Old Dominion Blanks Troy 33–0 on National Stage

Norfolk, Va. — Old Dominion made the outcome clear early on Thursday night, shutting out Troy 33–0 at S.B. Ballard Stadium. It was a national game, and the Monarchs delivered a national-level performance — the kind that shows exactly who they are when everything clicks. ODU controlled the tempo, controlled field position, and never let Troy get comfortable.

Head Coach Ricky Rahne said afterwards, “I thought we had a dominant performance on really all three phases.”

Troy had some bright spots, but nothing that lasted long enough to shift the game. Goose Crowder hit a few clean throws, Damien Taylor fought through contact for extra yards, and Chris Lewis came down with a solid sideline catch that hinted at what their offense might’ve been able to build on. But with the pressure Crowder was dealing with, everything felt rushed. Missed blocks put Troy in tough spots, and ODU kept getting the ball back in great field position — the last thing you want to give a quarterback like Colton Joseph.

Even ODU’s defense saw it coming. Linebacker Jeremy Lewis said, “We got some guys on our defense that think that we can’t get blocked… and we attacked it today.”

Joseph didn’t waste any of it. He finished with 147 passing yards, 90 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns (one through the air, two on the ground), staying collected all night. His timing with Tre’ Brown III stood out — Brown went for 112 yards, making the catches that kept drives alive and kept Troy’s defense on the field longer than they wanted.

ODU’s run game backed everything up. Devin Roche finished with 145 yards, getting downhill and keeping the offense ahead of the sticks. Trequan Jones added 96 yards, including the 65-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that officially closed the door. Old Dominion ended with 351 rushing yards and 503 total yards, and they looked in control of the line the whole way.

Roche said the run game felt natural from the start: “It just felt like business as usual running behind those guys.”

Defensively, ODU was just as steady — and physical. They recorded a program-record nine sacks, constantly collapsing the pocket and forcing Crowder into tough situations. Troy ended with 138 total yards, only 26 rushing, and never reached the red zone. They still had moments — T.J. Jackson made strong tackles, and Roman Mothershed showed up as a reliable option — but ODU shut down anything that looked like momentum.

Rahne credited his staff for the dominance, saying, “Coach Siler and the defensive staff do a great job… our blitzers did a really good job, which allowed our defensive linemen to start to get free.”

Things got heated late in the first quarter. Joseph was hit late going out of bounds, and players already on the field rushed over instantly as emotions jumped. An official stepped in between everyone as it got loud. But ODU reset, kept their composure, and finished the drive with a field goal — the kind of answer that kept the game steady and still in their favor.

Joseph brushed it off afterward, calling it “just a bang-bang play… things happen.”

From there, the Monarchs didn’t slow down. The defense opened the second half with stops, and the offense responded with long drives that drained the clock and kept Troy’s defense on the field. Anytime Troy did something positive, ODU came back with something stronger.

Lewis said the defensive mindset was simple: “We’ve been stacking days… to go out there and put it on tape today, it’s an amazing feeling.”

By halftime it was 20–0. By the fourth quarter, the game was fully in ODU’s hands. The win moves the Monarchs to 7–3, gives them their first winning season since 2016, and marks their first shutout since 2017 — all earned, start to finish.

Rahne said the players never lost sight of the goal, “They love playing the game with each other… they weren’t done being invested in each other.”

Troy walks away with plenty to fix, especially up front, even though they competed and had flashes. But this night belonged to Old Dominion. And for anybody who’s heard me joke before about the Monarchs “putting belt to butt” — this time, it wasn’t a joke. It actually happened, and it happened against a team you don’t usually see get pushed around like that.