William & Mary vs. ODU

[Mid-Atlantic]

televised on Comcast Sports Net- Mid Atlantic

1st thing I noticed was Old Dominion already has the CAA logo on their field, even though technically they are not in the conference yet

have they always done that?

[wr70beh]

Well they play in the CAA in other sports, so technically they can get away with that.

Looks like a touchdown for ODU. Up 7-0. I just turned it on so I missed the touchdown.

[EPJr]

http://www.dailypress.com/media/photo/2010-09/56238647.jpg


NORFOLK — Gareth Hissong picked a fine time for his first career catch.

Hissong, William and Mary's fifth-year senior tight end, caught a 4-yard touchdown pass with 4:45 to play to give William and Mary its first lead and a 21-17 victory against Old Dominion in the two teams' first-ever meeting on Saturday night.

The TD pass capped an eight-play, 65-yard drive, aided by a pass interference call in the end zone, and came from Hissong's roommate, Tribe quarterback Mike Callahan, another fifth-year senior whose first collegiate game came three weeks ago.

"I was completely confident that it was going to work," said Callahan, who was 21-of-31 for 290 yards and two touchdowns. "Honestly, the only thing I was scared of on the play was not being about to get it over the D-lineman that was in my face. I knew he was going to catch it."

William and Mary (2-1), coming off a national semifinal appearance and ranked as high as No. 12 in the country, was widely expected to dominate Old Dominion (1-2), playing just its 14th FCS game, in the teams' first-ever meeting at sold-out Foreman Field.

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt-odu-william-and-mary,0,5138523.story

[EmeryZach]

Poor showing by the Tribe. Will UMass jump them in the polls finally? I think so.

[soccerguy315]

UMass definitely deserves to be ranked higher than W&M.

I expect W&M to drop further this week. Maybe the ~20 range would be appropriate.

[rumple]

Amazing how bad W&M are, Bad D with an unproven qb = disaster!!

[tribe_pride]

Amazing how bad W&M are, Bad D with an unproven qb = disaster!!

Callahan has played pretty well. Only really made 1 mistake yesterday and did well the previous 2 games. That said, there are other problems.

[HowardBud]

Agreed, Callahan looked pretty good. Tribe's real problems are on the offensive line and at linebacker. O Line needs more time and more power- they get pushed around by a strong dtackle, etc, and not having Trantin for the first 3 games has been a real problem.

Anyone know what the trantin issue is?

[TheDancinMonarch]

1st thing I noticed was Old Dominion already has the CAA logo on their field, even though technically they are not in the conference yet

have they always done that?

The field was only put in during the spring/summer 2009. We didn't want to have to modify in just 2 years when we enter the CAA for football. You know, like the public works department that paves a street and then 2 weeks later digs a big hole in the street to repair something that was broken before the paving was done.

[Dukie95]

Yeah, I'm thinking those changes are expensive. JMU doesn't have a CAA on our field yet and we just re-did it a few years ago...at least we had the foresight to NOT put Atlantic 10.

[Rob Iola]

Will the ODU MagLev monorail be running by the time the Monarchs join the CAA?

[tribefan40]

Agreed, Callahan looked pretty good. Tribe's real problems are on the offensive line and at linebacker. O Line needs more time and more power- they get pushed around by a strong dtackle, etc, and not having Trantin for the first 3 games has been a real problem.

Anyone know what the trantin issue is?

Trantin went down in preseason practice with a concussion and has not yet played. Not sure if this is a precaution or if he will miss significant time...

While I agree the lines are a weakness we were missing two starters on the OL (one a senior captain) that no doubt contributed to the constant pressure by ODU.

To respond to others - while I do agree it was not a great showing by W&M, ODU is for real. I would not have predicted as close of a game, but they came out like it was their biggest game ever (which it was) and played to win. Wilder has done an amazing job recruiting and brought in some huge transfers. (see DeMarco and Mayo) I think they will have trouble with a full CAA slate next year, but they will be competitive day one.

