‘Let’s fill this thing up.’ Old Dominion coach Ricky Rahne hopes fans pack stadium with bowl eligibility within reach

When Old Dominion’s S.B. Ballard Stadium was reconstructed following the 2018 season, it was built to hold 21,944 fans, with the ability to expand to 30,000 seats.

Lately, despite the Monarchs’ emerging success on the field, expansion hasn’t even been a thought.

ODU has averaged 15,984 fans through five home games, including three victories, though most naked eyes might say otherwise.

Second-year coach Ricky Rahne hopes there’s no debating the lack of elbow room Saturday, when the upstart Monarchs (5-6, 4-3 Conference USA) face Charlotte with bowl eligibility on the line for both teams.

This week, Rahne wasn’t shy about playing full-on pitchman.

“I just want it to be full, because I know it’s going to be loud,” he said. “Anybody who hasn’t come to a game yet and has been kind of holding off and those sorts of things, let’s fill this thing up. Let’s prove to the nation what Hampton Roads can be. I know that we can have the best home-field advantage in almost any conference we ever play in.”

Last week’s 24-17 victory at Middle Tennessee State gave ODU its fourth straight win, something the Monarchs hadn’t accomplished since 2016. The surge came after a 1-6 start that might have turned off some of the less hard-core fans.

But the players’ confidence, buoyed by Rahne’s insistence that they not look beyond the next practice, film session or play, never wavered.

“We just kind of kept attacking each day with that same mentality, trusting that it would eventually take hold and we would be able to reap the benefits of all our hard work,” said senior offensive lineman Isaac Weaver.

Now that those benefits are showing up, ODU’s players are ready for the fans to do the same.

“Looking up into the stands and seeing it full, and everybody’s screaming ‘ODU!’ — I think that would be a good feeling,” said senior defensive end Cory Jackson. “A great feeling.”

Players from the recent past know that feeling well. A nine-season sellout streak that spanned 60 games ended early in the 2018 season.

The streak came at old Foreman Field, which was razed later that year and replaced by Ballard, a state-of-the-art mid-major facility built for $67.5 million.

ODU’s athletic department is trying to help; tickets for Saturday’s game are available for a discounted price of $16, with end-zone seats selling for $10.

Rahne, a former Penn State offensive coordinator who was hired by ODU in December 2019, pointed out that Foreman Field, which opened in 1936, wasn’t exactly fan-friendly. A shortage of restrooms, concession stands, elevators and seatbacks made it clear that a change was in order.

Rahne is ready for one more change.

“It could be something really special,” Rahne said. “It’s been there before. We need to get back to it. We have a nice stadium. I mean, when it was like that before, the bathrooms didn’t work, for crying out loud. Now we’ve got a beautiful place, so let’s fill this thing up and get going. I think that that would really send a message to the rest of college football on where we’re going.”

Senior sendoff

One more reason Rahne is hoping for a large crowd Saturday is that it’s the last game for a 12-man senior class that has been through the ringer.

Players in their fifth year at ODU have experienced the highs of a 10-3 season and the program’s lone bowl appearance, in 2016, and the lows of 1-11, three years later.

They endured a coaching change, not to mention a 2020 season that was canceled altogether because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Obviously, they’ve been through some ups and downs and been through a lot,” Rahne said.

“I’m really hopeful that we can have a full stadium, a very raucous crowd, and give them the atmosphere that they deserve.”

As wide-open as the modern transfer portal is, and despite the uncertainty that accompanies any new coaching staff, most of the seniors weren’t tempted.

“I think the big thing is we wanted to try and re-establish a good culture through the program,” said Weaver, who is tied for second in school history with 46 career starts. “And looking at where we’ve come since Coach Rahne and the new staff has gotten here, I think we’ve done a good job of at least beginning to do that, if not having already done that.”

A unique trio

Rahne praised Weaver, kicker Nick Rice and linebacker Jordan Young, the three team captains, for their character and leadership.

“I’ve been around some great people in this game, some great kids in this game,” Rahne said. “I’m going to have a hard time getting around better ones than those three.”

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Young continues to close in on the program’s career record for tackles. With 328, he’s 12 away from Craig Wilkins’ mark.

Young said he’s not too worried about it.

“It’s not necessarily something I’m chasing,” he said, “but if I accomplish it along the way and we’re doing what we’re supposed to do and we’re winning, I’m happy.”

Short memory

Rice’s missed PAT — from 35 yards after a penalty — in a 35-34 loss to Buffalo on Sept. 25 cost the Monarchs a shot at overtime.

But Rice shook it off, making a 46-yard field goal as time expired to lift ODU to a 23-20 win over Louisiana Tech four games later to start the winning streak.

Weaver said Rice, a quirky senior he described as “a very, very interesting person,” showed his teammates what Rahne means by “going 1-0.”

“I think it was extremely important,” Weaver said. “That happened, but he was able to come back and he won us a game.

“I think that really just embodies the 1-0 mentality at the end of the day.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com

Charlotte (5-6, 3-4 C-USA) at Old Dominion (5-6, 4-3), 2 p.m.

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The 49ers: The stakes couldn’t be clearer for either team: A win equals bowl eligibility, and a loss means the end of the line. Charlotte has lost two straight, including last week’s 49-28 home setback to Marshall. The 49ers are near the bottom of the league in scoring (25.7 points per game) and points allowed (29 ppg). QB Chris Reynolds (2,453 passing yards, 24 TDs, 7 INTs) is one of C-USA’s most prolific and experienced passers. Charlotte is allowing 467.5 yards of total offense per game.

The Monarchs: ODU is riding high after four straight wins, but its players would rather talk about the next game. The Monarchs’ “1-0″ approach has served them well; after a 1-6 start to the season, they kept the faith and turned things around. ODU is 4-1 since redshirt freshman QB Hayden Wolff (1,429 passing yards, 7 TDs, 4 INTs) won the starting job. RB Blake Watson (929 yards) is threatening to become the program’s second 1,000-yard rusher, and LB Jordan Young, with 328 career tackles, is 12 away from the school record.