Old Dominion's Monarchs didn't really practice this week as much as they tried to actually prepare for their season finale today at Virginia Military Institute. Since VMI runs the triple-option, an offense ODU has yet to play against, the Monarchs scrapped their conventional practice approach.

NORFOLK Bobby Wilder had been on the job less than a month when he made his first big move. With offensive and defensive coordinators hired, he needed a recruiting coordinator.

NORFOLK Old Dominion's football team was just like everybody else in town last week when the nor'easter blew through: inconvenienced and, in some cases, displaced.

From his courtside position at the Ted Constant Convocation Center, Kenny Gattison enjoys a good view of his retired No. 44 jersey that hangs in the rafters. As the new radio analyst for Old Dominion men's basketball, Gattison can't complain about his working conditions.

Because of the storm, today's scheduled chat with Rich Radford, The Virginian-Pilot's Old Dominion football writer, and Bob Molinaro, longtime columnist, has been canceled. It will be rescheduled soon.

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Angus Harper, a standout running back from Edison High in Alexandria, has committed to play football for Old Dominion. Harper said Monday he intends to graduate early, enroll at ODU for spring classes and participate in spring drills with the Monarchs. While enrolling early is becoming more common at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, it's unusual for the Football Championship Subdivision.

NORFOLK The start-up season wound down with a homecoming victory, and suddenly it was time to drop the curtain on the first campaign at Foreman Field. "I felt running off the field that I didn't want it to end," said Bobby Wilder, the rookie coach whose rookie team finished 6-1 on its home turf. "It's difficult to let it go."

NORFOLK Just when it looked like Old Dominion was going to cruise to an easy homecoming victory over North Carolina Central, the Eagles scored 28 unanswered points to tie it early in the fourth quarter and make things interesting. Turns out that was just the cue Thomas DeMarco needed to make things exciting.

NORFOLK

Jay Harris took a few days off from his ESPN anchorman duties to check out his alma mater. Asked what he would tell his co-workers about Old Dominion football when he returns to Bristol, Conn., Harris couldn't help but bubble.

Old Dominion beat N.C. Central 42-28 in the final home ODU football game of the year.

For more details, return to PilotOnline.com later and read tomorrow's Virginian-Pilot.