CI Week 10 Highlights

Please find highlights from Week 10 below:

For all of the Monarchs' accomplishments since restarting the program nine years ago, there was one that had eluded them - a shutout. After keeping Charlotte off the scoreboard on Saturday, Head Coach Bobby Wilder (@ODUCoachWilder) & Company can cross that one off the list now, too. Old Dominion's defense was relentless all night, limiting the 49ers to just eight first downs and 231 yards of offense. Monarch LB Marvin Branch finished with a team-high eight tackles and a fumble recovery while safety Sean Carter added five tackles, one tackle-for-loss and two pass breakups. Offensively, Old Dominion has been slowed all season by injuries to key playmakers but welcomed back RB Ray Lawry who delivered 98 rushing yards on a balky hamstring. Most importantly, the Monarchs played virtually mistake-free, not turning the ball over and only committing two penalties for 12 yards. Those stats, combined with two field goals from Nick Rice, were enough to lift Old Dominion over Charlotte. Congratulations to Wilder, Assoc. Head Coach/OffCoor Brian Scott (@ODUOC), Asst. DefCoor/Safeties Kermit Buggs (@KBuggs4), Asst. Head Coach for Offense/QB Ron Whitcomb (@ronwhitcomb), Special Teams Coor./RB Charles Bankins (@FBCoachBankins) and OL Coach Chris Malone (@cmalone51)! Since being hired in 2007, Wilder has led the Monarchs to the most successful beginning for an FCS startup program in NCAA history and last year won the Bahamas Bowl in just the second year of the program's bowl eligibility. Scott and Whitcomb have been with Wilder every step of the way since his arrival in Norfolk. Buggs arrived at ODU in 2014 after stints at Penn State and UConn. Bankins and Malone are each in their second season with the Monarchs, Bankins coming from Vanderbilt where he served as special teams coordinator and running backs coach and Malone from Chattanooga where he served as run game coordinator and offensive line coach.

When starting quarterback Jarrett Guarantano went out with an injury in the second quarter, OffCoor/TE Larry Scott (@UTCoachLScott) was forced to turn to third string QB Will McBride and burn the freshman's redshirt. Fortunately for Scott and the Vols, RB John Kelly was back in the lineup after missing the previous week's game at Kentucky. Kelly rose to the challenge and shouldered the offensive load for Tennessee by rushing 20 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns. The Volunteers also got a boost from their defensive backs as Rashaan Gaulden recovered a fumble and Emmanuel Moseley recorded an interception. Gaulden led all players with nine tackles for the game. Congratulations to Scott and Defensive Assistant Eric Lewis (@CoachEricLewis) on the win! Scott is in his second season in Knoxville and first as offensive coordinator after coordinating special teams and coaching tight ends last year. As Miami's interim head coach in 2015, he led the Hurricanes to a 4-2 record and a berth in the Sun Bowl. Scott also spent eight seasons at South Florida where he helped guide the Bulls to six bowl games. Lewis is in his first season at Tennessee after two years as the DB coach at Georgia State where directed the Panthers' secondary to a #6 national ranking in Pass Efficiency Defense. As Eastern Michigan's defensive coordinator in 2009, Lewis coordinated the top ranked pass defense in the country. He has also coached for the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo, Louisville, Ball State, Weber State and Bucknell.

Prior to Saturday, it had been five years since Purdue won a game in the month of November. If their defense continues to perform at the level it did versus the Illini, the Boilermakers will have a lot more to be thankful for on Thanksgiving than just turkey. Senior LB Ja'Whaun Bentley paced the team with 12 tackles and registered 2.5 of the unit's nine tackles-for-loss. Purdue also sacked Illinois quarterbacks five times on the day, recorded an interception and held the Illini to just 37 yards in the fourth quarter. Those marks were more than enough for the Boilermakers to roll to a 29-10 win and retain possession of the Cannon Trophy for the second consecutive year. Congratulations to Defensive/Special Teams Analyst Kevin Wolthausen (@kwolthausen)! Wolthausen is in the first year of his second stint at Purdue after having coached the Boilermakers' defensive line in 2012. A coaching veteran with over 30 years of experience, he spent the past three years at UConn and has also served on staffs for the Atlanta Falcons, Louisville, Arizona State, Oklahoma, USC and Arizona.

Last week, The Advocate in Baton Rouge published an article commending Southern Asst. Head Coach/OffCoor/OL Chennis Berry (@coachberry77) for the job he has done keeping Southern's offense performing at a high level this season despite losing the conference's all-time leading rusher and an All-American receiver to graduation last year. The article noted the uptick in shifts and personnel packages that Berry has utilized to spread the wealth on offense and keep opposing defenses on their heels. While the Jaguars stayed true to Berry's formula against Prairie View, QB Austin Howard was sure to remind everyone that this year's team isn't completely devoid of star power. The senior signal caller set a new program records for passing yards and touchdown passes as he completed 22-of-34 passes for 405 yards and four touchdowns. As an offense, Southern racked up a season-high 572 total yards and was particularly effective in the second half as the Jaguars rallied from a 24-17 third quarter deficit to reel off 20 consecutive points. The win was Southern's fifth consecutive and keeps the Jags in the hunt for the SWAC West division title. Congratulations to Berry who has guided the Jaguars to two appearances in the SWAC title game and the 2013 SWAC Championship in his four years with the program! Under his direction in 2016, Southern finished fifth nationally in Scoring and 11th in Total Offense. Berry previously coordinated offenses at Howard, North Carolina A&T and Morgan State and has a wealth of NFL experience having completed internships with the Jaguars, Colts, Browns, Lions, Chargers and Bears.

On the final day of the 2016 season, Fordham rolled to a 54-14 win over Holy Cross. While this year hasn't gone according to plan for the Crusaders, they can take pride in the revenge they exacted from the Rams. Holy Cross broke open a game that was tied 14-14 at halftime with a 28-0 scoring run before Fordham finally scored with six seconds left in the game. Offensively, Andre Harton led the Crusaders' receiving corps with six catches for 77 yards and Blaise Bell hauled in a 24-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter that extended the Holy Cross lead to 35-14. Congratulations to WR Coach Darren Paige (@WRcoachPaige) who is in his first season with the Crusaders after spending four years as the receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Midwestern State. At MSU, Paige mentored six all-conference selections. He has additional experience as a graduate assistant at Kent State and completed a Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship this past summer with the Tennessee Titans.

Despite playing multiple opponents close, Texas Southern had yet to break into the win column heading into their matchup against Mississippi Valley State. While some teams might have already thrown in the towel on the season, the Tigers showed their collective mettle when it mattered most. Playing on the road, Texas Southern had jumped out to a 21-0 lead after QB Elijah Odom accounted for two scores and TE Mario Smalls pounced on a loose ball in the end zone. But the Delta Devils responded with three touchdowns of their own to tie the score at 21-21 early in the fourth quarter. The Tigers shrugged off any momentum MVSU may have had and scored the game's final 17 points to leave Itta Bena with a 38-21 victory. Matt Jones' (@CoachMattJones) offensive line paved the way all day up front as TSU rushed for 340 yards. Odom was the primary beneficiary as the dual-threat quarterback rushed for 172 yards and two touchdowns to go along with one passing touchdown. Congratulations to Jones who is in his first season at Texas Southern as offensive line coach and run game coordinator following a one-year stint serving in a similar role at Jackson State. From 2014-15, he was an offensive graduate assistant coach at Tulane and has also coached at Villanova.