David Williams enjoys seeing A.J. Turner's success
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David Williams watched as A.J. Turner carved up the Vanderbilt defense Sept. 1, rushing for 70 yards and averaging 5.8 yards per carry as a redshirt freshman. Williams is two years older than Turner, yet the neophyte rusher got 15 more snaps and twice as many carries than the veteran.
It could make any veteran sour, but for Williams, he’s not worried. He sees Turner’s success and envisions the kind of success he can have running behind the speedster.
“It’s good for us. When he has success we all have success,” the 6-foot-1, 220 pounder said. “You just try to feed off of it. Once you see someone do good, that just pushes you to get in and do the same thing.”
Williams and Turner are almost polar opposites in the backfield in terms of style. A bigger back, Williams uses his column-like build to try and run over defenders before turning on jets in the open field.
Turner, a lankier runner, can be lethal in once he gets past the secondary with a slippery elusiveness between the tackles. Williams said he thinks both kinds of backs can have success in offensive coordinator Kurt Roper and running backs coach Bobby Bentley’s up-tempo system.
“I think you just go with who’s hot that game,” Williams said. “Like coach said it’s running back by committee. A.J. might have a hot game last week; I might have a hot game this week. It’s just who can get in their rhythm the fastest.”
At Vanderbilt, Turner was able to slide into his rhythm quicker. But it’ll more than likely take both being effective this weekend at Mississippi State for the Gamecocks to have success.
The Bulldogs defense held South Alabama to just 94 yards rushing last weekend and will get five-star defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, who missed last week serving a suspension, into the fold.
Williams said he’s impress with how disciplined the Bulldog defensive line is in terms of staying in its gaps, but says now this team knows it can win, it will be tough to beat them.
“That win coming out of Vandy should give us the confidence to come out and give us the confidence and beat an SEC team in the trenches. And then us coming home to play ECU is a big confidence booster, but we’re just trying to feed off it.”
Turner will be facing a hostile crowd for really the first time in his career Saturday with Mississippi State fans attached at the wrist to their cowbells. Williams, who’s been in hostile crowds at Tennessee and other SEC venues, said he’s giving Turner advice heading down to Starkville.
And he smiled, too, because he’s had experience with cowbells as well.
“We did that up north in Pennsylvania. When you make it to the state playoffs and you get out into the country part and they got all the cowbells,” he said, laughing. “You try to tune it out.”
The Gamecocks are trying to start 2-0 for the first time since the 2012-2013 season, and it will take a big effort from the backs to pull it off. Williams said he hopes the Gamecocks can do it, because he’s experienced losing close games before.
Last season, five of the Gamecocks’ nine losses were by seven points or less and in one other they trailed by less than a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Those close game losses are something Williams is trying to remedy, and it’ started last week at Vanderbilt and continues this weekend at Mississippi State.
“It’s like one step at a time,” he said. “We know we’re capable of beating people now. We’ve played in games where we’ve just come up short and hopefully we can be on the opposite side of that.”
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