NORFOLK, Va. (COURTESY OF ODU ATHLETICS) – Old Dominion Football returns home to S.B. Ballard Stadium following a bye week to host Liberty on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m.
The game will be on ESPN+ and broadcast on the ODU Sports Network.
• ODU won at Virginia Tech 45-26 two weeks ago for its first win at Virginia Tech, and its first win ever on the road at a Power-Four opponent. The Monarchs are coming off a bye. ODU is 4-1 coming off a bye under head coach Ricky Rahne.
• Liberty lost to James Madison 31-13 in Lynchburg. The game was tied at 10 at halftime but JMU outscored Liberty 21-3 in the second half.
• Quarterback Colton Joseph completed 16-of-22 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried eight times for 63 yards and a score. He became the second-straight ODU player to be named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week.
• Running back Trequan Jones had 13 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown in the win at Virginia Tech. It was his second-straight 100+yard rushing game.
• Wide receiver Ja’Cory Thomas caught three passes for 83 yards, Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding had three receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown and Tre Brown caught three passes for 35 yards and a touchdown in the win at Virginia Tech.
• Linebacker Jeremy Mack recorded nine tackles, a tackle for loss and key forced fumble in ODU’s win over Virginia Tech.
• Defensive end Javen Gibson had 1.5 sacks. His first sacks as a Monarch.
Breaking the Blacksburg Blues
Before ODU’s win over Virginia Tech, the Monarchs had never led a game in Lane Stadium. That was destoryed midway through the third quarter when Colton Joseph rushed for a six-yard touchdown. A few other notes of history went down.
The 31-point lead was the largest in program history over a Power-Four team, surpassing the 17-point lead ODU held against Wake Forest in 2023, an eventual 27-24 loss. It was also ODU’s largest lead in any game in the Virginia Tech series.
The win was the first for a Sun Belt school this year over a Power Four opponent and 12th since ODU joined the Sun Belt in 2021.
Group of Six Wins Over Power Four in 2025
| Date | G6 | P4 |
| Aug. 23 | Hawaii 23 | Stanford 20 |
| Aug. 30 | Tulane 23 | Northwestern 3 |
| Sept. 6 | South Florida 18 | Florida 16 |
| Sept. 6 | Ohio 17 | West Virginia 10 |
| Sept. 6 | Army 24 | Kansas State 21 |
| Sept. 12 | New Mexico 35 | UCLA 10 |
| Sept. 13 | Old Dominion 45 | Virginia Tech 26 |
| Sept. 19 | Tulsa 19 | Oklahoma State 12 |
| Sept. 20 | Memphis 32 | Arkansas 31 |
| Sept. 20 | San Diego State 34 | California 0 |
Colton Clicks
Quarterback Colton Joseph completed 70 percent of his passes for the second straight game, going 16-of-22 for 276 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 63 yards and a score in the 45-26 win at Virginia Tech.
Joseph’s 97 rushing yards per game by a quarterback leads the country.
In his first season-opening start at quarterback, Colton Joseph ran for a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game against Indiana. Later in the fourth quarter, Joseph pushed for a 78-yard score. It was his third career 100-yard rushing game.
Quarterbacks Rushing Yards Per Game
| Player | School | Rush Yards Per Game | Rush TDs |
| Colton Joseph | Old Dominion | 97.0 | 4 |
| Haynes King | Georgia Tech | 91.3 | 5 |
| Taylen Green | Arkansas | 90.0 | 2 |
| Jake Retzlaff | Tulane | 84.8 | 6 |
Trequan Does it Again
In his first career start, ODU running back Trequan Jones rushed 13 times for 101 yards and a touchdown in the 45-26 win at Virginia Tech.
It was the second-straight 100-yard rushing game for the Bartow, Florida native. Jones is averaging 14.7 yards per carry.
Jones’ 93-yard touchdown run against NCCU is the third longest run so far this season.
Jones 100-Yard Games
| Date | Opponent | Att. | Yards | TDs |
| Sept. 6 | NCCU | 5 | 163 | 3 |
| Sept. 13 | at Virginia Tech | 13 | 101 | 1 |
Easterly Packs the Punch
Safety Mario Easterly had six stops in the win at Virginia Tech.
He led ODU in tackles for the second-straight game with seven in the win over NCCU.
Easterly led the defense against Indiana with a career high 13 tackles, surpassing his career high of eight in the first half.
Mack Attack
Jeremy Mack made his first start of the season at Virginia Tech and made it count. Mack had a game-high nine tackles, a forced fumble and TFL.
A linebacker/safety hybrid, Mack had three sacks in 2024. He notched sacks against Indiana and NCCU and leads ODU with two sacks on the year.
Back-to-Back
Sophomore Jerome Carter intercepted a pass for the second-straight game with his interception against Virginia Tech.
Carter notched his first career INT in the win over NCCU. He leads ODU with two interceptions.
Red Zone Prowess
Old Dominion led the country in red zone offense last year, and is off to a 10-for-10 start in the red zone this year. ODU has six toucdhowns and four field goals in 10 red zone trips.
Sack Turnaround
Through three games in the 2024 season ODU quarterbacks were sacked 15 times, the most in the country. Through three games this season that number is two, which is tied for the 12th fewest.
First Career Starts
Old Dominion had eight players that made their first career FBS start last Saturday at Indiana. ODU had three more players make their first career starts against NCCU. Two more made their first career starts at Virginia Tech.
First Career Starts (13)
| Player | Position | Opponent |
| TJ Lott | WR | Indiana |
| Maurki James | RB | Indiana |
| Tre Brown | WR | Indiana |
| Jerome Carter | S | Indiana |
| Nickendre Stiger | S | Indiana |
| Zion Frink | CB | Indiana |
| Christopher Spencer | DL | Indiana |
| Cole Daniels | DL | Indiana |
| Seth Naotala | LB | NCCU |
| Ricardo Williams Jr. | DL | NCCU |
| Ja’Cory Thomas | WR | NCCU |
| Trequan Jones | RB | Virginia Tech |
| Chris Forbes | DL | Virginia Tech |
Players Making First Career Starts
| Rank | No. | School |
| 1. | 18 | Eastern Michigan |
| 2. | 14 | Navy |
| 14 | Louisiana Tech | |
| 14 | Bowling Green | |
| 5. | 13 | Old Dominion |
| 13 | NC State | |
| 7. | 12 | Oregon |
| 12 | Fresno State | |
| 12 | UTSA | |
| 12 | Syracuse |
Drive Smart
Before we pack Ballard Stadium with cheers and touchdowns, don’t forget the most important play of the night—a safe ride home. Drunk driving is never worth the risk. Call a cab, grab a rideshare, or have a designated driver ready to go. Visit WhatsYourGamePlan.org to take the pledge to drive safe. Let’s keep this game day a win on all fronts! This message is brought to you by DRIVE SMART Virginia and the Virginia DMV’s Highway Safety Office.
Up Next
ODU stays at home in the friendly confines of S.B. Ballard Stadium and hosts Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. for Family Weekend.
