Old Dominion vs. Pitt: Preview Prediction, TV Info and more
By Matt Shetler
Keys for Old Dominion
Sep 7, 2013; College Park, MD, USA; Old Dominion Monarchs quarterback Taylor Heinicke (14) drops back to pass against the Maryland Terrapins at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
1. Attack Pitt secondary: Old Dominion is averaging 45 points per game with All-American quarterback Taylor Heinicke orchestrating the attack. Heinicke was the Walter Payton Award winner — the Heisman Trophy equivalent for FCS schools — after throwing for an NCAA-record 5,076 yards in 2012.
He’s off to a good start this season as well as he is averaging 348 yards passing per game and is the Monarchs second leading rusher as well.
The Pitt defense as a whole has improved the past two weeks. After giving up 55 points at Duke on Sept. 21, the Panthers have yielded only one total touchdown in their past two games against Virginia and Virginia Tech. That being said though, Heinicke has the ability to make it a long night for the Pitt secondary.
2. Take Risks: In a game that you aren’t supposed to win, the Monarchs need to pull out all the stops. I would expect to see some trickery. The longer Old Dominion is in this game, their chances of pulling off an upset increase. I would expect to see everything they got on both sides of the ball Saturday night.
3. Block Aaron Donald: Donald can make life miserable for the Monarchs. The senior All-America candidate has been a fixture in the opponent’s backfield this season and leads the country in sacks per game (1.60 avg.) and tackles for loss per game (2.40 avg.). He is a candidate for five major awards this season and if you hear his name called a lot, Old Dominion will be in trouble.
Prediction: This is a good time for this game for the Panthers. Coming off a tough loss it will be nice to see Pitt get back on track and get a big win before heading into the rest of their conference schedule. Old Dominion will give them some trouble, but we won’t see a repeat of the Youngstown State letdown. Pitt 34, Old Dominion 20