# 2022 Old Dominion Monarchs football team

The 2022 Old Dominion Monarchs football team represented Old Dominion University during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Monarchs played their home games at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia. It was their first football season in the Sun Belt Conference, competing in the East Division. Previously a member of the Sun Belt until 1991, the University did not field a football team at that time, nor did the conference sponsor the sport. The team was coached by third-year head coach Ricky Rahne.

## Preseason
### Media poll

The Sun Belt media days were held on July 25 and July 26. The Monarchs were predicted to finish in last place in the Sun Belt's East Division.
Media poll (East Division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Appalachian State | 94 (10) |
| 2 | Coastal Carolina | 77 (2) |
| 3 | Georgia State | 68 (1) |
| 4 | Marshall | 62 |
| 5 | Georgia Southern | 35 (1) |
| 6 | James Madison | 31 |
| 7 | Old Dominion | 25 |

### Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference teams

Offense
1st team
* Zack Kuntz – Tight end, RS-JR
* Ali Jennings III – Wide receiver, JR
2nd team
* Nick Saldiveri – Offensive tackle, RS-JR

## Schedule

All conference games were announced March 1, 2022.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 7:00 p.m. | Virginia Tech* | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA | ESPNU | W 20–17 | 21,944 |
| September 10 | 6:00 p.m. | at East Carolina* | Dowdy–Ficklen StadiumGreenville, NC | ESPN+ | L 21–39 | 36,853 |
| September 17 | 2:00 p.m. | at Virginia* | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | ACCN | L 14–16 | 40,556 |
| September 24 | 6:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA | ESPN+ | W 29–26 | 20,655 |
| October 1 | 6:00 p.m. | Liberty* | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA | ESPN+ | L 24–38 | 18,368 |
| October 15 | 12:00 p.m. | at Coastal Carolina | Brooks StadiumConway, SC | ESPNU | W 49–21 | 16,814 |
| October 22 | 3:30 p.m. | Georgia Southern | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA | ESPN+ | L 23–28 | 20,162 |
| October 29 | 3:00 p.m. | at Georgia State | Center Parc StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPN+ | L 17–31 | 16,203 |
| November 5 | 2:00 p.m. | Marshall | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA | ESPN+ | L 0–12 | 18,327 |
| November 12 | 1:00 p.m. | James Madison | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA (Oyster Bowl, Royal Rivalry) | ESPN+ | L 3–37 | 21,934 |
| November 19 | 2:30 p.m. | at Appalachian State | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | L 14–27 | 32,096 |
| November 26 | 12:00 p.m. | at South Alabama | Hancock Whitney StadiumMobile, AL | ESPN+ | L 20–27 | 11,407 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Staff

| Name | Position | Consecutive season at Old Dominion |
| Ricky Rahne | Head coach | 2nd (3rd overall) |
| Kevin Reihner | Offensive coordinator/Offensive line | 3rd |
| Blake Seiler | Defensive coordinator/inside Linebackers coach | 3rd |
| Kevin Smith | Special Teams Coordinator/outside Linebackers coach | 3rd |
| Mark Dupuis | Wide receivers coach | 3rd |
| Justin Harper | Tight ends coach | 1st |
| Victor Irokansi | Defensive line coach | 2nd |
| Tony Lucas | Offensive recruiting coordinator/running backs coach | 3rd |
| Remington Rebstock | Assistant defensive coordinator/safeties coach | 3rd |
| Leon Wright | Defensive recruiting coordinator/cornerbacks coach | 3rd |
| Chad Snodgrass | Director of Sports Performance | 1st |

## Game summaries
### Virginia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hokies | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| • Monarchs | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| VT –6.0 | 48.5 |
| Statistics | VT | ODU |
| First downs | 18 | 13 |
| Total yards | 333 | 248 |
| Rushing yards | 136 | 83 |
| Passing yards | 197 | 165 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:23 | 26:37 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Virginia Tech | Passing | Grant Wells | 21/36, 197 yards, TD, 4 INT |
| Virginia Tech | Rushing | Keshawn King | 19 rushes, 111 yards |
| Virginia Tech | Receiving | Nick Gallo | 7 receptions, 49 yards |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 14/35, 165 yards |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 19 rushes, 60 yards, TD |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Ali Jennings III | 5 receptions, 122 yards |

