ODU to stick with Shields at QB this week

NORFOLK — Ricky Rahne has decided on a starter at quarterback this week, but the Old Dominion coach will continue to keep his options open. Jack Shields, a sophomore who made his first college start in Saturday’s 41-35 Sun Belt Conference loss at Marshall, will start again this week at Southern Miss, Rahne said. Who will hold the job long-term remains to be seen.

“We’re going to continue to evaluate that position, as we evaluate all positions,” Rahne said Monday during his weekly news conference. “The coaching staff owes it to the other guys on the team to make sure that we put every guy out on the field who’s going to help us win games. Is that a little bit different, that position? Of course.

But we’ve got to continue to evaluate. ” The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Shields has completed 25 of 43 passes for 353 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions, since taking the field during the second quarter of the Monarchs’ 10-9 victory over Texas A&M University-Commerce on Sept. 23.

Shields replaced junior Grant Wilson, who won a close preseason battle for the job after transferring from Fordham. Before he was benched, the 6-3, 217-pound Wilson completed 42 of 81 passes for 644 yards with seven touchdowns and five picks, including three early ones against Commerce. ODU (2-3, 1-1 Sun Belt) ranks fifth among league teams with 247.

2 passing yards per game. Shields, Rahne said, is the more elusive in the pocket of the two, and Wilson throws the better deep ball. “But they both are good athletes,” Rahne said.

“They both are accurate. They both work really hard at it and are tough. So they are very similar players, which is why (there’s been) close competition all the way through, because they are so similar.

“We feel like we have two guys that can win us games. So we’ve got to continue to look at it. ” .