Williams, Aggie offense run over Bobcats
Sophomore quarterback Chuckie Keeton and the receiving core stole the spotlight in Saturday’s 38-7 win over Texas State, accounting for all five of the Aggie touchdowns with consistency and a handful of explosive plays.
While the offense fell just short of being the first USU squad to eclipse 40 points in four-straight games, senior running back Kerwynn Williams quietly wrote his name into the school record books.
With an 8-yard run in the third quarter, Williams became the 11th different Aggie to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season and broke 2,000 yards for his career.
“I can’t say enough about him and what he has meant to this program,” USU head coach Gary Andersen said. “One-thousand yards is a great thing and the way he has handled his time here, he is a tremendous leader, a tremendous teammate and a tremendous player. My hat goes off to him. I am very happy he could get that 1,000 yards at home.”
In his final season in a Utah State uniform, the Las Vegas native is seeing his patience pay its dividends after spending three seasons behind former Aggies turned-NFL backs Robert Turbin and Michael Smith.
Now, he’s a crucial part of the high-octane USU offense that is putting up 32.5 points per game.
“It is definitely satisfying,” Williams said of reaching the mark. “Not so much that I didn’t get a lot of snaps before, but just to have all the hard work that I have put into this offseason to get to this point, as well as the hard work that my teammates have put in to allow me to get to this spot. I feel like everyone is excited for me and I am really excited to have the opportunity to play week in and week out and to be able to accomplish this.”
Williams has run for more than 100 yards in a game four times this season, including a season-high 205 yards against Colorado State on Sept. 22 and a 176-yard day against San Jose State on Oct 13. Williams also ran for an 86-yard touchdown against the Spartans, the longest rush by any Aggie this season and one of his three touchdowns that day.
It’s not just Williams’ running ability that makes him a threat for the offense. With a team-high 523 yards receiving this season, Williams makes an easy target for Keeton out of the backfield. Keeton found Williams for 147 yards through the air against UNLV on Sept. 29, a team-high for individual receiving yards in a game this season.
So while Williams is certainly capable of explosive plays, he quietly pulled his weight to help the team win Saturday against Texas State. Half of his 120 yards came on a single carry, a 60-yard burst in the 2nd quarter that set up Keeton’s touchdown run. His performance was just a footnote in the big picture.
“I’m most satisfied with the balance the offense has right now,” Williams said. “We can definitely run the ball when necessary and we can pass the ball too. The big plays that the offense has made this season have definitely gone up from previous seasons. I’m definitely excited about that. The offense is starting to mesh and click on all cylinders.”
This comes at a good time for Utah State. The Aggies will get a week off with a bye, giving them an extra week to prepare for No. 19 Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs host USU on Nov. 17 with the WAC title on the line, which Williams said is the team’s goal this season.
“This is a big game,” Williams said. “This next game could potentially be the WAC Championship game. I know it might be a little bit early for that, but this could definitely take us to the next step in accomplishing our goals of being the WAC Champions this season.”
– curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @CurtisLundstrom