By Harry Minium

NORFOLK, Va.

Old Dominion's football team is in uncharted territory. Never have the Monarchs lost seven in a row, nor have they been eliminated from postseason play with four games left.

ODU fell to 1-7 after being shredded by Florida Atlantic, 41-3, Saturday night at S.B. Ballard Stadium. It was the second home game in a row that ODU, once an offensive juggernaut, failed to score a touchdown.

The loss officially eliminated ODU from bowl contention and unless the Monarchs make a remarkable turnaround in the final four games, this will be ODU's worst season ever. Last season's 4-8 record is the current low water mark.

The Monarchs would have to beat three of four their remaining opponents – FIU, UTSA, Middle Tennessee and Charlotte – to surpass last year's record.

Coach Bobby Wilder says injuries have been a big factor in ODU's 1-7 record.

Wide receiver Eric Kumah , the transfer from Virginia Tech, was a bright spot for the Monarchs in two ways.

Playing in his first game since ODU's 28-17 loss at Virginia six weeks ago, he caught a personal record 10 passes for a career high 99 yards

Then after the game, he announced that he will sit out the rest of the season in order to redshirt and return to play for ODU next season.

That's good news for ODU in 2020. Kumah is an NFL prospect who, in spite of his 10 receptions, isn't anywhere near full strength. He had knee surgery in the spring and never fully recovered. And ODU will need him in a season in which they host Virginia and Wake Forest and play at North Carolina.

“(Coach Bobby Wilder) feels like I'm not 100 percent healthy, so he thinks it's best for me to get healthy and be able to further my football career playing healthy next season,” Kumah said.

That's bad news for the current team – Kumah was responsible for 99 of ODU's 204 offensive yards against FAU. ODU's other wide receivers caught three passes for 29 yards.

Kaleb Ford-Dement's first half interception set up an ODU field goal.

ODU played and nearly won in September at both Virginia Tech and Virginia, ACC teams now a victory away from bowl games.

And therein lies the mystery about ODU – how could a team that led Virginia 17-0 in the first half and by three points in the fourth quarter be playing so poorly now?

Kumah hit on part of the reason in the postgame press conference.

“I think the only thing holding us back is ourselves,” he said. “Every player individually is holding one another back in different ways.

“I don't think we've gone a play where all 11 players have executed correctly, and I think it's showing.

“We've got to stop pointing fingers. Everybody has to stay together as a team. When you're 1-7, it's easy to hang your head and move forward. But people who actually care about the game, care about the program and respect it will give it all they've got in these last four games.”

Part of the reason for ODU's offensive woes is that opponents are lining up in the box and daring ODU to pass. The only way ODU can overcome that kind of defense is to make other teams pay by completing passes downhill. And so far, they've been unable to do so.

Jordan Young led ODU against FAU with 10 tackles.

I also think everyone, myself included, underestimated how much losing quarterback Blake LaRussa , would hurt. LaRussa came off the bench and led ODU to a signature, 49-35, victory over Virginia Tech. LaRussa, a junior last season, left ODU for seminary school to become a traveling evangelist.

He had a great passing arm and just enough speed to break away from defenders, attributes that ODU has dearly missed this season.

Another reason is injuries – ODU has had 28 players injured enough to require medical help to recover. And last week at UAB, the Monarchs suffered four more losses – offensive lineman Cam Muller (concussion); tight end Chris Cunningham (broken hand); cornerback Tobias Moss (groin injury); and long snapper B.R. Hatcher (concussion).

That was compounded Saturday night when linebacker Lawrence Garner , the leading tackler in Conference USA, broke his hand; defensive tackle Juwan Ross , a Floridian who had been playing well, re-injured a knee in the first half; and Blake Watson , who has been ODU's savior at times with his kickoff returns, sprained an ankle.

Injuries don't, by themselves, explain ODU's 1-7 record, but they've been a huge factor.

“Here's the bottom line,” Wilder said. “We are struggling to put healthy guys out on the field that can have success ... against good competition.”

Eric Kumah announced after the loss to FAU that he will redshirt and return next season.

Wilder will have to dig deep to fix his offense this season. ODU outgained U.Va., 270-244, but last week at UAB, the Monarchs gained just 150 yards, the third-worst performance in school history. Two weeks earlier, at home against Western Kentucky, ODU had just 163 yards.

Wilder said in his postgame message to his players that he “made it clear to everybody, every player and every coach, that this is a four-game audition for all of us. This is a great opportunity to build some momentum going into next season.”

One final thought: if you don't think that Wilder loves this program, consider this: Playing Kumah the last four games might have been the best choice for him, since it would give ODU a better chance of winning.

But he didn't do that. He thought of the program, the one he helped build from scratch, ahead of his future. And he also thought about Kumah, whose hopes for an NFL career would be substantially damaged if he played this season.

“Having a healthy Eric Kumah next year is in the best interest of our football program,” Wilder said.

“It might not be best for us right now, but it's best for this football program moving forward.”

Indeed it is.

Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu