This story has a Hollywood ending, but like War and Peace, it will take a while to get there.
The protagonists wind up losing badly during my 36-hour odyssey with the Old Dominion football team. But storyline here won’t be complete until three weeks later, when the Monarchs shocked the college football world by upsetting Virginia Tech.
As ODU prepared for what would be a disastrous road opener at Liberty, Coach Bobby Wilder granted me unfettered access to the team as it traveled to Lynchburg. I was allowed to ride the bus, attend every team meeting, watch the game from the sidelines and go into the locker room.