Article published November 21, 2009
Rockets run all over EMU
Toledo piles up 330 rushing yards
Toledo running back MorganWilliams dashes for a touchdown against Eastern Michigan Friday night. He had 11 carries for 155 yards, including 134 in the first half.
 VIEW: UT - E. Michigan photo gallery
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THE BLADE/AMY E. VOIGT
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By ZACH SILKA
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
Whichever team has to face the University of Toledo in its second-to-last game of the season next year better watch out for Morgan Williams.
Against Miami in the Rockets' 11th game of last season, Williams rushed for a school-record 330 yards in a 42-14 victory over the RedHawks.
Last night in a 47-21 win over Eastern Michigan, the sophomore running back totaled 134 yards on the ground in the first half and finished with 155 yards on 11 carries.
DaJuane Collins added 144 rushing yards on 20 carries in his final appearance with the team's 18 other seniors at the Glass Bowl in front of 9,967.
Even without much production from ailing senior quarterback Aaron Opelt, who suffered a partial tear in his right rotator cuff Oct. 10 against Western Michigan, the Rockets (5-6, 3-4 Mid-American Conference) fared just fine.
Freshman Austin Dantin got the start behind center and completed 10 of 11 passes for 116 yards. He was bolstered by a powerful rushing attack that was utilized early and often and helped the Rockets build a 26-14 halftime advantage.
“[Dantin] played amazing,” said Opelt, who was 1-of-5 passing for six yards and an interception. “He stepped up and made plays when he had to. I was very impressed with the way he played.”
UT called 28 run plays to just 13 pass plays in the first half. The Rockets didn't run the ball that many times in the entirety of four games this season.
The run-pass disparity only continued to grow in the second half, as UT finished with season highs of 51 carries and 330 rushing yards.
“We just all believed that we could come out here and run the ball,” Collins said. “We made it a point to establish the run early and we stuck with it all game.”
UT dominated time of possession 12:49-2:11 in the first quarter, but only had a 33-yard field goal from Alex Steigerwald to show for it.
Redshirt freshman quarterback David Pasquale got the Rockets their first touchdown on a 15-yard scamper from the Wildcat formation 42 seconds into the second quarter, although EMU blocked the ensuing extra-point attempt.
UT extended its lead to 16-0 just three plays later on junior defensive end Alex Johnson's fumble recovery in the end zone with 13:13 remaining in the half.
While trying to scramble away from pressure, EMU quarterback Alex Gillett was stripped at his own 7-yard line by freshman defensive end T.J. Fatinikun, and the ball bounded across the goal line while a scrum of players tried to recover it.
Gillett kept his composure and fired a 48-yard bomb down the middle of the field to receiver Tyrone Burke on the second play of the ensuing drive to make it 16-7 at the 11:57 mark.
Gillett later tossed a 29-yard TD pass to receiver Thomas Kinsman, who did a spectacular job getting a foot down in the back of the end zone on the catch, with 55 seconds to go before halftime.
The Clyde product ended the night 13-of-25 passing for 195 yards. He also rushed for 78 yards on 15 carries.
Gillett's second TD pass was sandwiched between Collins' 55-yard scamper with 4:29 remaining and a 32-yard field goal from Steigerwald with four seconds left that was made possible by Williams' 47-yard run to start the drive.
Pasquale punched in another TD run, this one from six yards out, after EMU's first drive of the second half was stunted by Gillett's second fumble, again forced by Fatinikun.
Running back Dwayne Priest got the Eagles (0-11, 0-7) back in it with a one-yard plunge that made it 33-21 with 2:33 left in the third quarter, but they would come no closer the rest of the way.
Williams' 15-yard run with 13:32 remaining and Collins' four-yard run with 43 seconds to play sealed the outcome.
“These young men that are standing behind me are the 19 reasons why we won that football game tonight,” said UT coach Tim Beckman, who brought his entire senior class with him to the postgame news conference.
“We had great, great leadership this week and throughout this year to get these guys their fifth victory. I couldn't be more proud of coaching these gentlemen, because these are the guys that got this team over the hump of a three-game losing streak.”
Contact Zach Silka at:zsilka@theblade.com.
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