By Marie Reader

ODU and WKU play in the Famous Toastery Bowl on Monday, Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m.

NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion University Football plays in its second bowl game in three years as the Monarchs take on Western Kentucky in the Famous Toastery Bowl on Monday, Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.

• Old Dominion will play former Conference USA foe Western Kentucky in the Famous Toastery Bowl at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte on Monday, Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m.

• This will be the eighth meeting between the two teams with WKU winning six of the first seven.

• ODU linebackers Jason Henderson and Wayne Matthews earned All-Sun Belt honors. Henderson earned first-team, while Matthews was named to the third-team. Safety Shawn Asbury II, defensive tackle Denzel Lowry and Cornerback LaMareon James were named honorable mention. Henderson earned first-team all-conference for the second-straight season.

• At 6-6 overall and 5-3 in the Sun Belt, ODU has a three-win improvement over last year’s 3-9 overall record and also a three-win improvement in league play. All eight of ODU’s conference games this year were decided by one score and 10-of-12 have been one-score games.

• Since 2000, Old Dominion is the first FBS team to play 10 one-score games in a 12 game season. Texas had 10 one-score games in 2018 and Northern Illinois had 10 in 2021, but they played 14 total games.

• To reach six wins, Old Dominion defeated Georgia Southern and Georgia State, also bowl teams, in consecutive weeks on the final play of each game.

• For WKU, quarterback Austin Reed threw for 3,340 yards and 31 touchdowns, leading Conference USA in passing yards and touchdowns. Wide receiver Malachi Corley was named a first-team All-CUSA receiver, catching 75 passes for 958 yards and a league best 11 touchdowns. Elijah Young leads the Hilltoppers with 460 rushing yards, while Reed leads the squad with four rushing scores.

• Talique Allen leads WKU with 50 tackles, while Kendrick Simpkins leads the team with 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Anthony Johnson Jr. leads the team with three interceptions.

ODU Bowling
This is the third bowl game in program history for the Monarchs and second under head coach Ricky Rahne.

ODU’s first season of football was in 2009 and ODU became fully bowl eligible in 2015.

The Monarchs are 1-1 in their two previous bowls, defeating Eastern Michigan in the 2016 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl and falling to Tulsa in the 2021 Myrtle Beach Bowl.

ODU Bowl Games

Bowl Teams Playing Bowl Teams
The entire seven team Sun Belt East Division earned a bowl bid as well as five teams from the west for an SBC record of 12. Old Dominion played nine teams that will play in a bowl game, tied for third most in the country.

Bowl Teams that Played the Most Bowl Teams

One Score Games
Old Dominion has played in a nation’s high 10 one-score games. The Monarchs are 6-4 in one-score games. Boston College and North Texas played eight. For the second-straight game to finish the regular season ODU won on the final play of the game. This time it was a Grant Wilson two-yard run to defeat Georgia State

One Score Games

COURTESY OLD DOMINION ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS