Roche, Joseph combine for 245 rushing yards in Old Dominion's 27-10 Oyster Bowl win over Georgia St


NORFOLK, Va. -- — Devin Roche ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns, Colton Joseph added 108 yards and a score of his own, and Old Dominion defeated Georgia State 27-10 on Saturday in a regular-season finale.

Joseph also completed nine of his 22 passes for 106 yards for the Monarchs (9-3, 6-2 Sun Belt), who finished second behind James Madison in the Sun Belt East.

The game was the 75th edition of the Oyster Bowl, which has been played since 1946 in various forms. It has been held as an ODU conference matchup since 2011.

Georgia State took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, but ODU responded with two straight scoring drives and 27 unanswered points. Roche scored his first touchdown on a 9-yard rush late in the second, and added his second on a 3-yarder in the third.

Ja'Cory Thomas led with 64 receiving yards on four catches for the Monarchs.

Christian Veilleux was 18-for-37 passing for 154 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers (1-11, 0-8).

The Monarchs will conclude their season with a bowl game for the third time under head coach Ricky Rahne. They last played in the Famous Toastery Bowl in 2023, a 38-35 OT loss to Western Kentucky.

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