WINSTON-SALEM – Instead of facing an Old Dominion team that hasn’t played a game in a year and a half, Wake Forest is facing an Old Dominion team coming off of a decent Sun Belt win.

Things have changed in two years.

The only previous meeting of Wake Forest and the Monarchs was the season opener in 2021, which was a 42-10 win for the Deacons that kicked off their 11-win season.

For ODU, that was the program’s first game in 643 days, having been one of the teams that canceled its season in 2020.

The Monarchs have gone through some highs and lows as a program since then. They won five straight games later that season to finish 6-6 and reach the Myrtle Beach Bowl. But after a 3-3 start to last season that included a win against Virginia Tech and a 2-0 start in the Sun Belt, ODU lost its last six games.

Saturday’s 38-31 win over Louisiana was ODU’s first win since mid-October last year.

Here are five things to know about Old Dominion ahead of Saturday’s game:

There was a 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust feel to ODU’s offense two seasons ago.

Now, well, not so much.

“They have completely changed their offense,” coach Dave Clawson said. “They’re like this super, super fast tempo, spread. Think kind of like Tennessee, they put their receivers almost on the sideline and create all of this space.”

Coach Ricky Rahne, in his third season at ODU, was at Penn State for six seasons before taking over at ODU and brought with him a power-run offense. The winning streak to end the 2021 season came with more success through the air; last season, the only tangible success came through the air.

Hence, a change was needed …

For the ninth straight year, ODU has a different starting quarterback.

(are you grateful that Wake Forest has had the run of consistency its enjoyed?)

Rahne plucked Fordham offensive coordinator Kevin Decker to run his offense. Decker spent the last four seasons with the Rams and last year, they averaged 609 yards and 49.5 points per game.

Let’s repeat that one for effect: Averaged 609 yards and 49.5 points per game.

Obviously things are different when you move up a level. And it’s not like ODU has come close to those numbers in its first two games. But it does provide a scope of what Decker’s high-flying, light-speed offense is capable of.

He brought with him a reserve QB who’s originally from Virginia.

Grant Wilson played sparingly in two seasons at Fordham but has taken the reins at ODU. The 6-3, 217-pounder leads the country in average depth of target (14.9 yards), per Pro Football Focus. The Arlington, Va., native completed 13 of 25 passes for 94 yards against Virginia Tech in the season-opening loss (ran for 81 yards), and was 13 of 19 for 247 yards and four touchdowns last weekend against Louisiana.

ODU is one of three teams in the country that doesn’t have a sack.

It’s about as surprising as it can be with such a limited sample size, given ODU only had two games without a sack last season and was tied for 38th in the country for sacks (32), ranking one spot ahead of Wake Forest (31 sacks last year).

The Monarchs weren’t reliant on any one player for sacks last season, with three of them tying for the team lead at four sacks each. Only one of them — defensive tackle Denzel Lowry — returned this season.

Per usual, just the number of sacks isn’t the end-all, be-all of whether a team generates a pass rush. It is interesting to be one of three teams in the country without a sack, though, while also noting ODU has given up 259 and 285 passing yards to Virginia Tech and Louisiana, respectively.

Wake Forest has had two kickers combine for 10 touchbacks on 16 kickoffs this season.

ODU would probably like to trade for one of Caleb Carlson and Tyler Black, were such transactions allowed in college football.

The Monarchs haven’t had a touchback in 11 kickoffs and have given up 340 combined return yards.

There’s a caveat here in those return yards; 66 of them came on a punt return by Virginia Tech when the game had been decided. That was last of five straight Hokies possessions that either started at the 50-yard line or in ODU territory, though.

For a Wake Forest team that just notched a game-changing special teams touchdown in its previous game, this should be another game that lines up for the Deacons to have an advantage.

ODU has scored two home wins over ACC teams in recent years, both of them coming against Virginia Tech.

In 2018, the year before S.B. Ballard Stadium underwent a renovation, the Monarchs beat the Hokies 49-35 for their first win of what turned out to be a four-win season. It was ODU’s first win over a power-conference opponent since restarting its football program in 2009.

Last season’s three-win campaign began with a 20-17 win against Virginia Tech.

“We’ve played these Group of 5 games and it seems like every one comes down to the last play,” Clawson said. “Tulane in ’16, Tulane in ’18, Utah State in ’19, App State in ’17, Liberty last year. The talent level on these teams is really good.

“And we’re on the road and I expect a very challenging atmosphere and a very challenging game.”