave Tech a 20-10 lead midway through the third quarter. The kick came after the Hokies recovered an ODU fumble on the Monarchs’ 18.

Virginia Tech stretched its lead to 17-10 on Love’s 21-yard field goal with 10:53 remaining in the third quarter.

The Monarchs closed the gap to 14-10 on Ethan Sanchez’s 28-yard field goal with 5:14 left in the first half. The score was set up by Tech transfer Bryce Duke’s career-long 48-yard run against his former team.

Leading 14-7, the Hokies had a 33-yard field-goal try tipped wide left midway through the second quarter.

Henicle went 65 yards untouched around the right side to pull the Monarchs to within 14-7 with 13:13 left in  the second quarter.

Tech took a 14-0 lead on Drones’ 1-yard touchdown plunge on fourth-and-goal with 5:50 left in the first quarter.

The score followed a 48-yard pass from Drones to Jaylin Lane in which Drones fumbled the shotgun snap and recovered deftly.

The Hokies drew first blood when Drones found a wide-open Lane for a 25-yard touchdown pass on the game’s opening possession, giving Tech a 7-0 lead less than three minutes in.

Lane finished with 106 yards and a touchdown on seven catches.

ODU’s players lamented that another one slipped away.

“All credit to them,” said linebacker Koa Naotala. “But just fix a few mistakes, and you don’t know what would’ve happened.”

The Monarchs have a bye week before traveling to Bowling Green.

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

Tickets: Sold out. Some tickets are available on after-market sites, including StubHub — the cheapest Friday was $99.

Pre-game: Tailgate lots open at 2 p.m. and festivities at Kaufman Mall also begin at 2 p.m., including a music performance by Party Fins. The ODU Marching Band will play at 3:30, and the team will go through Kaufman with the Monarch March at 3:45.

Want to watch? The game is on ESPN+ with Chip Tarkenton doing play-by-play and Andy Mashaw as analyst.

Last time in Norfolk: “Disastrous” might be an understatement for the Hokies. ODU picked off four passes in a 20-17 victory, and Virginia Tech coaches were stuck in an elevator during halftime. After the game, the Hokies returned to find their locker room had been burglarized — no arrests have been reported.

The series: Virginia Tech leads 3-2 and won 36-17 last season in Blacksburg. The teams are scheduled to meet every season through 2031.

Hokies’ 757 connections: Two wide receivers — Ali Jennings and DaQuan Felton — transferred to Virginia Tech from ODU and Norfolk State, respectively. Felton, a graduate student, starred for Churchland High in Portsmouth, as did starting defensive end Antwaun Powell-Ryland. Others from the 757 include: WR Brodie Adams (Green Run High, Virginia Beach); DL Kemari Copeland (Kellam, Virginia Beach); LB George Ballance (Cox, Virginia Beach); DL Gerard Johnson III (Cox) and OL Griffin Duggan (Nansemond-Suffolk Academy). Defensive lineman James Jennette, a Durham, North Carolina, native, transferred in from William & Mary, while linebacker Kaleb Spencer is a sophomore from Gloucester who played at Life Christian Academy.

Now, they hope, comes the next step, and it’ll have to be taken against a historically successful program.

When Virginia Tech visits S.B. Ballard Stadium on Saturday for a 6 p.m. game, ODU doesn’t need to prove that a Group of Five team can beat one from the Power Four conferences. That’s been done.

The Monarchs opened the 2022 season with a 20-17 home win over Tech. They beat the then-No. 10 Hokies 49-35 at The Steve in 2018, shocking much of the football world.

The current iteration of ODU, quite simply, just needs to show it can play.

“With all due respect to everybody else, I want us to prove it to ourselves,” Monarchs coach Ricky Rahne said. “I want us to continue to prove that we are a good football team to each other so that we can continue to believe in that and have the trust of each other and things like that.”

The Monarchs (0-2) fell 23-19 at South Carolina to open the season, followed by Saturday’s 20-14 home defeat to East Carolina.

The losses ran ODU’s total of one-score games to 14 in its past 16 outings.

The Monarchs forced four turnovers against ECU, but only turned them into seven points.