### At East Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Monarchs | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Pirates | 9 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 39 |
Statistics
| Statistics | ODU | ECU |
| First downs | 12 | 30 |
| Total yards | 290 | 531 |
| Rushing yards | 15 | 261 |
| Passing yards | 275 | 270 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 19:08 | 40:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 18/29, 275 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 5 rushes, 45 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Ali Jennings III | 8 receptions, 200 yards, 3 TD |
| East Carolina | Passing | Holton Ahlers | 25/39, 270 yards, 2 TD |
| East Carolina | Rushing | Keaton Mitchell | 18 rushes, 160 yards, 2 TD |
| East Carolina | Receiving | Jaylen Johnson | 9 receptions, 93 yards |

### At Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Monarchs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Cavaliers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
Statistics
| Statistics | ODU | UVA |
| First downs | 20 | 26 |
| Total yards | 324 | 513 |
| Rushing yards | 89 | 229 |
| Passing yards | 235 | 284 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 26:28 | 33:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 23/37, 235 yards, 2 TD |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 21 rushes, 70 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Ali Jennings III | 7 receptions, 97 yards, TD |
| Virginia | Passing | Brennan Armstrong | 20/37, 284 yards |
| Virginia | Rushing | Xavier Brown | 9 rushes, 88 yards |
| Virginia | Receiving | Keytaon Johnson | 9 receptions, 118 yards |

### Arkansas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Red Wolves | 0 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| Monarchs | 0 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 29 |
Statistics
| Statistics | ASU | ODU |
| First downs | 22 | 12 |
| Total yards | 397 | 330 |
| Rushing yards | 112 | 51 |
| Passing yards | 285 | 279 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 38:16 | 21:44 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Arkansas State | Passing | James Blackman | 23/35, 285 yards, TD, INT |
| Arkansas State | Rushing | AJ Mayer | 7 rushes, 46 yards, TD |
| Arkansas State | Receiving | Jeff Foreman | 4 receptions, 115 yards, TD |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 19/32, 279 yards, 2 TD |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Keshawn Wicks | 9 rushes, 36 yards, TD |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Ali Jennings III | 4 receptions, 140 yards, TD |

### Liberty

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Flames | 14 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
| Monarchs | 14 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
Statistics
| Statistics | LU | ODU |
| First downs | 23 | 20 |
| Total yards | 478 | 415 |
| Rushing yards | 210 | 118 |
| Passing yards | 268 | 297 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 28:57 | 31:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Liberty | Passing | Kaidon Salter | 10/19, 170 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Liberty | Rushing | Dae Dae Hunter | 15 rushes, 121 yards, 2 TD |
| Liberty | Receiving | CJ Yarbrough | 4 receptions, 94 yards, TD |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 27/46, 297 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 15 rushes, 80 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Ali Jennings III | 8 receptions, 129 yards, TD |

### At Coastal Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Monarchs | 7 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 49 |
| Chanticleers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Statistics
| Statistics | ODU | CCU |
| First downs | 23 | 23 |
| Total yards | 525 | 454 |
| Rushing yards | 324 | 88 |
| Passing yards | 201 | 366 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 23:02 | 36:58 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 12/16, 184 yards, 2 TD |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 19 rushes, 259 yards, 3 TD |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Ali Jennings III | 6 receptions, 87 yards, TD |
| Coastal Carolina | Passing | Grayson McCall | 26/34, 358 yards, 3 TD |
| Coastal Carolina | Rushing | Reese White | 10 rushes, 46 yards |
| Coastal Carolina | Receiving | Sam Pinckney | 7 receptions, 113 yards |

