close
close

Gottagopestcontrol

Trusted News & Timely Insights

    • How Ryan Williams helped lead Alabama football past Georgia
    Michigan

    How Ryan Williams helped lead Alabama football past Georgia

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

    Alabama football quarterback Jalen Milroe just wanted to give Ryan Williams a chance.

    Trailing by a point with less than three minutes left, Milroe got the one-on-one duel he wanted with Williams, who had already taken advantage of the Georgia secondary with a circus-like catch for 54 yards in the third quarter . Milroe beat the safety, threw a pass to Williams on the side of the field, giving him the chance to make the play of his young life.

    However, Williams, who was only 17, didn’t feel the pressure. He had done his homework. He knew the equation.

    “He knows four plus two equals six,” Williams said. “I know, four plus two equals six.”

    Milroe wears jersey No. 4. Williams wears jersey No. 2. You did the math.

    Williams jumped past Georgia defensive back Julian Humphrey, grabbed the reception, retreated behind diving defensive back KJ Bolden and began running, covering 75 yards for a score to push Alabama to a 41-34 lead bring that it wouldn’t lose against the No. 1. 1 bulldogs.

    “I knew everyone down the line, anyone could have made that play,” Williams said. “So I just ran my way to win. And I knew my boys were too.”

    Williams’ coming out party took place at the SEC on Saturday. He finished the game with six catches on seven targets for 177 yards and a 75-yard touchdown reception from Milroe. But it was nothing new for Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer.

    Williams, he said, was “way ahead of his time” as one of two freshmen who secured Alabama’s win, along with defensive back Zabien Brown, who had the game-winning interception.

    “They’ve played enough snaps now that not only them, but all of us believe in it,” DeBoer said. “They’re playmakers, they fight, they grind.”

    But now DeBoer sees Williams as a receiver who is battle-tested. Instead of taking advantage of lax coverage against Western Kentucky, South Florida and Wisconsin, Williams could be the playmaker “we saw during fall camp,” DeBoer said.

    “Age is real”: What makes Alabama football rookie Ryan Williams “different.”

    It was those moments that Williams looked back on, the reason he felt no pressure as Milroe prevailed in the biggest moment of his budding college career.

    “I just felt confidence the whole time,” Williams said. “He gave me the opportunity and I just did it.”

    Confidence doesn’t change Williams’ personality, DeBoer said.

    “He’ll be back to work,” DeBoer said. “He’ll be the same guy on Tuesday and he’ll be the same guy tomorrow when we show up and do our training. I think that’s what our team really sees in him.”

    That’s what Milroe sees in Williams, the receiver he’s connected with on half of his touchdown passes in 2024. For Milroe, Williams is not only a receiver he wants to give a chance to shine, but also one who deserves it.

    “When Ryan is on the field,” Milroe said, “that’s a one-on-one advantage for us.”

    Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.

    Tagged:

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Caradoc Wyn
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like

    ads