Demarco poised to be nation's leading scorer

LEXINGTON

Old Dominion quarterback Thomas DeMarco said after Saturday's 42-35 victory over VMI that he intends to spend the next week "in an ice bath."

ODU's sophomore quarterback, who transferred in from a junior college in California last winter, finished the season with 21 touchdown passes and 17 rushing touchdowns as he accounted for 230 points.

Come Monday when the NCAA releases its statistics for the season, his 20.9 points responsibility per game could lead the nation. Heading into the weekend, Dominic Randolph of Holy Cross was averaging 21.6 per game.

DeMarco completed 137 of 255 passes for 1,921 yards this season while being intercepted four times. He also rushed 163 times for 892 yards.

And he admitted it caught up to him.

"I started the season at 205 pounds," said the 5-foot-10 DeMarco. "I finished at about 198. I need to put that weight back on. I'd like to try to play at 210 pounds next season. You need some leverage when you're running into 220- and 225-pound linebackers."

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Evans leads in catches despite knee surgery

Wide receiver Reid Evans made it through the season despite tearing the anterior crutiate ligament in his left knee a year ago to the day.

Playing on a surgically repaired knee, Evans led the Monarchs with 46 receptions for 602 yards.

"He was playing at about 75 percent," ODU coach Bobby Wilder said.

"Reid's nowhere near what he's going to be as a player."

Evans said his goal is to enter spring drills without the knee brace.

"I can't wait to get rid of this mechanical thing," he said, tapping the knee brace. "There were times when the knee was real sore, but somehow I made it through."

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Colbert challenged in backup linebacker spot

With Mateus Porter out with a broken hand, Michael Colbert was thrust into a starting linebacker spot Saturday and said he was on the field for "all but two series."

He said that facing VMI's triple-option offense was a major challenge and that he "probably learned more about football this week than ever before."

"There was a point where we were stacking our linebackers," Colbert said. "I was lining up behind Mychael McJunkins while we tried to get a handle on what was going on.

"It was crazy."

Colbert had four tackles. As for his running mate, McJunkins finished with a game-high 13 tackles.

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Quick kicks

Defensive lineman Jason Fuller, who played his senior year for the Monarchs after transferring from Virginia, finished with four tackles and had 35 on the season. "This program is just touching the tip of the iceberg," Fuller said. "I was so happy to be a part of the outcomes and not just a player watching from the sidelines."... Punter Jonathan Plisco averaged 38.8 yards on five punts, but hit his long of the day, a 50-yarder, after pulling a groin muscle while attempting to make a tackle following his fourth punt of the day. "I was good enough to kick," Plisco said. "And it wasn't my kicking leg." Plisco finished the season with a 44.8-yard average.... James Edwards, asked his thoughts about ODU coach Bobby Wilder calling for a fake punt on fourth-and-10, a play that resulted in a 45-yard touchdown by Edwards. "It was fourth-and-10?" Edwards said. "I'm glad I didn't know that. I was just running for the first-down stake. We practice that play every Tuesday. Plisco used to run it. I guess they decided he couldn't get to the edge fast enough. Don't tell him I said that, though."