Before Saturday's football game against Buffalo, Marcus Merriweather struck a deal with special teams coach Scott Pethel. Merriweather said if he scored four touchdowns, he should be able to play the role of place kicker and kick-off to the Bulls. That is why Merriweather was seen strolling the sidelines, his arm slung around head coach Bill Lynch's shoulders after his three-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Lynch exercised his veto power on the deal, but Merriweather's day was not ruined.
In his final home game, the senior tailback had one of his finest days as a Cardinal. He broke numerous records on the afternoon, including career carries.
Lynch said that may be the most overlooked record.
"If you're a tailback you get hit a lot," Lynch said. "Marcus is getting hit four, five, six times every play. To have that kind of toughness is a remarkable feat, maybe even more so than the yards or the touchdowns."
Merriweather said it is sometimes "scary" getting hit so much, but it comes with the job.
"Sometimes you really feel them, sometimes they just bounce off," Merriweather said. "Sometimes when your going down you just hope nobody comes and knocks you out."
Merriweather did not let the hits get to him on this day, though. Merriweather carried the ball 37 times and took hits probably upwards of 100 times. Through it all, the fifth-year senior ran for 237 yards and had one reception for 11 more.
His performance added to the records he has already broken: yards in a career and yards in a season. His totals are now 3,940 and 1,556, respectively. Lynch attributes Merriweather's success to his performance week in and week out.
"His consistency is the best I've been around," Lynch said. "I think that the people that have watched him play over and over again have seen the same player every Saturday. I think that's the mark of a really good player."
Merriweather has one game left wearing a Ball State uniform, and he said he is thankful for every moment.
"I can't explain in words what it's like to come out here every day and compete," he said. "You meet so many people, you travel all over, it's a dream come true."
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