# 2023 Old Dominion Monarchs football team

The 2023 Old Dominion Monarchs football team represented Old Dominion University for the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Monarchs played their home games at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia. It was their second football season in the Sun Belt Conference, competing in the East Division. The team was coached by fourth-year head coach Ricky Rahne. The Old Dominion Monarchs football team drew an average home attendance of 17,847 in 2023.

## Preseason
### Media poll

In the Sun Belt preseason coaches' poll, the Monarchs were picked to finish in last place in the East division.
Media poll (East division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | James Madison | 78 (4) |
| 2 | Appalachian State | 75 (4) |
| 3 | Coastal Carolina | 71 (1) |
| 4 | Marshall | 68 (1) |
| 5 | Georgia Southern | 52 (1) |
| 6 | Georgia State | 31 |
| 7 | Old Dominion | 17 |
Jason Henderson was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Linebacker Jason Henderson was named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team. Punter Ethan Duane was named to the second team.

## Schedule

The football schedule was announced February 24, 2023.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 8:00 p.m. | at Virginia Tech* | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | ACCN | L 17–36 | 65,632 |
| September 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA | ESPN+ | W 38–31 | 18,154 |
| September 16 | 12:00 p.m. | Wake Forest* | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA | ESPN2 | L 24–27 | 18,276 |
| September 23 | 3:30 p.m. | Texas A&M–Commerce* | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA | ESPN+ | W 10–9 | 16,938 |
| September 30 | 3:30 p.m. | at Marshall | Joan C. Edwards StadiumHuntington, WV | ESPN+ | L 35–41 | 22,652 |
| October 7 | 6:00 p.m. | at Southern Miss | M. M. Roberts StadiumHattiesburg, MS | ESPN+ | W 17–13 | 23,011 |
| October 21 | 7:00 p.m. | Appalachian State | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA (Oyster Bowl) | NFLN | W 28–21 | 20,017 |
| October 28 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 25 James Madison | Bridgeforth StadiumHarrisonburg, VA (Royal Rivalry) | ESPNU | L 27–30 | 26,239 |
| November 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Coastal Carolina | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA | ESPN+ | L 24–28 | 17,982 |
| November 11 | 1:00 p.m. | at Liberty* | Williams StadiumLynchburg, VA | ESPN+ | L 10–38 | 21,481 |
| November 18 | 6:00 p.m. | at Georgia Southern | Paulson StadiumStatesboro, GA | ESPN+ | W 20–17 | 20,032 |
| November 25 | 2:00 p.m. | Georgia State | S.B. Ballard StadiumNorfolk, VA | ESPN+ | W 25–24 | 15,717 |
| December 18 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. Western Kentucky* | Jerry Richardson StadiumCharlotte, NC (Famous Toastery Bowl) | ESPN | L 35–38 $^{OT}$ | 5,632 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### at Virginia Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Old Dominion | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Virginia Tech | 2 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 36 |
at Lane Stadium • Blacksburg, VA
* Date: September 2, 2023
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: clear • Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C)
* Game attendance: 65,632
* Referee: Gary Patterson
* TV: ACC Network
| Statistics | ODU | VT |
| First downs | 19 | 18 |
| Total yards | 295 | 368 |
| Rush yards | 201 | 109 |
| Passing yards | 94 | 259 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 26:20 | 33:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Grant Wilson | 13/25, 94 yards, 2 TD |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Grant Wilson | 19 carries, 81 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Ahmarian Granger | 3 receptions, 14 yards |
| Virginia Tech | Passing | Grant Wells | 17/29, 251 yards, 3 TD |
| Virginia Tech | Rushing | Bhayshul Tuten | 19 carries, 55 yards |
| Virginia Tech | Receiving | Ali Jennings | 5 receptions, 72 yards, 2 TD |

### Louisiana

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LA –6.5 | 55 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Louisiana | 10 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
| Old Dominion | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
at S.B. Ballard Stadium • Norfolk, VA
* Date: September 9, 2023
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: N 5 MPH
* Game attendance: 18,154
* Referee: Ted Pitts
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Chip Tarkenton (play-by-play) and Andy Mashaw (analyst)
| Statistics | LA | ODU |
| First downs | 24 | 20 |
| Total yards | 454 | 392 |
| Rush yards | 169 | 145 |
| Passing yards | 285 | 247 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 37:31 | 22:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana | Passing | Ben Wooldridge | 25/36, 285 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisiana | Rushing | Jacob Kibodi | 10 carries, 54 yards |
| Louisiana | Receiving | Jacob Bernard | 3 receptions, 70 yards |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Grant Wilson | 13/19, 247 yards, 4 TD |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Keshawn Wicks | 17 carries, 104 yards |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Reymello Murphy | 2 receptions, 97 yards, 2 TD |

### at Marshall

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Old Dominion | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Marshall | 3 | 14 | 21 | 3 | 41 |
at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia
* Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 22,652
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Martin (play-by-play), Carl Lee (analyst)
* Pregame line: Marshall –14.5
| Statistics | ODU | MAR |
| First downs | 11 | 30 |
| Plays–yards | 54–434 | 84–464 |
| Rushes–yards | 31–339 | 49–186 |
| Passing yards | 95 | 278 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 11–23–3 | 29–35–1 |
| Time of possession | 18:39 | 41:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Old Dominion | Passing | Jack Shields | 11/23, 95 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT |
| Old Dominion | Rushing | Kadarius Calloway | 11 carries, 236 yards, 3 TD |
| Old Dominion | Receiving | Reymello Murphy | 1 reception, 42 yards |
| Marshall | Passing | Cam Fancher | 29/35, 278 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Marshall | Rushing | Cam Fancher | 15 carries, 102 yards |
| Marshall | Receiving | Caleb Coombs | 8 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD |

### at Southern Miss

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Monarchs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at M.M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS
* Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: -
* Game attendance: 23,011
* Referee: -
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Old Dominion | Passing |
| Old Dominion | Rushing |
| Old Dominion | Receiving |
| Southern Miss | Passing |
| Southern Miss | Rushing |
| Southern Miss | Receiving |