[CAAisBOSS]

ya'll do realize that the missed fg's and fumble going in the endzone made this game much closer dont ya? odu was held 150 total yards below their averages, scoring avg was cut in half, total defense they gave up was 100 yards over their average... wasn't all that close besides the scoreboard.

[ODUsmitty]

And a dropped pass by our receiver 10 yards behind your secondary worked in the other direction. Not to mention the incorrect facemask call on your TD drive.

I answered your "classless" comments on the smack board, and coach Wilder today provided a response to your coach's comments post-game

http://hamptonroads.com/pilot/sports/odu-football

WM won the game, and I wish your squad the best of luck for the remainder of the season. However, the whining about 4 personal fouls and rationalization of why this was a close game has gotten old.

[mcveyrl]

And a dropped pass by our receiver 10 yards behind your secondary worked in the other direction. Not to mention the incorrect facemask call on your TD drive.

I answered your "classless" comments on the smack board, and coach Wilder today provided a response to your coach's comments post-game (www.pilotonline.com).

WM won the game, and I wish your squad the best of luck for the remainder of the season. However, the whining about 4 personal fouls and rationalization of why this was a close game has gotten old.

I'm jumping in here kind of late and the Va. Pilot link wasn't helpful. What did Laycock say and what did Wilder say? Anybody have a link to an article?

[tribefan40]

And a dropped pass by our receiver 10 yards behind your secondary worked in the other direction. Not to mention the incorrect facemask call on your TD drive.

While it was incorrect, the play alone resulted in a first down so I don't know that you can say that made the score happen.

CAAisBOSS - This game could have been a two-three touchdown blowout in either direction. While we did have more blatant missed opportunities, ODU had a couple of their own, and could have broken it open at several points in the first half.

As to the personal fouls, ODU was flat out dirty a number of times in the first half. I couldn't get the link to whatever Wilder's response was to Laycock, but there is a major difference in playing hard/physical and playing dirty. Obviously it didn't cost us the game and honestly it didn't cost ODU the game either. You guys have a talented bunch and will be competitive, but that part didn't impress me much.

[mcveyrl]

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=5jBlCde3KhM&feature=related

Question starts at about the 3:27 mark.

By the way, I love that W&M posts the post-game press conference online. That's a great idea.

[URMite]

What is the rule on a play where a tackler's pad catches on the facemask of the ball carrier? Something seemed to pull the helmet on that play, but didn't appear to be the hand of the defender...

[ODUsmitty]

For Wilder's response, go to bottom left video clip "breakfast with Bobby". Maybe 2 minutes in.....


http://hamptonroads.com/pilot/sports/odu-football

[MacThor]

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/09/notes-frayed-white-cuff

[CAAisBOSS]

And a dropped pass by our receiver 10 yards behind your secondary worked in the other direction. Not to mention the incorrect facemask call on your TD drive.

I answered your "classless" comments on the smack board, and coach Wilder today provided a response to your coach's comments post-game

http://hamptonroads.com/pilot/sports/odu-football

WM won the game, and I wish your squad the best of luck for the remainder of the season. However, the whining about 4 personal fouls and rationalization of why this was a close game has gotten old.

In response to Coach Wilder's comment about not agreeing with two personal fouls and he was sending the tape in, WM is sending in TWENTY no-call personal fouls--including an ODU player who knocked a helmet off a WM player and proceeded to headbutt him blatently. That is the kind if play Laycock is referring to.

[ODUsmitty]

In response to Coach Wilder's comment about not agreeing with two personal fouls and he was sending the tape in, WM is sending in TWENTY no-call personal fouls--including an ODU player who knocked a helmet off a WM player and proceeded to headbutt him blatently. That is the kind if play Laycock is referring to.

