QB EMERGING AS PIRATES’ LEADER
Williams answers Prunty’s call vs. Monmouth
HAMPTON — Delmon Williams wasn’t the starter on opening night. And despite being the most productive of the three quarterbacks who played in Hampton University’s win over Shaw, he wasn’t the declared starter going into week two.
In fact, HU coach Robert Prunty said he needed a leader to finally emerge. And until someone did, it would remain a three-way race among Williams, Brendan Greene and Austin Bradley.
Yet Williams not only started against Monmouth on Sept. 8, he played the entire game. He completed 23 of 37 passes for 339 yards — 10th-most by an HU quarterback in the last 28 years — with three touchdowns and an interception.
What changed? According to Prunty, Williams did.
“He took the bull by the horns and became more of a leader,” Prunty said. “That’s what we needed. Delmon did a great job of preparation for the week and he had a career day throwing the ball. That was great to see.”
If Prunty’s mission was to light a fire under his quarterback, he succeeded. Williams was one of the few positives in a 56-28 loss to the Hawks.
“I took it as a big challenge,” said Williams, who led Lake Taylor to a state championship as a junior in 2012. “I came from other schools where I really didn’t have to be a leader. … I was always a person who led by example. Work hard, being on time, stuff like that.
“But I took it as a challenge to be more vocal and talk more, (to) try to get everybody together and do the right things. Hearing we didn’t have a starter, that made me work a little extra harder doing things individually.”
Of his 23 completions against Monmouth, five gained 28 yards or more. Nine Pirates had at least one reception — including Churchland’s Antonio Graham and Jadakis Bonds, who scored their first career touchdowns.
“I felt confident, but the coaching staff did a great job putting me in the right situations,” Williams said. “The receivers made catches and the O-line blocked.
“I feel like that was a good game, but it wasn’t my best game. I missed a couple of reads, and we have to get better on third downs.”
Williams has endured a bumpy road to get here. After the Titans’ Group AAA Division 5 championship in his junior year, Williams said, Virginia Tech and James Madison were among the schools expressing interest.
But in the first game of his senior year, against Oscar Smith with ESPNU in town, Williams tore his ACL. His season was over, and the recruiting interest faded.
Williams landed at San Jose City College, a two-year program that competes in the Northern California Football Association. That’s when he really started working.
“I didn’t realize how serious it was until I got there,” Williams said of his knee injury. “I did rehab and stuff, but I didn’t do extra work on my leg.
“After (my) first game, the knee was swollen. That’s when I realized I have to do more to get back to where I used to be.”
In his second season, Williams threw for 2,510 yards and 18 touchdowns. Hampton, one of the schools that had offered him after his junior year, was still interested. He returned to the 757 and went 6-4 as the Pirates’ starting quarterback last season.
The JUCO experience itself, including being 3,000 miles away from home, turned out to be rewarding.
“It was tough going there, all the way across the country and paying rent,” Williams said. “It was a two-bedroom with seven, eight teammates. But it was very beneficial. It helped me grow up and become a man.”
Notes
Northern Iowa, Hampton’s next opponent, is 0-2 after losses to Montana and Iowa. Still, the Panthers are ranked 25th in the STATS FCS poll. “Whenever you see a team that’s 0-2 and they’re still ranked, that gives you an idea of what type of opponent we’re about to face,” Prunty said. “Probably the toughest opponent on our schedule.” … HU will play in a domed stadium Saturday for the first time since 2006, when the Pirates defeated Central State of Ohio 42-14 in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. … HU tailback Shai McKenzie, who missed the first two games with a lower-leg injury, is expected to play Saturday, Prunty said. … Hampton has already played 13 true freshmen this season.
Johnson can be reached by phone at 757-247-4649.