Williams back on track after early hiccup, welcomes new opportunity
Maybe just in the nick of time, David Williams realized he had to change his approach to football, or else.
Just over three weeks ago, Williams was booted out of South Carolina’s first preseason camp practice for a perceived lack of effort and bluntly told by running backs coach Bobby Bentley that he had been demoted to fifth string.
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Since then, Williams has sought to escape the doghouse before his redshirt junior campaign derailed. Six days from the season opener he may have succeeded. Bentley told reporters earlier this week Williams had improved to the point where he was finally meeting the standards established by the coaches, positioning himself for playing time Thursday at Vanderbilt.
Like the mythological Phoenix, Bentley proclaimed a “new David Williams” had risen from the rumble of the disheartening first practice.
“I just look at it as the coaches are trying to push me and get the best out of me,” Williams told reporters Friday in his first interview since preseason camp started Aug. 2. “It’s been tough to adjust, but I’ve been adjusting to it as we’ve gone along. (I know) I lacked in certain places that he (Bentley) is trying to bring the best out of me.”
What constitutes the “new David Williams”?
“Just somebody that comes out and competes every day and pushes himself to the max every play,” Williams said. “It doesn’t matter if I’m getting the ball or not getting the ball. Even if I’m play faking, I’m going 110 miles an hour like I have the ball.”
After a promising spring, Williams aimed to keep improving his physicality running between the tackles, playing faster and “having a basic knowledge of what’s going on” when preseason camp opened.
Early on, he took a huge step backwards, but is finally moving in the right direction in the eyes of the Gamecock coaches.
Williams denied complacency set in or he wrongly assumed he was guaranteed the starting running back job even before his fourth preseason camp started.
“They told us from the beginning there was competition,” Williams said. “So, I knew after the spring there was still going to be competition. I just think they want to put me in a position where I’m not complacent. I’m working to be the starting running back from the beginning (of the season).”
Williams said he was kicked out of the first practice for lack of effort about an hour into the workout and spent the remainder of his time “getting killed” by USC’s strength and conditioning staff.
Bentley thought Williams would have scored a touchdown on a running play close to the end zone if not for a lack of effort on the latter’s part.
“He said I didn’t finish the play because of effort. It was tough, but I just had to mentally prepare myself to come back the next day and keep working for the rest of camp,” Williams said.
Williams acknowledged he didn’t quite comprehend the approach Bentley was taking, but it finally sunk in when he spoke with his mother.
“At first, I didn’t get it and didn’t know what was going on, and then it started to click,” Williams said. “I talked to my mom and she said, ‘Just keep working. They’re testing you and putting you in an uncomfortable position to see how you react.’ She just gave me a little pepo talk. So, I just kept pushing and pushing.”
After struggling for three years to gain traction Williams hopes to recapture the success of his senior year at Imhotep Charter School in Philadelphia when he rushed for 1,904 yards and 23 touchdowns on 195 carries (9.76 yards per attempt) and led Imhotep to a 14-1 record. He was rated by Rivals.com as one of the top 25 running back prospects in the country for the 2013 recruiting cycle.
Thursday, Williams returns to the place where he scored his first career touchdown in 2014 on a 2-yard run in USC’s 48-34 victory at Vanderbilt, an unforgettable moment.
“I didn’t anticipate getting in, but I remember them calling my name,” Williams recalled. “When I got in, I took advantage of it. I will never forget it. When I got back to the locker room, I had a lot of text messages and phone calls and tweets.”
Based on how the last three weeks have unfolded, redshirt freshman A.J. Turner will likely get the starting nod at Vanderbilt, but Williams has faith he should see his fair share of action against the Commodores.
“I feel they will go with the hot hand, so whoever is getting the most production out of his carries in the game is going to get the most carries,” Williams said. “So, it is up to me to try to make the best of what I get. It’s crazy to think the first game is only six days away.”
Williams says his expectations for the season start with simply maximizing his potential, a process that he admits requires time and getting comfortable as the season progresses. Should he achieve that, does Williams believe he possesses the talent and skill to become a reliable 1,000-yard rusher in the SEC?
“Yes, sir,” he confidently responded.
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