<>Wins The Key Number For Southern's Toles
By TOM YANTZ, Courant Staff Writer

<>For most of last season Southern Connecticut tailback Brandon Toles, then a sophomore, watched senior Shawn Harris rush for 1,545 yards.

Toles is no spectator this year. He set the Owls' single-season record with 1,715 yards, surpassing Rashaan Dumas, who had 1,639 in 1996. And Toles still has at least one more game to play.

Southern (7-3), winner of its last five games, faces Merrimack (7-3) in an NCAA Division II first-round game in North Andover, Mass., Saturday at noon. The winner plays Nov. 25 at No.1 Shepherd, which has a first-round bye.

Merrimack, the No.4 seed in the Northeast Region, defeated No.5 seed Southern 35-27 in the regular season after the Owls led 27-7 at halftime."We came out hard early, but then we let up on them," Toles said. "It was tough."

Toles didn't want to talk about his 168 yards and two touchdowns in that game because Southern lost.

"No, that's not important. Winning games is," he said.

Southern's best opportunity to win is through Toles' running. He has 13 rushing touchdowns and has run for 100 yards or more in every game. He had 227 in a 29-26 loss to Division I-AA Central Connecticut and a career-high 240 in a 34-28 victory over C.W. Post.

Toles, from Fort Washington, Md., preferred to speak of the C.W. Post game on Oct. 20.

"My best run of the year was in that game because we knew we needed to win that game if we were ever going to get to the postseason," he said. "We were up 27-20 and had a third-and-6 at our own 40. It was a trap play and everyone - the line, the receivers - made their blocks. And I just took it through there and home."

The Owls followed that victory with victories against Stonehill (14-0) and St. Anselm (69-7) to earn an at-large selection into the NCAA tournament. Their last loss was to Merrimack.

"Merrimack has improved since then," Southern coach Rick Cavanaugh said. "They've won six in a row, starting with beating us."

Toles is eager for another crack at Merrimack.

"After that loss we didn't quit," he said. "Now it's the NCAAs."

Toles, who weighs 180 pounds, has weathered well carrying the ball 278 times. Despite being the focus of defenders, he has remained elusive and effective.

"I stayed up here this summer and worked out hard," he said. "I knew I'd be the main guy. I didn't want to wear out. Sure, I've got a few bruises, but I feel great. It's the NCAAs. Let's go."

Contact Tom Yantz at tyantz@courant.com.

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