### Georgia Southern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Monarchs | 3 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 23 |
Statistics
| Statistics | GS | ODU |
| First downs | 25 | 18 |
| Total yards | 415 | 446 |
| Rushing yards | 223 | 133 |
| Passing yards | 192 | 313 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 34:33 | 25:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia Southern | Passing | Kyle Vantrease | 22/27, 192 yards, TD |
| Georgia Southern | Rushing | Jalen White | 30 rushes, 138 yards, TD |
| Georgia Southern | Receiving | Amare Jones | 5 receptions, 54 yards, TD |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 23/40, 313 yards, TD |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 16 rushes, 108 yards, TD |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Ali Jennings III | 9 receptions, 130 yards, TD |

### At Georgia State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Monarchs | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Panthers | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
Statistics
| Statistics | ODU | GSU |
| First downs | 11 | 24 |
| Total yards | 283 | 413 |
| Rushing yards | 26 | 218 |
| Passing yards | 257 | 195 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:50 | 37:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 19/34, 257 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 14 rushes, 53 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Javon Harvey | 3 receptions, 124 yards, TD |
| Georgia State | Passing | Darren Grainger | 14/20, 195 yards, TD |
| Georgia State | Rushing | Darren Grainger | 19 rushes, 104 yards, TD |
| Georgia State | Receiving | Jamari Thrash | 3 receptions, 87 yards, TD |

### Marshall

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| T. Herd | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Monarchs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Statistics
| Statistics | MU | ODU |
| First downs | 20 | 13 |
| Total yards | 387 | 209 |
| Rushing yards | 298 | 11 |
| Passing yards | 89 | 198 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 38:11 | 21:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 13/25, 189 yards, 2 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Khalan Laborn | 31 rushes, 139 yards |
| Marshall | Receiving | EJ Horton | 4 receptions, 28 yards |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 24/46, 198 yards, INT |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 10 rushes, 28 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Javon Harvey | 4 receptions, 60 yards |

### James Madison

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dukes | 7 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 37 |
| Monarchs | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Statistics
| Statistics | JMU | ODU |
| First downs | 22 | 11 |
| Total yards | 491 | 227 |
| Rushing yards | 187 | 78 |
| Passing yards | 304 | 149 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 38:12 | 21:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| James Madison | Passing | Todd Centeio | 18/21, 304 yards, 1 INT |
| James Madison | Rushing | Percy Agyei-Obese | 16 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD |
| James Madison | Receiving | Kris Thornton | 6 receptions, 140 yards |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 12/22, 112 yards, 2 INT |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Hayden Wolff | 9 carries, 27 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Ahmarian Granger | 4 receptions, 46 yards |

### At Appalachian State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Monarchs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Mountaineers | 10 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
Statistics
| Statistics | ODU | APP |
| First downs | 20 | 25 |
| Total yards | 394 | 498 |
| Rushing yards | 86 | 207 |
| Passing yards | 308 | 291 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 27:18 | 32:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 22/38, 308 yards, 2 TD |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 10 carries, 69 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Javon Harvey | 4 receptions, 133 yards, 2 TD |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 15/22, 291 yards, 2 TD |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Ahmani Marshall | 19 carries, 137 yards, 1 TD |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Kaedin Robinson | 3 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD |

### At South Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Monarchs | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Jaguars | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
Statistics
| Statistics | ODU | USA |
| First downs | 17 | 24 |
| Total yards | 381 | 398 |
| Rushing yards | 96 | 208 |
| Passing yards | 285 | 190 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 24:52 | 35:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 21/36, 285 yards, 2 TD |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Blake Watson | 18 carries, 110 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Blake Watson | 6 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD |
| South Alabama | Passing | Carter Bradley | 17/29, 190 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| South Alabama | Rushing | La'Damian Webb | 18 carries, 74 yards |
| South Alabama | Receiving | Jalen Wayne | 3 receptions, 63 yards, 1 TD |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 4 | 103 | Nick Saldiveri | T | New Orleans Saints |
| 6 | 209 | Tre Hawkins III | CB | New York Giants |
| 7 | 220 | Zack Kuntz | TE | New York Jets |