Williams making a habit out of 200-yard openers
COLLEGE STATION — Junior Trayveon Williams didn’t set the Texas A&M rushing record for a single game Thursday night — but he snatched the spot right next to it.
“It’s a great opportunity, like I’ve been saying for a while now, having a fullback in front of me,” said Williams, giving partial credit for his 240 yards on the ground to Cullen Gillaspia. “That’s a big difference maker, having an extra guy clearing and paving for me.”
The Aggies (1-0) easily cleared Northwestern State (0-1) out of the way at Kyle Field, winning 59-7 to pave the way for a home showdown with No. 2 Clemson on Sept. 8. Williams set the tone early against the overmatched Demons with a 73-yard touchdown sprint on the Aggies’ third offensive play.
“The offensive line had a lot of push and I just kind of flowed, and (ran) back inside,” Williams said of the second-longest touchdown run of his career. “(Receiver) Jhamon Ausbon and (tight end) Jace Sternberger had great downfield blocks that opened it up and allowed me to score.
“Without those two guys, it would have not been a touchdown.”
A year ago in the Aggies’ opener at UCLA, Williams rushed for 203 yards in A&M’s 45-44 loss that signaled the beginning of the end of the Kevin Sumlin era.
Williams fought a nagging injury most of the rest of the season, and finished with 798 rushing yards compared with 1,057 as a true freshman in 2016. He rushed for 217 yards in a home game against Tennessee that first season, in a preview of what was to come over his career.
He now has run for 200-plus yards for another coach, and Jimbo Fisher is pleased with the tailback he inherited.
“I didn’t realize at the time that he had done that,” Fisher said of Williams’ 240 yards on 20 carries, all in a little more than a half of play. “That exemplifies what he did in the spring and what he did in (camp). It’s the way he’s approached everything — he’s been a pro and a leader for us.”
Williams’ rushing total was second only to Bob Smith’s 297 against SMU in 1950. Darren Lewis is now in third with 232 yards against Texas Tech in 1990.
Williams also joined Lewis as the only Aggies with three 200yard games, and Williams became the first FBS running back in 15 years to rush for at least 200 yards in successive openers.
“He has great strength, and broke a lot of tackles,” Demons coach Brad Laird said. “Give the offensive line credit — they did a great job of opening holes for him, and then when he got out in the open, he was able to use his speed and get some separation.
“He really was the bell cow.” The Aggies will need Williams to continue ringing the bell to compete with Clemson, which features perhaps the top defensive front in college football. A Sports Illustrated cover this summer dubbed the Tigers foursome “The Best Ever.”
Besides Williams’ near-recordsetting showing, the rest of the Aggies’ backs also showed that either A&M is in good shape for years to come at the position — or Northwestern State has college football’s worst run defense.
The Aggies rushed for 503 yards, their most in 28 years. Seven A&M rushers averaged at least 6.1 yards, with Williams topping the list at 12 yards per carry, followed by Deneric Prince (10.5 yards on two carries) and Kwame Etwi (10.4 on eight).
While the backfield is loaded with true freshmen such as Prince, Jashaun Corbin and Vernon Jackson, Etwi is a senior walkon from Oak Ridge who’s quietly earned playing time. Etwi finished with 83 rushing yards — 62 more than the Demons rushed for as a team.