ODU scores big win over Massachusetts 48-33

NORFOLK

The shirts came off Saturday night for the Old Dominion Monarchs.

Taking a living-in-the-moment approach, true freshman quarterback Taylor Heinicke was forced into action after senior signal caller Thomas DeMarco was pulled after the first half with an ankle injury.

Heinicke, Georgia’s state player of the year, was expected to red-shirt this season and be handed the controls to ODU’s spread offense next season.

Fate, however, intervened.

And Heinicke didn’t make coach Bobby Wilder regret the monumental move.

Heinicke threw touchdown passes of 38 yards to Larry Pinkard and 56 yards to Reid Evans as the Monarchs came from behind for a 48-33 victory over visiting Massachusetts.

“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but he did what I expected him to do,” Wilder said. “I expected him to play like that.”

It was ODU’s first Colonial Athletic Association victory in its first year in the conference. It was also ODU’s first victory over a nationally ranked team. UMass came in ranked No. 20 in the Football Championship Subdivision.

“I was told I was going in at halftime,” Heinicke said. “And I had a bit of a queasy feeling in my stomach ... until I threw that first completion. Then I felt fine.”

Heinicke wasn’t the only true freshmen to lose his red-shirt season Saturday. After ODU’s top two running backs – Angus Harper and Colby Goodwyn – went down with injuries, the shirt also came off for former Phoebus High standout Tyree Lee, Virginia’s state player of the year.

Harper was injured on the game’s first play from scrimmage, complaining of dizziness as he went to the sidelines. Goodwyn, meanwhile, sustained a high ankle sprain in the third quarter.

Lee, who ran for 2,500 yards last season, ended up scoring on a 13-yard run for ODU’s final points.

DeMarco was having a productive night, having passed for three touchdowns as ODU scored the game’s first 25 points. But DeMarco went down awkwardly and his ankle was twisted by a defender as he ran around right end with a little over eight minutes left in the half.

DeMarco had hit on scoring tosses of 17 and 35 yards to Nick Mayers and a 19-yarder to Pinkard as the Monarchs scored the game’s first 25 points.

But DeMarco had also been remarkably bold running the ball against a hard-hitting UMass defense.

DeMarco finished the half, but was ineffective from the point of injury and threw a costly interception with 1:45 remaining and ODU leading 25-7. Surrounded and scrambling, DeMarco lobbed the ball directly into linebacker D.J. Adeoba’s hands. UMass then marched 59 yards, scoring on a 6-yard pass from Kellen Pagel to Julian Talley. ODU went to the half leading 25-12.

DeMarco will be examined for a possible stress fracture in his right fibula.

The Minutemen scored on their first two possessions of the second half – a 20-yard pass from Pagel to Jesse Julmiste and an 8-yard run by Jonathan Hernandez – to take a 26-25 lead with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter.

That’s when the tide turned back to ODU.

While Heinicke was moderately effective on his first two series, ODU had no points to show for it. But ODU’s special teams gave the Monarchs the lead back anyway when yet another true freshman, Jakwail Bailey, blocked Jeff Strait’s punt out of the back of the end zone for a safety and a 27-26 lead.

From that point, Heinicke took ’em home.

He finished 8 for 11 for 119 yards passing.

His 56-yard scoring toss to Evans is a school record.

“I am not surprised that Taylor did what he did,” said defensive end Chad King. “He’s been doing it to us in practice every day for the last two months. This kid is the real deal.”

Rich Radford, (757) 446-2463, rich.radford@pilotonline.com