So let me get this correct. CAA officials called the game and assessed 4 personal foul penalties vs ODU, 1 of which was blatantly wrong and another under review by the league. However, 20 supposed personal fouls were keenly observed by your coach that were not called. Seems like the refs would have had ample opportunity to call personal fouls, but of the four fouls assessed, two are in dispute. If we were so blatantly thuggish, why would any of the PF calls be in dispute, especially since you apparently had so many infractions from which to choose? Are CAA officials that incompetent?

Not buying it Sparky. Again, your coach pulled a Coach K and whined to the refs at halftime because we did not roll over and play patsy. You were rewarded in the second half in two regards....multiple holding calls were not made and a critical (and wrong) facemask call was made during your winning TD drive. His tactic succeeded, hooray for you.

Our coach was very blunt in his response .... that your coach should worry about your team, and leave it at that. I agree. And this after-the-fact rationalization of why a team with 14 games of experience took you to the brink is friggin' laughable.

It was a terrific game, and the beginning of a fun rivalry. Lose the contrived self-righteousness and 'class warfare' elitism, and you might just enjoy it.

[soccerguy315]

the non called personal fouls have nothing to do with the outcome of the game. ODU played really well. However, it is the W&M coach's job to worry about the safety of his players.

[elon77]

Will the ODU MagLev monorail be running by the time the Monarchs join the CAA?

Only if they put it back on the track and pull it along with mules.

[elon77]

I was lucky enough to be able to watch 2 CAA games last weekend, Elon-U of R. and ODU- W & M. After seeing those 2 games I'm not sure the officials in the CAA aren't just as bad as the officials in the Socon. That said the only reason W & M is doing all the blah, blah, blah is because they almost lost. If they had won by 4 TD's like they were supose to they would never have complained.

[WMTribe90]

I was lucky enough to be able to watch 2 CAA games last weekend, Elon-U of R. and ODU- W & M. After seeing those 2 games I'm not sure the officials in the CAA aren't just as bad as the officials in the Socon. That said the only reason W & M is doing all the blah, blah, blah is because they almost lost. If they had won by 4 TD's like they were supose to they would never have complained.

You have no idea what you are talking about Elon. If you knew anything about Coach Laycock, you would know that it is exteremely rare for him to comment on the refs or the opposing team in this manner, win or lose. He has 32 years of HC experience and is the most respected coach in the CAA. In my 15 years following the program he has never felt the need to make statements as he did following the ODU game. It's Laycock's concern for his players well being and his respect for the game and how it should be played that compelled him to comment. I know seeing one WM game in person and never meeting Coach Laycock makes you an expert on his motivations, but my advice is to stick to commenting on something you have a clue about.

[elon77]

You have no idea what you are talking about Elon. If you knew anything about Coach Laycock, you would know that it is exteremely rare for him to comment on the refs or the opposing team in this manner, win or lose. He has 32 years of HC experience and is the most respected coach in the CAA. In my 15 years following the program he has never felt the need to make statements as he did following the ODU game. It's Laycock's concern for his players well being and his respect for the game and how it should be played that compelled him to comment. I know seeing one WM game in person and never meeting Coach Laycock makes you an expert on his motivations, but my advice is to stick to commenting on something you have a clue about.

Tribe 90, you need to shut it. I've lived 30 minutes from Williamsburg my whole life and have been to many meetings and sports club jamborees that Coach Laycock has spoken at. I have been to many Tribe games through the years and trust me I know how fine and respected a coach he is. Did I mention his name in my post? Read it again if you can't remember, I don't belive Coach Laycock's name was ever mentioned. The poke was at some fans. and evidently you can't read what was said. Now, how about that clue!

[tribe_pride]

Tribe 90, you need to shut it. I've lived 30 minutes from Williamsburg my whole life and have been to many meetings and sports club jamborees that Coach Laycock has spoken at. I have been to many Tribe games through the years and trust me I know how fine and respected a coach he is. Did I mention his name in my post? Read it again if you can't remember, I don't belive Coach Laycock's name was ever mentioned. The poke was at some fans. and evidently you can't read what was said. Now, how about that clue!

