COLUMBIA, S.C. – Old Dominion Head Football Coach Ricky Rahne is not one to accept defeat gracefully, and Saturday night at Williams-Brice Stadium was no exception. The Monarchs faced an SEC opponent on their home field and demonstrated strong physicality, even outplaying the Gamecocks at times. However, the Monarch offense struggled to score and made two critical turnovers, resulting in a 23-19 loss to South Carolina.
The match attracted a record crowd of 78,946, the largest ever to witness an ODU game. Despite being three-touchdown underdogs, the Monarchs managed to push the Gamecocks, creating a nationally intriguing final score.
Rahne expressed his dissatisfaction with the outcome, stating, “I’m not happy. I expected to win this game.” The Monarchs’ defense performed remarkably, limiting South Carolina primarily to field goals with both Gamecock touchdowns stemming from turnovers within the ODU 10-yard line.
Quarterback Grant Wilson completed 22 of 38 passes for 197 yards, including a touchdown, but he also had two interceptions and two fumbles. Rahne emphasized the need for Wilson to keep pushing himself, expressing confidence in his ability to recover for the next game against East Carolina.
ODU fell behind 16-7 in the third quarter, but the offense sprang to life, with Wilson connecting on two passes to Myles Alston. He then scrambled for a 36-yard touchdown, narrowing the gap to 16-13. After holding South Carolina on downs, the Monarchs drove to the Gamecock 24 before Ethan Sanchez drilled a 40-yard field goal to tie the game at 16-16.
The Monarchs took a 19-16 lead with another field goal by Sanchez, but with just under eight minutes left in the game, a fumble by Wilson allowed South Carolina to regain the lead shortly after. Wilson acknowledged his mistake, saying he did not have the ball secured as he attempted to scramble.
The Monarchs had two more opportunities to score but could not capitalize, with Wilson throwing his fourth interception to seal the outcome in favor of South Carolina.
The game began with a rough start for ODU; Wilson was stripped of the ball on the first drive, leading to a quick Gamecock touchdown. However, he quickly responded by throwing a 72-yard touchdown pass to Isiah Paige, tying the game at 7-7. South Carolina scored again, taking a 10-3 lead before a weather delay caused a 40-minute stoppage.
Although ODU outscored the Gamecocks in the second half, it was not enough to secure a victory. Rahne addressed the South Carolina media after the game, urging them to recognize the merit of the ODU team’s performance and the effort put forth by his players.
In notes from the game, it was recorded that the temperature at kickoff reached 94 degrees, marking the hottest game in ODU history. Wilson’s touchdown pass to Paige was significant, being both a career-long reception for Paige and ODU’s longest pass play since last season. The game also marked career-firsts for several players in both offensive and defensive roles.