GREENVILLE — Old Dominion may not officially be a member of Conference USA yet, but it certainly looked the part on Saturday.
Playing against an FBS opponent for the first time in school history, the FCS Monarchs went point-for-point with current C-USA members East Carolina in a battle of high-powered spread offenses. However, record-setting performances by quarterback Shane Carden and wide receiver Justin Hardy enabled the Pirates to avoid the upset and pull out a 52-38 win in both team’s season opener.
“I was proud of our group and proud of our team and I was proud of the way we hung in there,” ECU’s fourth-year coach Ruffin McNeill said.
Hardy, a 2012 all-conference selection, kicked off his junior year right where he left off and tied his own school record for receptions in a game by grabbing 16 passes for a career-high 191 yards.
Hardy set the receptions record last year during ECU’s 65-59 double OT win over Marshal in the regular season finale.
Carden was extraordinary from the opening drive to the final buzzer as he threw for an ECU single-game record 447 yards, eclipsing his own mark of 439 set in the same win over Marshall.
“Shane did a good job for us tonight,” McNeill said. “He led us to victory.”
Carden completed 46 of his 54 attempts and tied his previous record of five touchdown passes in a game to help the Pirates (1-0) fend off Old Dominion (0-1).
“Shane was great for us tonight,” Hardy said. “He put the ball where it needed to be and we made plays for him.”
ECU freshman WR Davon Grayson made a stellar debut, catching four  passes for 28 yards and three TDs, while junior Danny Webster pulled in eight passes for 79 yards and a score.
The Monarchs were guided by FCS star junior quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who proved he could compete on the Div. I level as the 2012 Walter Payton award winner threw for 370 yards on 38-51 passing.
The two quarterbacks combined for 785 yards, eight touchdowns, and
remarkably no interceptions.
The game was expected to be a shootout and lived up to it’s billing as Carden came out slinging from the opening possession, going 8 for 8 to lead East Carolina on a 10-play 75-yard drive that ended with a five-yard slant to Danny Webster.
The Monarchs retaliated with 65-yard march down the field that ended with a 27-yard field goal by Jarod Brown with 7:08 remaining in the first quarter.
ODU took a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter as Heinicke guided his team on a 95-yard drive by completing all eight of his pass attempts, including a well placed 1-yard strike to Blair Roberts, who maneuvered past safety Damon Magazu to get open.
The Monarch’s lead was short lived as Grayson snatched a 9-yard TD pass from Carden on a slant pattern to put the Pirates up 14-10.
ODU showed no signs of letting up, and on the ensuing possession reclaimed the lead when Heinicke delivered a perfectly placed seem pass to Jakwail Bailey, who beat cornerback DaShaun Amos to the ball to pull in a 43-yard TD pass and take a 17-14 lead with 2:25 left in the half.
It would be the last time the Monarchs held the advantage as ECU raced 75 yards up the field to score on a 6-yard TD pass to Grayson as time expired and never let go of the lead.