Elon - to be fair to 90 - you said "said the only reason W & M is doing all the blah, blah, blah is because they almost lost." If you look on the W&M and ODU boards (where most of the discussion is going on) as well as some on this thread, it's in reaction to Coach Laycock talking about the ODU play to the ref at halftime and answering 1 question by a member of the press. ODU fans (and their coach it seems) got offended by his response (although the fans themselves will admit that their team has had way too many personal fouls this year) and W&M fans are defending Coach Laycock. That is what the majority of the discussion is about.

In fact, generally, with the exception of the chippy, dirty stuff that ODU did, you'll see that generally the Tribe fans have been complimentary about the strength of the ODU team and taken exception to the other stuff (yes there are exceptions but I am talking about all the of the posts in all of the boards not just looking at this one).

You don't see it as much in this thread but still see some but the ODU and W&M boards have been big on it all week. This has led to spill over to other boards

[WMTribe90]

Tribe 90, you need to shut it. I've lived 30 minutes from Williamsburg my whole life and have been to many meetings and sports club jamborees that Coach Laycock has spoken at. I have been to many Tribe games through the years and trust me I know how fine and respected a coach he is. Did I mention his name in my post? Read it again if you can't remember, I don't belive Coach Laycock's name was ever mentioned. The poke was at some fans. and evidently you can't read what was said. Now, how about that clue!

Elon, you said WM not WM fans, since JL is the head of the program and it was his comments that started the whole "discussion", I think that was a fair interpretation of your comment. I'll take you at your word that you weren't questioning Laycock's motivation and apologize if I jumped to the wrong conclusion. However, your assesrtion that anybody (fan, admin, coach) associated with WM is complaining about ODU's on-field behavior due to the outcome of the game is baseless. Almost without exception, every WM fan has given credit to ODU for a top notch game day experience and atmosphere. We've credited Coach Wilder's brillant game plan and play calling and the intensity the ODU players brought between the whistle. We can give credt where credit is due and still call ODU out for what was unquestionably poor behavior (late hits, excessive taunting, etc). You'd have a point if this occurred everytime we lost a game or under-performed, but that's not the case. WM fans are a pretty rational bunch. The concern of WM fans is generally the same as JL's, respect for the game and safety of the players. Odd to me that someone as familiar with the preogram as you seem to be, would chalk these legit concerns up to sour grapes over a game we won.

[elon77]

One thing is for sure, it will make for an interesting game next year in Williamsburg. I for one wish Elon would play there.

[bigblue78]

ODU fans are watching the evolution of the FB team carefully. Last Saturday's game had everything we envisioned for a quality game, great weather, local and ranked (and respected) opponent, ample tailgating, enthuiastic students, regional TV, etc. This game was considered ODU's playoff game and measuring stick for CAA competition. ODU threw everthing they had at W&M and actually had them confused and on their heels in the first half. W&M adjusted at halftime and pulled out a closer than expected victory. What should have been a win-win was tarnished by the "over zealous" play by ODU and the resultant bad blood.

Coach Laycock's comments were not initially well recieved by Coach Wilder. He went public with his "coach your own team" retort and the local writers have had a field day exploiting the two fan bases. However, last night on a local TV station (WAVY 10, video is probably on their website), Wilder was quoted as saying that a football play is six seconds of aggression and the team has to learn not to continue that extra second...so the description of ODU's play as chippy were accurate.

ODU's players have been quick to respond to any on the field incident, often being flagged for the retaliation; they have also been flagged for multiple late hits and unneccessary roughness. This can alternative be described as a team of immature freshman and sophs trying to stand up to (and beat) their opponents (punkish behavior) or a programatic indifference to sportsmanship to intimidate and enrage the opposition. I hope it's the former, but the fanbase is watching.