UNC Football: Early opponent preview Old Dominion Monarchs

Keeping It Heel takes a look at each of the North Carolina Tar Heels football opponents in reverse order. This week we take a look at Old Dominion.

NC State | Western Carolina | Pittsburgh | Miami | Virginia Tech | Virginia

Notre Dame | Georgia Tech | Duke

Last season for the second year in a row, the Tar Heels played two FCS opponents.

The first season it hurt them in the CFP rankings. The second season, not as much. However, regardless the CFP committee used UNC to send a message, schedule matters.

It doesn’t matter how good the FCS opponents are, UNC did play some of the better programs, what mattered was the level of competition.

This season UNC finally got on board and instead of a second FCS team, they’ll play Old Dominion, a team from Conference USA.

Will the Tar Heels have the same results against one of the better rest of five conference teams?

Head Coach: Bobby Wilder. Career Record 67-30. This will be his ninth season at Old Dominion which is his only head coaching stop.

Wilder has had the difficult job of keeping the Monarchs competitive through many phases. The Monarchs didn’t start playing football until 2009 and that season Wilder’s crew went 9-2.

Then in 2013, the team transitioned from FCS to FBS. In his first season in FBS football, the Monarchs went 8-4.

Last season was his third season since joining Conference USA and his second as a fully eligible FBS team. Not only did the go 10-3, but they played in and won the school’s first ever bowl game.

Best Former Player: LS Rick Lovato. As mentioned above, Old Dominion didn’t have a football program until 2009. Lovato takes the top spot by being the only former player to actually see time in a regular season NFL game.

For his career Lovato has played in seven games, three with the Washington Redskins, two with the Philadelphia Eagles, and three with the Green Bay Packers.

Lovato is currently a member of the Eagles roster where he is competing with Jon Dorenbos for a starting job.

Second Best Former Player: QB Heinicke and WR Larry Pinkard. Again pickings were slim. Heinicke has spent the past two seasons with the Vikings, though has not seen any playing time. This season he is fighting for a roster spot against Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater.

Meanwhile, Pinkard has mainly only seen time on the practice squads of Green Bay and Oakland. He is currently fighting for a spot on the Jacksonville Jaguars against at least five other players.

Last Season: Went 10-3 (7-1 in CUSA play). Finished tied for first in the Conference USA East Division. ODU’s season highlights include winning nine of their last 10 games including the aforementioned school’s first ever bowl game.

However, the Monarchs struggled against top notch competition losing their three games by a combined 139-53. This included a blow out loss against NC State, the only Power Five school they played last year.

This Season: This season Old Dominion kicks it up a notch, facing two Power Five squads in consecutive weeks. The Monarchs play five teams who had winning records last season as well as five teams that made bowl games.

Though the competition has increased, the conference has not. However, there are some big name new coaches joining this season in Lane Kiffin and Butch Davis. It may be a little tougher for the Monarchs who find themselves going 8-4 on the season.

Best Current Player: RB Ray Lawry. Last season Lawry rushed for 1255 yards and 11 touchdowns on 200 carries. He also caught 11 passes for 134 more yards and another score. This was the second straight season Lawry rushed for 1,000 yards.

Lawry had seven games where he rushed for over 100 yards and had multiple touchdowns three times. His best game last season came in a win against Marshall. Lawry finished with 209 yards and a touchdown.

Match-up: Saturday, September 16th in Norfolk, Virginia.

Prediction: This is a rare road contest for the Tar Heels against a non-Power Five school. Often that favors the home team as they have a lot to gain by adding a signature win to their school resume.

However, the Monarchs are starting a new quarterback this year and based on recruiting are not very close to UNC in talent.

Final score: UNC 49, Old Dominion 17.

It’s always dangerous picking against a team like Old Dominion, especially at home. However, the team has not been good against stronger competition, and no matter how you view UNC they are stronger competition.

The Tar Heels score early and often and leave Foreman Field with the W.