Sports feeds
E-mail sports alerts
DDN sports mobile
Sports TwitterMiami Football
Freshman speedster gets RedHawks' attention
Defensive back Sutherland, an all-star in high school, could see playing time returning kicks.
Friday, August 15, 2008
OXFORD — Most of the Miami University kickoff and punt returns will be handled this season by the same speedsters — Jamal Rogers and Eugene Harris — who combined for more than 1,250 return yards a year ago.
But there is a new speedster on the horizon in Brian Sutherland, and Miami coach Shane Montgomery acknowledges he might be too good not to play as a true freshman.
"We'll maybe take a look at Brian Sutherland, see what he can do," Montgomery said of the 5-foot-10, 170-pound defensive back from Smyrna, Ga. "He was pretty good in high school."
As a senior, Sutherland returned one kickoff and one punt for touchdowns, and added a 96-yard kick return for another touchdown in Georgia's North-South All-Star Game. He averaged 20.3 yards on punt returns and 31.7 yards on kick returns.
Rogers, a 5-11, 158-pound sophomore, remains Miami's main kickoff return man following an eye-popping freshman season in which he shattered Miami's record for most kickoff return yards. His 973 yards were 256 more than that of the old record, set by Milt Bowen in 2000.
"He got better and better as the year went on," Montgomery said of Rogers, who had a 90-yard return (not for a touchdown) against Ohio. "He gives us a chance to break one any time he touches the ball."
Wide receiver Chris Givens and tailbacks Thomas Merriweather and Andre Bratton also are in the mix, as is Sutherland.
Harris is back as the punt returner after averaging 9.3 yards per return last season, including a 56-yarder. Cornerback Jeff Thompson and wideout Mitch Anderson are considered backups, along with Sutherland.
"He's a guy that we've got to look at. He may be too good of an athlete not to have him play this year," Montgomery said when asked about the possibility of Sutherland redshirting his freshman year.
"He's done pretty well at cornerback," the Miami coach added. "We've got some guys there who are banged up."
Junior Wendell Brunson, who is vying with sophomore Brandon Stephens for a starting spot at cornerback, is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery in June.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197
or pconrad@coxohio.com.