ODU has averaged 296 yards of total offense and scored just four touchdowns.

“We know we’ve got to be better,” said receiver Diante Vines, a senior transfer from Iowa who came to the Monarchs after building a relationship with offensive coordinator Kevin Decker that started when Vines was in high school and Decker was at Fordham. “The defense gave us the ball four times, and we weren’t able to execute how we’re supposed to. That’s a key thing for us. We know we’ve got to be our brothers’ keeper. They’re doing their job for us to get the ball back, and we’ve got to make some plays.”

Doing it against Tech (1-1) could be a challenge. In a loss at Vanderbilt and a home win over Marshall, the Hokies have averaged 367.5 yards of total offense while finding the end zone seven times.

Among Tech’s weapons is former ODU receiver Ali Jennings, who transferred after the 2022 season.

Jennings, a senior from Richmond, has caught two passes for 91 yards and a touchdown after missing most of last season with an injury. His Norfolk past will have little to do with how he’s regarded by his former teammates.

“I still talk to Ali to this day,” said ODU defensive tackle Denzel Lowry, who starred at Landstown High in Virginia Beach. “He’s still cool people. But when he crosses that line on Saturday night at 6 o’clock, we ain’t homeboys no more.”

As big a deal as it would be for the Monarchs to beat Tech again, it would be a bigger deal for them to beat anybody.

After a bye week, they play at Bowling Green before beginning the Sun Belt schedule Oct. 5 at Coastal Carolina.

“It’s more about the internal thing,” Rahne said. “We’ve got to play good football for ourselves.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

Virginia Tech (1-1) at Old Dominion (0-2)

When: 6 p.m.

On the air: ESPN+, 94.1FM

The Hokies: Led by QB Kyron Drones (452 passing yards, three TDs, one INT), Tech ranks sixth in the ACC with 29.5 points per game. The Hokies are not only experienced, they’re experienced together. Their defensive line is a veteran unit with depth, and their skill-position players, like Drones, are candidates to play in the NFL. After opening last season with a 36-17 home win over ODU, Tech lost three straight before finishing the season at 7-6. RB Bhayshul Tuten has averaged 77 rushing yards per game with two TDs.

The Monarchs: The biggest question for ODU this week is who’s going to start at quarterback. Grant Wilson, a junior who passed for 2,149 yards last season, appeared to injure his left wrist on the final play of last week’s 20-14 loss to East Carolina. Coach Ricky Rahne, when asked if Wilson would be available, simply said he’d be evaluated. Backup Colton Joseph, a redshirt freshman, has never taken a college snap. Wilson could join All-American linebacker Jason Henderson, who did not play last week, on the shelf. Rahne said earlier this week that Henderson’s status had not changed. The Monarchs have been carried so far by their defense, which has allowed 377 yards of total offense per game, but just four TDs.

Jennings, who at that time was the featured wide receiver for Old Dominion, made sure his opponents that day would not forget him.

With the Hokies nursing a 17-13 lead with less than three minutes to play, Jennings took over the game. His 24-yard catch from quarterback Hayden Wolff put ODU at midfield, then he overcame blanket-like coverage from Dorian Strong for a 38-yard grab later in the series that set up the game-winning 1-yard TD run by Blake Watson with 37 seconds left to play.

Virginia Tech failed to respond, and the Monarchs spoiled Pry’s opener with a 20-17 win.

“That one was hurtful,” Pry said this week. “That was a heck of a play by him.”

Jennings, who finished with five receptions for 122 yards in that game, went on to enjoy a season where he had 54 catches for 959 yards and nine touchdowns. A few weeks after the season ended, Jennings entered the transfer portal and subsequently announced that when ODU and Virginia Tech met up for their 2023 rematch at Lane Stadium, he would be playing for the Hokies this time.

That night, Jennings caught five passes for 72 yards and scored twice in Virginia Tech’s 36-17 win.

