We at The ThunderCast have gotten to know our fellow podcasters over at Old Dominion, The Monarchists, since starting up in spring of 2022. They do a lot of similar things as us and they also raise a lot of money and items for charity. We wanted to have them help us prepare for this Homecoming showdown on Saturday by providing views from someone that covers their team every day. Gary Williams of The Monarchists was happy to answer our questions. We’ll have links to all their stuff at the bottom of the article, but for now, let’s see what we need to know going into this game against ODU.
Tell us all about The Monarchists. How and when did you form? Where can everyone find your content?
Our group, the Monarchists, is made up of about 18 folks and we came together in 2019. This group has evolved quite a bit over the years going from just a twitter DM group, to a tailgating group and now we’re a media outlet with two podcasts (one in partnership with ODU hoops). This fall we launched our website (odumonarchists.com) with the goal of creating content and supporting the program even more. We still tailgate together, but throughout, we have done our best to find the next charity or ODU team to support financially.
So far, we’ve helped raise over $60k for Old Dominion Athletics, as well as collecting thousands for Toys for Tots. We take a lot of pride in that.
What is your view of Marshall and its athletics programs?
We hold Marshall in high regard and feel they have a storied history of success and a winning culture. When the Sun Belt Conference alignment rumors started up, a constant thought was “I hope we are still with Marshall”. Your fan base is strong, loyal and typically travels well regardless of sport.
What are your thoughts on Old Dominion’s season so far? Are you where you expected to be with respect to your record and your performance?
We projected ODU to be 2-2 at this point in the season, but given the performance of our offense in the last two games, we are honestly feeling very uneasy at 2-2. The offensive production against Louisiana felt like our new offense had come together faster than we could have imagined. But reality hit hard against Wake, then hit like a Mack Truck with the narrow win over Texas A&M commerce. There’s a ton of work to do on that side of the ball.
Who should Marshall fans watch out for on offense?
The wide receiver room has really surprised us with guys coming from seemingly nowhere, and performing very well on the field. Kelby Williams, an offseason acquisition from the JUCO ranks, leads the receiving corp in yardage. His ability to get separation from the secondary and adjust to the deep ball is impressive. Dominic Dutton is another to keep an eye on. Undoubtedly the fastest player on the team and he will get behind your secondary. Louisiana was so frustrated trying to limit him, they resorted to just holding him at the line or tackling him down field and taking the penalty.
And on defense?
One obvious one, Jason Henderson. He’s a monster, flies to the ball, and hits everything that moves. We’ve sent him on more blitzes this year and it’s bumped his TFL’s considerably. Our linebackers are our strongest position group so anyone in that second level can do damage. Wayne Matthews had a sack last week that generated the loudest pad pop I’ve heard at S.B. Ballard. Shawn Asbury, Terry Jones Jr and Tahj Ra-el are violent in run support from the safety position.
If you had to guess today, who is the starting QB on Saturday for Old Dominion? Do you think multiple quarterbacks will see time?
Coach Rahne is playing this one close to the vest but I’m about 90% sure Jack Shields will start and play the entire game (barring injury of course). Grant Wilson has shown talent, especially against the Cajuns, but he’s regressed from that game. Decision making has slowed down, which is a key to this offensive system, and he’s lost velocity on the ball. Red Zone turnovers the past two games have really hurt him.
Jack Shields is really a similar quarterback physically and in skill-set. He was a much more accurate passer, and despite running for his life all game Saturday, made good decisions. But this would be his first career start, only having a few snaps prior to Saturday when Grant’s helmet came off. Preseason he was neck and neck for the starting job until an injury in camp limited him.
What does Old Dominion need to do in your opinion to secure a victory on Saturday?
They have to be much better up front on offense. This O line was thoroughly dominated by Texas A&M Commerce, who just came up from D2 two years ago. It was mind boggling to watch after they held their own against VT and Louisiana. ODU has given up more sacks than anyone in FBS, 18 in the last two games alone. If they can’t protect or open running lanes, we may not have positive yardage against a great Marshall defense.
A symptom of that O line issue is how long our defense stays on the field. We are one of the worst teams in the country in opponent time of possession and were dead last in that category last year. ODU’s defense is strong, especially against the run, but spending 35+ minutes on the field over four consecutive games wears down even the toughest guys. Controlling tempo is a must if they plan on any success against Rasheen Ali.
How about a score prediction?
It’s split among the three of us on the Podcast (Mike, Aaron, Gary) and our football writer David. Mike and Aaron have narrow ODU wins in a low scoring game. David has a 24-17 win for Marshall.
I’m really worried about the Monarch offense righting the ship against the best defense they face this season and so I’m predicting 24-10 Marshall. That ODU touchdown might come from the defensive side of the ball.
Final thoughts on the game that we didn’t cover already?
Not so much a thought for this game, but tip of the cap for beating VT last weekend. You hate to see it, but more than that, you love to see it.
You can find The Monarchists on their website. There are links to their articles, both of their podcasts, and more! You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
