‘Our opponent right now is Old Dominion’: Monarchs open fall camp focusing on themselves

In helmets and shells under a hot sun, free from visions of any games dancing in their heads, Old Dominion’s football players took the first formal step Tuesday toward a challenging 2022 schedule.

The Monarchs, with third-year coach Ricky Rahne and his staff barking orders, opened fall camp at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.

ODU’s much-anticipated Sept. 2 opener against Virginia Tech at S.B. Ballard Stadium was hardly on the front burner.

“If we try to get ready for a game right now, it’s too long. It’s too much anxiety,” said Rahne, whose team sat out the 2020 season amid the growing COVID-19 pandemic. “It builds up too much pressure. We’ll get to that when we get to it. Will we get a few extra practices in for Game 1? Absolutely. But not right now. I’m more worried about us getting better. Really, our opponent right now is Old Dominion.”

The Monarchs are coming off an unusual season that began with a 1-6 start and ended with an appearance in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. ODU ended the regular season with five straight wins before a loss to Tulsa in the program’s second postseason trip left it with a 6-7 record in Rahne’s first season on the sideline.

The success wasn’t enough to keep the Monarchs from being picked to finish last in the seven-team Sun Belt East Division in a preseason coaches’ poll.

ODU’s players remain unmoved by the slight.

“We were going to be motivated regardless,” said junior offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri, who started all 13 games at right tackle last season. “We’re very internally motivated, and we do things the way we do things and we know the outcomes we’re going to get. Those things are all just for hype.”

Tuesday’s practice was the first of 25 in 31 preseason days.

The Monarchs joined the Sun Belt on July 1 after making an early exit from Conference USA. The move is a better geographic fit, meaning more bus rides and fewer flights.

In addition to the Hokies, ODU’s non-conference schedule includes games at East Carolina and Virginia and a home game against Liberty. The Sun Belt slate begins Sept. 24 against Arkansas State.

Despite Tuesday’s late-morning heat, which hit the low 90s, senior cornerback Tre Hawkins was glad to be back on the field.

“It feels great coming out here doing what you love,” the Texan said. “It’s just the joy of football. … Feeling like a kid again.”

Rahne, whose team returns 17 starters, said he mainly looked for execution on the first day of practice, declaring himself “satisfied” in that regard.

Like last season, Rahne is weeks away from naming a starter at quarterback, where incumbent Hayden Wolff, former starter D.J. Mack and Notre Dame transfer Brendon Clark are in a three-man battle.

The experience the Monarchs have across the board, Rahne said, doesn’t mean they’re any further along than they were when practice opened last season.

“You’d love to think that and you’d love to believe that, but we’re going to start from ground zero every single year,” he said. “You’ve got too many new pieces.

“The one thing you do have is you have some guys who can help in those sort of things, so there’s a few more coaches on the field. The older guys can help out a little bit. But in general, you’ve got to teach it as if it’s Practice 1.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com