DeMarco’s 5 TDs lift Old Dominion over VMI 42-35

LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) - Thomas DeMarco rushed for three touchdowns and passed for two more as Old Dominion won its sixth straight game, beating Virginia Military Institute 42-35 on Saturday to complete its first season of football.

DeMarco completed 16 of 27 passes for 245 yards and rushed 11 times for 55 yards. His 16-yard run with 3:57 left in the third quarter capped a 15-play, 80-yard drive that gave the Monarchs (9-2) a 42-28 lead.

The Keydets (2-9), who amassed 422 rushing yards but passed for just 22, made it 42-35 with less than a minute gone in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Cam Jones’ 69-yard run set up a 1-yard run by Kyle Hughes.

VMI drove to the Old Dominion 32 with 1:02 left, but Jones’ fourth-and-9 pass to T.J. Talley was incomplete.

Old Dominion, an independent this season, will play in the Colonial Athletic Association starting in 2011.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.