NORFOLK, Va. — Winning is important, so is the last chance for ODU seniors to put on a show. For Monarchs head coach Ricky Rahne perhaps there's one other thing that is the best part of the bowl game experience. He says the biggest takeaway from the game is, "Some memories with each other and a little extra time with some of the best people they're ever going to know."
We're talking about ODU's Myrtle Beach Bowl game against Tulsa on December 20.
Rahne had been on the recruiting trail since the game was first announced. Thursday was his first chance to go on camera with his thoughts about the game. He said it's another opportunity to go (1-0) and it's a great opportunity to get in 10 more practices. Beyond that Rahne said, "It's a great reward for our seniors who battled for a number of years now, but certainly over the last two and have given everything they've got."
You're probably familiar with how the season played out, but let's reiterate. The Monarchs started out (1-6) and then finished the season on a 5-game win streak to make a bowl in Rahne's first year as head coach.
Asked if he learned anything about his team as that win streak played out, Rahne said, "I haven't learned anything new during the win streak. Our team has been very consistent the whole way through. We weren't necessarily getting the results we wanted, but we certainly were getting the same effort, the same mentality and all those things. I'm really happy with that."
Perhaps he would say there was one growth area, "We grew in some confidence I would say. But in terms our toughness and care and our ability to compete, no, this team has shown me that from day one."