Sports

By Pete Conrad

Staff Writer

TOLEDO — Redshirt freshman Morgan Williams will get the hype from Toledo's 42-14 thrashing of Miami University's football team Friday, Nov. 21, but it also was a big night for true freshman Kenny Veal.

The former Hamilton High School standout, who plays for the Rockets as a second-string cornerback, recorded his first collegiate interception when he picked off a pass from Daniel Raudabaugh with 11:59 left in the fourth quarter.

Veal also recorded five tackles, including three solos.

Two of Veal's Big Blue classmates have continued to be his teammates at Toledo. True freshman Phillip Manley is a second-string offensive guard for the Rockets and true freshman Damien McIntosh is listed as a second-string linebacker.

McIntosh had an assisted tackle against the RedHawks.

More about Williams

The final numbers for Williams were astonishing: 28 rushes, 330 yards, three touchdowns and individual runs of 86, 58, 30, 25, 22, 14, 14 and 11 yards.

"Morgan came mentally ready to go tonight," Toledo coach Tom Amstutz said. "He ran hard. He ran fast. The line did a nice job. We're a good team when we can mix the run and pass together

"Morgan has a special talent." Amstutz said. "He's just getting used to things. This is his first year playing college football. He had that kind of special talent in high school ... He's going to be a great player in the league for the next three years."

Two were left behind

Miami starting sophomore tailback Thomas Merriweather and junior outside linebacker Caleb Bostic did not make the trip to Toledo.

Bostic will not play for the rest of the season, according to Miami coach Shane Montgomery, due to "conduct detrimental to the team."

Merriweather, the Miami coach said, was suspended from the game by a university ruling involving "an off-the-field incident" that did not involve football. Montgomery said he doesn't know what his status will be for the season finale against Ohio next Friday, Nov. 28 at Yager Stadium.

Merriweather leads Miami with 547 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. Bostic, a Butkus Award candidate, came into the game ranked fifth on the team (and fourth among Miami linebackers) with 40 tackles.

Merriweather was one of two Miami running backs not in uniform Friday. The other was junior Andre Bratton, who made the trip but did not dress because he had "concussion symptoms of previous games," Montgomery said.

That's why true freshman J.R. Taylor did the bulk of the running for the RedHawks, carrying 21 times for 68 yards. Senior Chris Rodriguez carried twice for 7 yards.

Nine not a pretty number

The RedHawks' 42-14 defeat marked only the third time in history that a Miami football team has lost nine games in a season.

It happened first in 1988 when the Miami team coached by Tim Rose — who just two years earlier had guided Miami to its biggest upset victory in history, 21-12 at LSU on Sept. 20, 1986— finished 0-10 overall.

It also happened when the 2006 RedHawks went 2-10 under coach Shane Montgomery, whose players bounced back the following year to earn a berth in the MAC Championship Game.