Jennings remains a Hokie when he returns to his former home field in Norfolk for Saturday’s 6 p.m. game, but the past year was a much different experience for the sixth-year senior who grew up in Richmond. A week after the ODU game, Jennings suffered a lower-leg injury in a loss to Purdue that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

The Monarchs represent Jennings’ third opponent since returning to action at the start of this season, and he expects a lot of friends and family members to be in attendance. However, Jennings doesn’t want to look at his former team other than just being the next opponent.

“It’s just another game,” Jennings said. “Coach Pry challenged us this week because Virginia Tech is 0-2 at S.B. Ballard, and we have a chip on our shoulder. We expect to go down there and get a win and we’re preparing like that.”

The positive attitude Jennings showed in the early part of this season was not a certainty, considering how the last year has gone. The injury he suffered in the early minutes of the Purdue game not only ended his season, but his recovery regimen kept him away from his teammates more than anyone would have liked.

“I was kind of down for a little bit,” Jennings said. “I didn’t leave my apartment (for a while). My family came and stayed with me for about two weeks.

“They were taking care of me — my mom and my brother. Talking to them and talking to our sports psychologist (helped). And then my teammates were always checking in on me.”

Hokies receivers coach Fontel Mines, a former ODU assistant who said he has known Jennings since he started recruiting him in the mid-2010s and treats him like a family member, also phoned and visited his receiver regularly. Mines started feeling a little better about Jennings’ recovery once he had the ability to attend position meetings and practices.

“He’s a mature kid and responds to adversity better than anybody I’ve been around,” Mines said of Jennings before the football season. “He responded quickly. He probably went through a tough week or so, and he’d probably tell you he had some doubts and was a little depressed and down. But he was always around.

“Once he was back moving and off of the crutches, he wanted to come to away games, he wanted to be at practice, he wanted to be involved in meetings. I give a lot of credit to Ali for responding like that.”

Jennings’ rehabilitation went well enough to allow him to participate in the spring game, where he had 45 receiving yards in the first half. He continued to improve during fall camp, although both Pry and Mines were not ready to declare him fully back.

They felt much better about making such a statement following the Hokies’ opener at Vanderbilt, where Jennings gave the Hokies their first lead of the game when he sped past the entire Commodores secondary and caught a 62-yard touchdown pass from Kyron Drones — the first time the two had ever connected for a score — with 4:21 left.

While Vandy managed to rally and eventually beat the Hokies in overtime, seeing Jennings make his first big play since returning from injury gave his coaches some comfort.

“I was excited for him to get back into the end zone,” Mines said. “If you want to talk about a guy who’s confident, (Jennings) does not lack confidence. But I was happy for him. We celebrated and embraced, and his family was there. He’s happiest when he’s on the field.”

Jennings said he has also found a way to appreciate being a Hokies receiver when he’s not on the field. He was one of four veteran wideouts — joining Da’Quan Felton, Jaylin Lane and Stephen Gosnell — who opted to return for the 2024 season. The decision involved some sacrifice for all.

Each player probably could have transferred elsewhere and have been guaranteed to be the No. 1 option.

Felton played for Norfolk State and starred for Churchland High in Portsmouth.

“It’s tough coming from a place where you’re ‘the guy’ and you know the ball is going to come your way regardless, to then come to a place where you have more than one guy who has to touch the ball,” Jennings said. “So we know every game may not be one person’s game. The ball may not flow in their direction depending on what the defense is giving us.

“We all know what each other is capable of, and when one of my guys makes a play, it feels like I’m making a play. We’ve only shown a glimpse of what we can do.”

When the Monarchs (0-2) are visited Saturday by Virginia Tech, they might have to dip into their depth chart.

Grant Wilson, a junior who has started ODU’s first two games, spent the seconds immediately following last week’s 20-14 loss to East Carolina doubled over in pain while appearing to hold his left wrist.

Wilson was hurt on the game’s final play, a scramble up the middle that cost ODU the final seconds.

Monarchs coach Ricky Rahne, who rarely discusses specific injuries, wouldn’t say Monday whether Wilson would be available.

“He’s going to continue to be evaluated,” Rahne said. “Whoever gives us the best chance to win the game is going to be the starter. That’s how it is at every single position we have.”

