Defense may win championships, but offense won day

It was exhausting to watch on TV. I can't imagine what it was like on both sidelines Saturday in Statesboro, Ga., as Old Dominion and Georgia Southern defensive coaching staffs and defensive players clamored for a clue.

Searching, begging for something, any scheme or strategy that could slow the unorthodox offensive attack of the other guys, even for a possession. That would at least make them tap the breaks.

Stopping them? Ha. That notion disappeared early in their FCS second-round playoff game, probably about the time the Eagles showed up at Paulson Stadium and the Monarchs piled out of the bus.

There had to be panic horns blaring inside headsets and helmets during what grew to become a 55-48, five-alarm blaze of yards and touchdowns. You know that sick, sinking feeling when you realize you're powerless against an unyielding force? I'm thinking it had to be like that.

Such was the brilliance of quarterback Taylor Hei-nicke, the Georgian at his homecoming, at the controls of ODU's blistering spread offense. And such was the power of fullback Dominique Swope - like Heinicke a true freshman - in the middle of the Eagles' relentless triple-option onslaught.

Heinicke accounted for six of the Monarchs' seven touchdowns, five through the air and the last on a scramble in the final minute. Swope accounted for 255 of the Eagles' 477 yards on the ground and two of their eight TDs.

I was ready to call 477 rushing yards a breathtaking figure, until I saw the Eagles eviscerated Western Carolina for 634 rushing yards in September.

Eviscerated. That's the verb that kept coming to the lips of my boy Bob Molinaro as we watched Saturday's offensive spectacular unfold.

But really, that was about it. The Monarchs and Heinicke de-feathered the Eagles. The Eagles and Swope decleated the Monarchs. Back, forth and back again, like a Wimbledon final where Nadal and Federer swap unreturnable serves all day and claw for one break point.

Speaking of points, 55 are the most ODU's allowed in its three seasons of modern-day football, and also the most a Georgia Southern team's scored against an FCS opponent since 2005.

So yes, it was truly a haunting day for defensive coordinator Andy Rondeau and his charges. The Eagles never punted. They only stopped churning toward ODU's goal line twice because they lost fumbles.

And yet, raise your hand if you believe the Monarchs would have scored in the last 39 seconds - to tie or maybe even go for the W with a two-point try - had they not recovered their onside kick a yard before it was legal.

I mean, ODU laid 48 points on the Eagles. That's three more than No. 3 Alabama, with Heisman Trophy candidate Trent Richardson running 32 times, put on Georgia Southern two weeks ago.

Alas, the Monarchs lost serve on Nick Mayers' fumble with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter. The Eagles' ensuing touchdown - there was always an ensuing touchdown - allowed Georgia Southern to go up by 14 and ultimately hang on by seven.

This crazy thing was tied at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35. But the Monarchs never led. Just as Heinicke's skill stunned the Eagles - the kid's 44-yard TD strike to tightly covered Prentice Gill in the second quarter was dead solid perfect - Georgia Southern and quarterback Jaybo Shaw's command of their options was masterful.

In 72 plays, not counting their final knee, the Eagles were tackled for a loss once. The Monarchs went backward on just three of 74 plays. But they never got that golden break point.

It says somewhere on football's stone tablet that defense wins championships. But Saturday, as the Monarchs bowed out of a remarkable 10-3 season and the Eagles moved toward their program's seventh national title, that commandment simply had no defense.

Tom Robinson, (757) 446-2518, tom.robinson@pilotonline.com

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