CHUCK STEENBURGH

VMI VMI quarterback Kyle Hughes scores on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter during the Keydets' loss to Old Dominion.

LEXINGTON -- On film, the trouble at VMI is clear.

Linebacker Emilio Calvin said that on every Monday this season when the Keydets settle in to watch game film with their coaches, they never get docked for lack of effort.

"Our effort is never questioned, it's our assignment pride," Calvin said. "It's missed assignments. And you never know which missed assignment is going to turn into a big play. You can play nine plays good and one play bad and that one play could cost the game."

Or the season. The Keydets finished the 2009 season Saturday by rolling up 444 yards of offense, but fell short, 42-35, to Old Dominion at Foster Stadium.

The Keydets led Division I-AA in rushing yards per game for the second straight season, averaging 276.7 yards a game, but finished 2-9 overall and 1-5 in the Big South.

Pointing to the season-high 11 penalties, a fumble in their own territory that set up a score and a couple of big plays given up on defense and special teams, VMI coach Sparky Woods pronounced the game a microcosm of the season.

"There's been a lot of 'at-a-boys and no victories," Woods said.

ODU, which just started playing football this season, finished 9-2.

"It seems like we play to the level of our competition," Woods said. "We've got to set our own tempo, and set our own desire to win.

"That [supersedes] everything else."

Senior quarterback Kyle Hughes said the season was "really disappointing."

"It's more than a season thing, its more like a career thing," Hughes said. "Our freshman year, we won one game, then we won two games, and then four games.

"We had so much expectation this year. We're so close. I wish we had another year."

Hughes ran for two touchdowns and 47 yards on 11 carries. Fellow senior Tim Maypray, the Big South's preseason offensive player of the year, had just eight yards on three carries, and eight returns for 152 yards.

Zach Collins led the Keydets with 103 rushing yards, including a 71-yard touchdown. Senior Howard Abegesah had 78 yards on five carries, but left the game with an ankle injury early in the second quarter.

Gabe Itoka and Taj Harris each scored rushing touchdowns for VMI, which ran for 422 yards.

ODU quarterback Thomas DeMarco completed 16 of 27 passes for 245 yards and two TDs. He also ran for 55 yards and three scores on 11 carries.

"Their quarterback is outstanding," Woods said of DeMarco. "He plays to win. And he's tough."

The Keydets never led, but answered each of the Monarchs' first three touchdowns. They trailed 28-21 at the break.

ODU scored a 45-yard TD on a fake punt on its opening drive of the second half, but Zach Collins came right back with a 71-yard touchdown sprint on the Keydets next play from scrimmage to shrink the Monarchs' edge to seven.

Calvin and Julian Bowers forced a DeMarco fumble on the ODU 32 and Greg Walker recovered it. But the Keydets could not advance the ball past the 17, and kicker Jeff Sexton missed a 34-yard field goal try.

The Monarchs took over at their 20 and despite a pair of holding penalties, drove 80 yards on 15 plays finishing with a 16-yard scoring scramble by DeMarco for a 42-28 lead.

Cam Jones, a redshirt-sophomore, took over at quarterback and on VMI's second possession Jones broke free for a 69-yard TD dash to cut the lead back to one touchdown.

But the Keydets wasted a great punt return to the ODU 36 by Maypray on their next possession, getting penalized on the return and twice for false starts, which stalled on their own 43.

They pinned ODU back to the Monarchs' 19 when Calvin sacked DeMarco on third-and-13, but the Keydets again scuttled themselves with two penalties on their final drive.

Hughes said that fans might pick out ODU's touchdown on the fake punt on the first drive of the second half as the game-changing play. He pointed out, though, the game-change might just as well have come in the first half when the Keydets started a drive at their own 42 and got to ODU's 36 before taking back-to-back false start penalties and having to punt.

"We look at it a little differently than the fans do," Hughes said.

That's what those Monday film sessions are all about.

"It seems like we've been losing for a long time," said linebacker A.J. Gross. "Everybody says they're sick of losing. We've got to find a way to win."

Old Dominion 14 14 14 0--42

VMI 14 7 7 7--35

First Quarter

ODU -- Mayers 27 pass from DeMarco (Hareza kick), 11:20.

VMI--Itoka 1 run (J.Sexton kick), 8:06.

ODU--DeMarco 1 run (Hareza kick), 3:35.

VMI--Hughes 4 run (J.Sexton kick), 1:58.

Second Quarter

ODU--Evans 4 pass from DeMarco (Hareza kick), 12:56.

VMI--Harris 3 run (J.Sexton kick), 8:04.

ODU--DeMarco 2 run (Hareza kick), 7:15.

Third Quarter

ODU--Edwards 45 run (Hareza kick), 13:09.

VMI--Z.Collins 71 run (J.Sexton kick), 12:48.

ODU--DeMarco 16 run (Hareza kick), 3:57.

Fourth Quarter

VMI--Hughes 1 run (J.Sexton kick), 13:14.

A--8,132.

ODU VMI

First downs 22 17

Rushes-yards 53-251 56-422

Passing 245 22

Comp-Att-Int 16-27-0 3-10-0

Return Yards 0 43

Punts-Avg. 6-39.0 4-39.5

Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-1

Penalties-Yards 8-83 11-80

Time of Possession 32:20 27:40

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--ODU, M.Crawford 15-70, DeMarco 16-55, Edwards 1-45, Mayers 6-39, D.Williams 10-34, M.Williams 1-7, Jackson 1-5, Team 3-(minus 4). VMI, Z.Collins 5-103, Abegesah 9-87, Ca.Jones 5-78, Hughes 11-47, Harris 15-41, Talley 3-40, Itoka 5-18, Maypray 3-8.

PASSING--ODU, DeMarco 16-27-0-245. VMI, Hughes 2-6-0-15, Ca.Jones 1-4-0-7.

RECEIVING--ODU, Evans 5-53, Lovitt 2-56, M.Crawford 2-49, Mayers 2-32, Edwards 1-18, Davis 1-13, Jackson 1-9, D.Williams 1-9, Carrillo 1-6. VMI, Barnson 1-8, Maypray 1-7, M.Scott 1-7.