If Wilson can’t go, the job would likely fall to Colton Joseph, a redshirt freshman who is second on the depth chart but has never played a college snap.

Senior receiver Diante Vines, a transfer from Iowa who caught six passes for 64 yards against ECU, described Joseph as mobile and accurate.

“He likes to run around,” Vines said. “He’s a fast dude, a little Johnny Manziel-esque sometimes when he tries to run out of the pocket and throw a nice little ball. Colton’s a great quarterback. If he’s out there, I know he’ll handle business how it’s supposed to be.”

In 12 games last season, including 11 starts, Wilson passed for 2,149 yards and 17 touchdowns with eight interceptions. So far this season, he has completed 42 of 72 passes for 389 yards, two touchdowns and three picks.

Wilson could join All-American linebacker Jason Henderson, who did not play last week, on the shelf. Rahne said Henderson’s status had not changed.

Speaking generally, Rahne said it’s the responsibility of him and his staff to make sure players are ready before they return from an injury.

Rahne said he avoids discussing injuries because it can endanger players if opponents are aware of a sore spot.

“If you’ve ever been at the bottom of a football pile, you know why I was so guarded on injuries,” he said.

Vines said it doesn’t matter who starts behind center.

“I’m confident in all our quarterbacks,” he said. “Those guys put in the work all the time. We catch balls from them all the time, too, so I’m confident in how we’ll jell in the field. Whoever’s out there, I know he’ll be able to make some plays for us.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

A successful two-minute drill would result in a win. An unsuccessful one would lead to another near-miss.

For a second straight Saturday, the Monarchs couldn’t pull it off.

Rahjai Harris rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns, and East Carolina’s defense made sure ODU ran out of time in a 20-14 non-conference win at sold-out S.B. Ballard Stadium.

The Monarchs (0-2), trailing by the final margin with no timeouts, failed to put together a go-ahead, 90-yard drive in the final 1:53.

ODU found itself facing a similar situation during last week’s 23-19 loss at South Carolina. That time, a Grant Wilson pass was tipped into the arms of a defender.

“We’ve got to get better on offense at two-minute drill,” Monarchs coach Ricky Rahne said. “We’ve done pretty well at it at times. We’ve done pretty well at it in practice at times.”

This one petered out unceremoniously. As the final seconds ticked away, Wilson scrambled to the ECU 35-yard line. The offense failed to line up in time for one more play.

The Pirates (2-0) held a 466-292 edge in yards of total offense and won despite turning the ball over four times.

ECU quarterback Jake Garcia passed for 283 yards, but his four picks helped keep the hosts in the game.

The Monarchs (0-2) lost for the third straight time, going back to last season’s Famous Toastery Bowl. It was ODU’s 14th one-score game in 16 contests.

Aaron Young rushed for 83 yards and a score for the Monarchs, who punted on nine occasions and committed 10 penalties for 95 yards — many of them at the worst possible time.

A 72-yard scoring punt return by ODU’s Isiah Paige was nullified by a pair of penalties with 3:57 to play. It could’ve given the Monarchs the elusive lead.

Instead, down 20-14, ODU got the ball back on its own 26 and went nowhere. Wilson was sacked on third-and-long, and the Pirates failed to run out the clock.

“Obviously, that’s frustrating,” linebacker Koa Naotala said, referring to the penalties. “But as a team, we can’t rely on penalties giving us yards or taking away yards from us.”

Wilson completed 20 of 34 passes for 192 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was sacked three times.

Andrew Conrad’s 50-yard field goal gave ECU a 20-14 lead with 9:09 left in the game.

Young’s 1-yard touchdown run pulled the Monarchs to within 17-14 with 4:11 to go in the third quarter. It completed a 13-play, 75-yard drive that consumed nearly five minutes.

Down by a point, the Pirates scored 11 in a minute-and-a-half.

Conrad’s 33-yard field goal gave ECU a 17-7 lead with 9:07 left in the third quarter.

It came after Harris broke free around the left side for a 63-yard touchdown run that gave ECU, after a successful two-point conversion, a 14-7 lead with 10:42 left in the third quarter. The Monarchs fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, which led to the field goal.

