Old Dominion kicker Jarod Brown’s right leg was arguably the most valuable player in Saturday’s contest between the Monarchs and James Madison.
Old Dominion captured a 23-20 lead early in the fourth quarter that it would never relinquish when Brown kicked a 25-yard field goal in the first ever meeting against James Madison on Saturday.
The sophomore kicker from Virginia booted three field goals in the second half to lead the Monarchs to their league-leading seventh win of the season.
On the other side, kicker Cameron Starke could not keep up when he missed two field goals for JMU in the final quarter. His 47-yard attempt to tie the game as time expired was blocked by the Monarchs defensive line to guarantee a victory for ODU. Starke also missed from 51 yards with under seven minutes to play.
The Monarchs’ starting quarterback, Taylor Heinecke, threw for 236 yards on 35 attempts and two first half touchdowns to pave the way for a second half of all field goals for Brown.
The Dukes were held scoreless in the second half, but tailback Dae’Quan Scott got most of his yards in the first half, sprinting in for two rushing touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Dukes, three of their offensive linemen left the game due to injury before the break, and that made things difficult for Scott for the remainder of the game.
Old Dominion looks to remain close to the top of the Colonial Athletic Association when it heads to Richmond to take on the Spiders on Saturday.
UD upsets Towson
In a high-scoring affair, the ground attack of Delaware and sophomore running back Andrew Pierce found a way to upset Towson, 35-30.
Pierce carried the ball 34 times for a total of 158 yards and three touchdowns in the contest, leading the way on offense. The Blue Hens’ victory handed the Tigers their first loss to a conference foe.
Delaware began the game with a 10-0 deficit and did not look comfortable on offense early, but it still managed to muster up enough to win the game. Behind Pierce, the Blue Hens took the lead late in the third quarter when he plowed ahead and into the end zone to give UD a five-point lead.
That was the end of the scoring for both teams as the game ended in a scoreless fourth quarter.
Terrance West, the Tigers’ running back had a career performance of his own. West bested even Pierce’s efforts, rushing for 155 yards and four touchdowns.
Delaware will go into a bye next weekend and will have extra time to prepare for Richmond on Nov. 12.
Maine continues winning streak
Maine quarterback Warren Smith threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another as the Black Bears handled Villanova, 41-25, on Saturday for their sixth-straight win.
The victory makes Maine 7-1 overall and still undefeated in the CAA. Smith’s performance helped the Black Bears post their highest point total of the season.
Smith totaled 325 yards of offense, highlighted by a a few huge offensive plays that helped Maine jump out to an early lead. He hurled a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Maurice McDonald and another for 80 yards to Arthur Williams early in the game.
Oddly, Smith abandoned his passing attack, but it turned out to be a good decision as he scored again, this time with his feet. He rolled out of the pocket and ran into the end zone for a 29-yard score that capped a 22-point lead early in the third quarter.
Smith’s versatility at quarterback is one of the main reasons for the Black Bears overwhelming success this year.
Although Villanova won the possession time and kept up statistically, the Wildcats were no match for the far superior Black Bears offense.
For the Wildcats, their quarterback, Chris Polony, passed for 198 yards and threw three touchdowns in the loss.
Maine will host one of the top teams in the CAA next weekend when it takes on Towson on Saturday.
Christopher Corso can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @MDC_Corso.
