Football

Old Dominion Matches Program-Best 10-3 Record With StaffDNA Cure Bowl Crown

NEW ORLEANS – In its third bowl appearance over the past five seasons, Old Dominion claimed the StaffDNA Cure Bowl title with a 24-10 win over South Florida in Orlando, Fla. 
 
The Monarchs—who were part of the Sun Belt’s 10-team bowl contingent that leads all non-autonomy conferences for the fourth-straight season—secured their first bowl win under head coach Ricky Rahne and improved to 2-2 in four all-time bowl appearances. 

With the victory, Old Dominion matched its program-best 10-3 record set in 2016 and gave the Sun Belt multiple 10-win teams for the eighth-straight season alongside College Football Playoff-bound Sun Belt champion James Madison. 
 
The Monarchs defense carded four interceptions, eight tackles for loss and four sacks, holding the nation’s No. 10 rushing offense to just 52 rushing yards and No. 2 scoring offense to just 10 points—including a scoreless second half. 
 
Offensively, the backfield duo of redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Henicle and redshirt sophomore running back Devin Roche each went over the century mark on the ground. Henicle rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 24 attempts, while Roche added 100 yards on 19 carries. Junior running back Trequan Jones rushed for 56 yards, including the third Monarch touchdown in the bowl victory.
 
Henicle’s 51-yard touchdown run with 2:24 to play produced the game’s first two-possession margin, before sophomore defensive back Daevon Iles’ interception—the fourth of the game for Old Dominion—with 1:02 remaining queued the Monarch celebration. 
 
Redshirt senior linebacker Jeremy Mack Jr. paced the defense with 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Sophomore defensive back Jerome Carter came down with a pair of interceptions—including one on a South Florida fake punt attempt. Sophomore defensive back Brandon Crutchfield joined Iles and Carter with the fourth Old Dominion interception. 
 
With the win, Old Dominion finishes the season 10-3, with 2-of-3 losses to teams set to compete in the College Football Playoff—No. 1-seeded Indiana and No. 12-seeded James Madison.