In a first half that was unsightly by any measure, the teams combined for 11 penalties and four turnovers. ECU outgained the Monarchs 278-128 in total yards.

The Pirates, who trailed 7-6 at halftime, had a chance to take a lead before the horn. Out of timeouts with just more than a minute to go, they quickly marched to the ODU 6. But with five seconds left, they failed to come set before a snap, and the remaining time was run off.

Wilson hit Kelby Williams on a crossing pattern for a 44-yard touchdown, giving ODU a 7-6 lead with 9:24 left in the first half. The score was set up by Jahron Manning’s 45-yard interception return.

Harris capped ECU’s opening possession with a 22-yard touchdown run to give the Pirates a 6-0 lead just more than three minutes into the game. The run, which preceded a missed PAT, finished off a 10-play, 80-yard drive.

Early in the game, thanks to a strong gust of wind, the top of the left upright in the stadium’s north end zone got caught in the netting behind it, bending the upright outward. The Monarchs’ lone PAT of the half, by Ethan Sanchez, was therefore kicked at the field’s south end after they scored going northward.

A cherry picker was brought out as ODU’s band marched at halftime, and the crowd roared when a worker untangled the mess.

Old Dominion played without All-American linebacker Jason Henderson because of an undisclosed injury. Henderson, a senior, led the nation in tackles per game last season.

Asked about Henderson, Rahne said, “We’ll continue to evaluate.”

Rahne, a former Cornell quarterback, understood Wilson’s thinking in the final seconds to a point.

“With no timeouts — and this is really hard for a quarterback — but you can’t scramble there,” Rahne said. “You’ve got to throw that one away, spike it, do whatever you’re going to do. And that’s a really difficult thing. You see that same problem happen in the NFL. You see it happen everywhere. I’ve watched 12-year NFL quarterbacks make the same mistake.”

The offense in general could be better, Young said.

“Our details are just a slight bit off,” he said. “Once we correct that, I think we’re going to like the results we get.”

Things don’t get any easier for the Monarchs, who will be visited by Virginia Tech next week. First, though, they’ll nurse the wounds left by another one that got away.

“One of the key stats, I knew, was going to be field position,” Rahne said. “When you take the ball away four times, you’re going to have an opportunity to have good field position. And we didn’t take advantage of it. That’s unfortunate, to say the least.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

Latorya Credit and her parents and siblings all log in to ESPN+ in the Houston area and watch the games separately, communicating via an eight-person group text that includes her son, Monarchs wide receiver Kelby Williams, in real time.

“Did you see that?” one might write to another.

“How did that slip through your fingers?” one might say to Williams, or “What was your coach thinking?”

Williams doesn’t see the texts until after each game, but the virtual gathering is an anecdotal testament to the power of technology. It’s also partially indicative of the immense value of ODU’s two years as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.

The Monarchs’ football “media value” — a figure calculated by the conference to determine what it would cost to acquire the exposure teams receive by playing on ESPN platforms — went from $46.1 million in 2022 to $52.2 million last year.

To be clear, that’s not money the school receives; it’s money it doesn’t have to pay in exchange for that national footprint.

Additionally, 104 ODU games across all sports aired on ESPN platforms last year, part of the New Orleans-based Sun Belt’s ongoing deal with the network.

It’s a benefit that trickles down to recruiting in every sport, from football to field hockey and men’s and women’s soccer.

College athletes want to play on TV. Fans want to watch them play. Parents around the world, who often wield substantial influence over where their children go to college, really want to watch them play.

Williams had offers from Tulsa, Rice and Ball State, none of which could offer his mother, a former high school track and basketball athlete, a chance to easily see him play every week.

“For him to go to ODU, which is two plane rides away, it’s a big deal for us to stay connected with him,” said Credit, a math coach at an elementary school. “That way, he doesn’t feel like he’s alone, like he’s just there all by himself and his family is not able to see him. Because that was a big deal for Kelby selecting ODU, was that we would be able to at least watch him on television.”

Williams chose the Monarchs when he left Trinity Valley Junior College after the 2022 season.

