Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Williams returns as workhorse
ARLINGTON, Texas — If Reggie Mitchell hadn’t been told about it, Arkansas’ new running backs coach never would have guessed Rawleigh Williams missed the last six games of the 2015 season because of a neck injury that required surgery.
“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t even think about that,” Mitchell said. “Watching him practice and play, you wouldn’t know he had that type of injury.”
Williams, a sophomore tailback from Dallas, was strapped to a stretcher to keep him immobilized and taken off the field on a cart during an Oct. 24 game against Auburn after having his face mask grabbed and neck jerked around when Kris Frost tried to make a tackle.
It turned out Williams had a broken neck.
“It was a scary moment for all of us,” Arkansas receiver Keon Hatcher said. “But Rawleigh’s a tough kid and has a strong mind.
“I’m not surprised about the way he’s come back.”
Williams has come back to rank 14th nationally in
rushing, averaging 118 yards through three games going into Arkansas’ SEC opener against Texas A&M tonight in AT&T Stadium.
“I think I’ve improved in different areas every game,” Williams said. “So that’s my goal, to get better every game this season and look back at it and say I’m happy with what I did.”
Williams, 5-10 and 226 pounds, has helped Arkansas to a 3-0 start and No. 17 national ranking by rushing 71 times for 354 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he’s caught 3 passes for 15 yards. He had career highs of 28 rushes for 137 yards in the Razorbacks’ 41-38 double-overtime victory at TCU two weeks ago.
“It’s pretty amazing what Rawleigh’s done,” offensive lineman Frank Ragnow said. “There’s a guy who could’ve not been playing football anymore and now he’s dominating essentially game in and game out.
“He deserves it with as much preparation as he puts in each week and how hard he works. He’s a class act.”
Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos said Williams has become a more physical runner, breaking tackles and getting yards after contact, and he is showing better patience reading his blocks to find holes.
“I think a lot of times with young backs, when they first play it’s like, ‘How fast can I go when I get the ball?’ ” Enos said. “They miss things sometimes.
“I think Rawleigh’s showing now that he understands the schemes, he understands how we’re blocking it, what we’re trying to accomplish, and he’s able to tempo his runs and accelerate at the right time.”
Williams rushed 56 times for 274 yards last season, including a 100-yard game at Tennessee.
“He still made plays, but he was kind of wide-eyed,” Ragnow said. “Now he’s just a sophomore, but you think of him as a veteran. Confidence is a big part of that.”
Williams said he’s in the best shape of his life and has a better understanding of the game in terms of paying attention to the details.
“There’s a lot of things that I know about the offense that helps me play quicker,” he said. “That helps me set up my blocks and helps me pick up reads in the passing game.
“It just takes experience, because you have to know why you’re doing the things that you do. Once you realize why, it’s easier for you to play because you know what’s going on.”
Arkansas junior quarterback Austin Allen, in his first season as a starter, said Williams’ production in the running game has been a key to opening up the passing game.
“Rawleigh’s been unbelievable,” Allen said. “It seems like it’s never just one guy bringing him down. He’s always trying to get those extra 2 or 3 yards.
“You can tell he’s really put that injury behind him. He just goes out there and runs hard and doesn’t really worry about anything.”
Williams was medically cleared to practice and take hits in the spring, but as a precaution Coach Bret Bielema didn’t allow for him to be tackled. The first hits since last season for Williams came in fall camp with no problems.
Knowing he was fully healed from the neck injury, Williams said, has allowed him to play without hesitation.
“Once I got over it and decided that I wanted to play again, I mean, it’s not even a thought in my head when I get on the field,” he said. “I was like, ‘If I’m going to do this, I have to be full-go.’ “