David Williams shines in first start in month
There have been 14 South Carolina football games and six different Gamecock starting quarterbacks since the last time David Williams sniffed the end zone.
That changed Saturday against UMass, 700 days after his 14-yard run on Nov. 22, 2014 against South Alabama. Williams took a handoff at the one yard-line and powered his way past the goal line to give the Gamecocks a 14-0 lead en route to a 34-28 victory.
"Time flies,” he said, smiling, about his touchdown drought.
It was only the fifth time Williams played all season, and it was the junior’s first start since the home opener Sept. 17 against East Carolina. He started Saturday over the usual starter, A.J. Turner, and Rico Dowdle, who had played well in recent weeks.
Head coach Will Muschamp said Turner didn’t start because he was a little banged up, but Williams did enough through the bye and preparation this week to earn the start. Williams said he found out Saturday morning he’d start.
“It felt good for me to just have the opportunity to go out there and do what I can,” he said.
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Williams started off the game with a bang, bolting around the right edge of the line and bursting through the secondary for a 33-yard gain. The run put the Gamecocks inside the red zone and set up the team’s first touchdown.
The run was benefitted by solid blocking from the offensive line, which sealed the edges and gave Williams a crease to streak through for a big gain.
He finished with a season-high 69 yards rushing, averaging 4.2 yards a carry, with two touchdowns. The second touchdown came in the third quarter on another one-yard rush.
“I thought David did some good things,” Muschamp said. “They (UMass) try to overload you and give you negative plays. With that being said they give up some plays. We were able to hit them sometimes.”
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His 69 yards contributed to a combined 194 yards rushing for the Gamecocks Saturday, a season high. Rico Dowdle added 87 yards, Deebo Samuel another 31 and Brandon McIlwain 17.
The team rushed 39 times against the Minutemen, the most they’ve rushed this season by almost ten carries. It started early on the first drive, rushing six times to start the game compared to only two passes.
That led to 39 of 70 (55.7 percent) of plays being rushes.
“We just got a rhythm during the game,” Williams said. “We got Coach [Kurt] Roper with calling more run plays.”
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The Gamecocks move to 3-4 on the year and remain 1-4 in the SEC with Tennessee coming to town next week. Coming into this week, the Volunteers have allowed 151.6 rushing yards per game and 4.19 yards per carry.
The running game could be vital to Gamecock success going forward, too, with them being 3-1 when rushing over 100 yards and 0-3 when rushing for less.
Individually for Williams, he’s hoping it’s not another 700 days before he finds the end zone again.
“It’s been quite a minute,” Williams said. “I’m looking forward to keep getting in the end zone.”