“It means a lot to be able to have television time,” Williams said. “It kind of makes me feel like a celebrity, one of those people that I watched growing up.”

Men’s soccer games at ODU now trigger a similar scene in Wayne, New Jersey, where freshman midfielder and defender Jett Aktan’s family members gather around their respective TVs.

“They’ll be back home watching the team and me, supporting us from states away,” Aktan said.

“The Sun Belt’s great. ESPN+ is a great way for people around the country to watch.”

But it’s not just athletes’ families watching. According to the conference, a league-record 35.17 million viewers saw Sun Belt football games on TV last season, up from 29.82 million the year before.

It’s a far cry from when the Monarchs were in Conference USA, a vast league that spanned into West Texas and had no such deal with ESPN.

On top of that, the Sun Belt is successful on the fields. It’s one of the country’s best men’s and women’s soccer conferences, and sent a nation-leading 12 of its 14 football teams to bowl games last season.

It’s not lost on coaches when they recruit. In football, ODU competes on the field and in homes with so-called “Power Four” programs from the country’s major conferences.

The Sun Belt is considered a “Group of Five” league, with fewer advantages than programs from the ACC, the SEC and the Big Ten.

The disparities between the two levels can be striking. According to the latest data from Sportico, which tracks college sports finances, the University of Virginia generated nearly $141 million in total revenue in 2022-23. Virginia Tech generated nearly $130 million. Both play in the ACC, one of the country’s elite conferences.

ODU’s overall revenue came in at just under $51 million, far below that of the $160 million generated by South Carolina, the Monarchs’ season-opening football opponent. The Gamecocks play in the SEC, widely considered the nation’s top football league.

ODU fell 23-19 at South Carolina on Aug. 31 in a game that went down to the final seconds.

“It’s probably one of the first points that comes out of my mouth to these kids,” the football team’s offensive coordinator, Kevin Decker, said. “I say, ‘We play in the Sun Belt, and it’s the best (Group of) Five conference in the country.’ ”

The Sun Belt, which emphasizes regional rivalries, added ODU, James Madison, Southern Miss and Marshall to its then 10-team football membership in 2022. Conference USA, meanwhile, was bleeding members.

The fit, it turns out, was perfect.

“I think the move for ODU from Conference USA to the Sun Belt Conference could not have been any better timed than it was,” Monarchs athletic director Wood Selig said. “And it has been an absolute blessing for our athletic department and our entire university to become a Sun Belt Conference member institution, and I say that for a lot of reasons.”

Selig listed Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill, whom he called “an incredible leader,” as first among his reasons. Another is that the member schools, Selig said, are leaders academically in their states.

“And then you get the obvious ones,” Selig continued. “Gosh, geography: It’s better for our fans to travel to away games. It’s better for our student-athletes with less missed class time. It’s better on the budget.”

For men’s soccer coach Tennant McVea, whose team plays in one of the two toughest soccer conferences in the country, having games on TV is a selling point to potential players.

McVea’s roster includes players from all over the world and the country, like Aktan, who had only seen the Monarchs play on TV when he committed.

“Hey, get online,” McVea, a native of Northern Ireland, said he tells recruits. “You can see us live. Get online this weekend, 7 o’clock. We’re going to be on TV. Have a watch of the game. I want to know what you think about it on Saturday. So definitely a useful tool.”

Women’s soccer coach Angie Hind, a native of Scotland whose team has won three straight conference titles, has a roster that includes players from seven countries and various states around the U.S.

Not just having games on TV, but having them professionally produced, is helpful, she said.

“The first thing a European player will say is, ‘Where can I watch you play?’ ” Hind said. “And now with the technology that we have all over the world, they can tune in live. They can do that. They can get the opportunity to see us, and I think it’s huge.”

When ODU was in Conference USA, it had football games carried by Stadium, ASN, ESPN+, ESPN3, CBS Sports Network, Fox Sports Network, MASN and CUSA.tv.

Now, other than occasional games broadcast to NFL Network’s 51.5 million homes, all ODU football games are on ESPN platforms. From 2014-21, the Monarchs didn’t play a single home game on an ESPN linear network.

