This is the Depth Dossier: the Old Dominion Monarchs, Week 7.

Old Dominion had the legs to win this one, but the blockers never showed up. Georgia Southern took it 23 to 15, and the Monarchs ran for just 65 yards on 32 carries while handing the game away with two backbreaking fumbles in the final minutes of both halves.

Let's start with what actually worked. Old Dominion built a lead on two shot plays, a 20-yard touchdown to wide receiver Leon Haughton Junior and a 71-yard strike to wide receiver T.J. Johnson. Quarterback Quinn Henicle was playing his best football of the season before getting hurt late in the second quarter. His replacement, Ryan Huff, threw the touchdown that made it a game, but then got stripped and fumbled it away at the Old Dominion 15-yard line with a minute twenty-five left. In between those flashes, the run game simply never showed up, averaging 2 yards a carry with zero success on power runs. Add twelve penalties for 100 yards and a third-down conversion rate of just 3 of 10, and a defense that actually held Georgia Southern to 3 of 12 on third down didn't get nearly enough help.

Dig a little deeper and the line play looks even worse. Strip out the sacks, and the run game still only manages a little over 3 yards a carry. This offensive line came into the week with the worst sack total in the entire country, and Georgia Southern piled on four more, two on Henicle and two on Huff. Quarterback Devin Roche went 15 of 25, which looks fine until you notice he also lost a fumble at the Old Dominion 46-yard line that set up a Georgia Southern field goal.

The explosive plays tell you how close this really was. Johnson's 71-yard touchdown and Haughton's 20-yarder made up a third of Old Dominion's entire offense on just two snaps. Take those away, and this was a struggling offense for most of the afternoon. Head coach Ricky Rahne didn't sugarcoat it afterward, saying, "Obviously we have to take care of the football. Particularly in the fumbles. We've put the ball on the ground too much, bottom line."

Penalties made things worse. A roughing-the-punter call and a pass interference flag on the same drive helped Georgia Southern tie the game, and a holding call wiped out a return from defensive back Josh Dallas that would have flipped field position. The bright spot was the defense, which forced Georgia Southern into 76 plays and still held them under 25 percent on third down. Linebacker Lucas Struck tied his career high with 11 tackles, and defensive lineman Mario Easterly picked up a sack in a game started by Weston Bryan.

Now to the depth chart, and the headline there is Henicle. Before he got hurt, he'd thrown for 84 yards and a touchdown on 6 of 10 passing, added 16 yards rushing, and was the best offensive player on the field by the numbers. He showed up on the sideline afterward in street clothes and is officially questionable heading into next week. With Louisiana Tech on the schedule, his availability is the biggest question for this team. If he can't go, Huff is next in line. He delivered the longest pass play of the season but also turned the ball over in the most costly way possible, so the staff now has a real decision to make about whether he's a legitimate backup or just a stopgap.

Rahne addressed the quarterback situation on his coach's show and said no major personnel changes are coming, that it's about execution, not who's on the field. That keeps Roche entrenched at running back despite his fumble, though he did pass Thomas DeMarco for sixth in program history in rushing yards.

Up front, nothing has changed yet, but an offensive line bleeding sacks and getting stuffed in short yardage is the problem this staff doesn't have an easy fix for. And keep an eye on Johnson's role in the passing game. He only had two catches, but one went for 71 yards, so if Henicle's out, expect more quick-strike shots his way. Louisiana Tech is next, and Henicle's health, along with any answer for the run game, will decide whether this offense can move the ball on the ground at all.

This was the depth dossier. For everything college football, be it depth charts, data or dossiers, head over to C F B Depth dot com. We will be back next week. This was an AI-generated podcast from content developed by real human beings passionate about college football.