The Monarchs will have had three games on ESPN2 in three years, including a Thursday night home game against Georgia Southern on Oct. 24.

Head football coach Ricky Rahne said part of the Sun Belt’s appeal is its layout.

Trips to places like JMU in Harrisonburg; Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina; and Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina, simply make more sense while giving athletes “a little bit more of a traditional college experience, if you want to be honest, as opposed to really what’s going on across the country,” Rahne said.

There are also more personal benefits. Like Williams, his mom can see his games with little effort.

“She knows exactly where to find it,” Rahne said. “And it’s not hard for her to find, as opposed to before, where maybe she would call me and say, ‘I can’t find where to find it this week,’ and all that sort of stuff. I think that’s been great.”

Selig agreed.

“Forget what it means with the monetary or even the eyeballs; it’s just so much easier to find,” he said. “And fans are super creatures of habit. And if they’re in the habit of going to ESPN to look for and find you, they’ll continue that, and they’ll continue to find you. If you make them work hard and search and have to dig — Where is ODU playing? How can I get them? — they’re going to give up.”

Having games available on ESPN can be a fine introduction to an otherwise foreign program. High school athletes, or even those looking to change colleges, can catch a glimpse of what they might be getting into.

“They want to see something,” Hind said. “They want to be convinced before they come on campus. And just being able to see that has made a big difference.”

It certainly made a difference in Houston, where Williams wanted his family to be able to keep an eye on him every Saturday.

His mother accompanied Williams on his visit to ODU and helped persuade him to commit.

Credit plans to attend the Monarchs’ Sept. 14 game against Virginia Tech. Otherwise, it’s TV and group texts for her and her family.

That’s fine with her son.

“Now I’m one of those people that my little cousin and them watch, and they think I’m a superstar every time they turn on the TV and see me,” Williams said. “Yeah, it just means a lot to be able to have ESPN record our games and have us out there on television.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

Both blamed themselves.

The interception, which came with ODU down four points with 1:29 left to play, sealed the Gamecocks’ 23-19 season-opening win.

Minutes later, Wilson was sitting at a table in the bowels of Williams-Brice Stadium, telling the media how he planned to identify his mistakes “so they won’t happen again.”

It’s the kind of accountability Monarchs coach Ricky Rahne likes to see from his players. And he’s starting to see it more often as the team prepares to play host to East Carolina at 6 p.m. Saturday in ODU’s home opener.

“Both guys took responsibility for it,” Rahne said of the late pick in Columbia, Wilson’s second of the game. “Myles was like, ‘I’ve got to catch it,’ and Grant was like, ‘I’ve got to make a better throw.’ I think that that was something that says a lot about the character of those guys. They’re both putting that on them, and they both think that they should’ve done it.”

Back in Ballard… it’s GAME WEEK

: East Carolina
: 6pm ET
: ESPN+
: Norfolk, VA#ReignOn | #RFG pic.twitter.com/5Tfaoy4d7k

— ODU Football (@ODUFootball) September 2, 2024

Senior receiver Isiah Paige caught eight passes for a career-high 115 yards at South Carolina, including a juke-filled 72-yard touchdown reception that landed him on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”

The play already had received hundreds of thousands of views on social media by the time the team plane landed in Norfolk.

But Paige, a Richmond native, had no idea. He was consumed with something else as the plane’s descent began.

“I really didn’t look at my phone,” Paige said. “I was kind of disappointed in some of the plays I didn’t make. It’s a good feeling now, though. But the plays I didn’t make kind of overwhelmed me in the moment.”

The Monarchs surrendered five sacks Saturday, which recalled a consistent problem from last season.

The issue, Rahne said, wasn’t schematic; rather, it was a lack of technique in terms of standing too upright when blocking. That, too, was to be addressed this week.

When Rahne sat down to face the press after Saturday’s game, the first thing out of his mouth was that he and his players had expected to win the game. That’s despite the major disparities between ODU’s Sun Belt Conference and the Gamecocks’ vaunted Southeastern Conference.

The expectations — and the accountability — led to a set of postgame emotions that Rahne found important to distinguish.

“I think our guys have owned their mistakes,” Rahne said.

“No one was sad,” he said. “Guys have their jaws set, and they’re ready to go and prove that we can play better as a team and that they’re ready to go out there and earn the right to win this one. That was one thing that I noticed very quickly, is guys weren’t hanging their heads. You could see anger and determination in their face, but I wouldn’t say there was necessarily sadness.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.

East Carolina (1-0) at Old Dominion (0-1)

When: 6 p.m.

On the air: ESPN+, 94.1FM

The Pirates: ECU, on the heels of a dismal 2-10 season, opened with a 42-3 home win over FCS school Norfolk State. But all was not pretty for the Pirates. They won handily despite throwing three interceptions and losing three of four fumbles, something ODU’s coaching staff has identified as a potential weakness. QB Jake Garcia, a transfer from Missouri who won the job in mid-August, passed for 308 yards and four TDs against the Spartans. Ten players caught passes from Garcia last week.

The Monarchs: ODU surprised many around the nation last week when, as a 21-point underdog, it took South Carolina down to the wire in a 23-19 road loss. But the Monarchs, with nearly half their roster comprised of new faces, didn’t surprise themselves. They thought the Gamecocks were beatable, and they nearly pulled it off. QB Grant Wilson, ODU’s first returning starter at the position in a decade, showed his experience by generally managing the game well in a hostile environment. He showed some aggressiveness when he tried to force a couple of passes that ended up in the wrong hands.

It had nothing to do with what play to call, when to punt or whether to call a timeout.

It was a grass decision.

For nearly 20 years, the Old Dominion coach has made a habit of collecting turf of various painted colors from each stadium he’s visited.

On Saturday at South Carolina’s cavernous venue, Rahne pondered whether to take black grass from the Gamecocks’ logo or to grab it from the field’s SEC identifier.

He chose the latter, which came with an apology to conference boss Greg Sankey.

“I know how much pride people take in their logo, and I don’t ever want it to be like I’m disrespecting things,” Rahne said.

“I didn’t know which one was more disrespectful, so I went with the (SEC) logo. So Commissioner Sankey, sorry about that. It’s just something I’ve done.”

Rahne puts the turf into a plastic bag before each game with plans for its destination.

Years ago, Rahne’s late father-in-law built him a wooden display case to show off the turf and identify from which stadium each sample was harvested.

The display case is currently in storage, Rahne said, but he has plans for that, too.

“Everyone knows I don’t do anything else,” said Rahne, a 44-year-old father of two school-age sons. “I coach football and raise my family, so I figured (it’s) something cool to tell my grandkids. It will be, ‘Hey, look at this.’ They’ll hate it, but they’ll have to sit there and do it. I’ll give them, like, five bucks after, some chocolate or whatever. I don’t know what grandparents do.”

Rahne, a former quarterback for Cornell, admits he wishes he’d started the practice as a player. That way, he’d have some grass from, say, Harvard Stadium and other Ivy League locales.

A former offensive coordinator at Penn State, Rahne has turf and confetti from landmark wins in Indianapolis and Dublin, Ireland.

When the Nittany Lions played a bowl game at Yankee Stadium in 2014, Rahne chipped some yellow paint off a foul pole for his collection.

He acknowledges that some might find the hobby unusual.

“If you’re rich, you’re eccentric,” Rahne said. “If you’re not, you’re weird. When I’m not the head coach, it’ll go back to being weird. Now, it’s interesting.”

Senior receiver Isiah Paige, whose triple-juke move on a 72-yard touchdown catch at South Carolina drew national attention, shared his opinion on Rahne’s collection.

“I would say eccentric, man,” Paige said. “That’s my guy. Coach Rahne is eccentric. He’s not weird.”

Rahne collected a sample from ODU’s S.B. Ballard Stadium before his first game there in 2021. For artificial fields like The Steve’s, Rahne finds natural grass that has seeped through the turf.

An entire stadium, he figures, won’t miss a few blades of grass.

“It’s already out there,” Rahne said. “It’s already dead, so I just grab it. So it’s not a big deal.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com.