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Utah State running back Kerwynn Williams had a tough act to follow after last week's strong performance: himself. Williams exploded for a season-high 205 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns against future conference rivals, Colorado State, seven days ago.
Utah State then hosted UNLV in what was sure to be a thriller as all the fans came sporting their white T-shirts with the Aggie emblem on them. But it was the white jersey with the No. 25 that made the difference in the end.
Williams is Utah State's starting running back, but he is really making a case for starting wide receiver. Williams caught three balls last week for 22 yards. This week he had three catches for 20 yards... in the first quarter. He followed it up with three more receptions in the second quarter for 53 yards and ended the game with seven catches for 147 yards.
"However I can get the ball," Williams said. "Coach talks about switching it up and the ball seemed to keep coming to me in this game."
Williams didn't put his rushing game on hold either. He carried the ball 20 times for a total of 113 yards and brought his total offense yardage to 260. In his final year in a Utah State uniform, Williams is looking to leave an impression with his fellow Aggies and this might be the year to do it. With Utah State's best start in 34 years (4-1), this can be the season the Aggies will truly break out as actual contenders before jumping over to the Mountain West Conference next season.
"I'm definitely excited about (it possibly being the best performance of my career up to this point)," Williams said. "I can't take full credit for it. I feel like the players around me help me do that."
One of those players was USU's quarterback, Chuckie Keeton. Keeton appreciated Williams' play Saturday night as well.
"He always talked about how he has the stickies and can catch the ball," Keeton said. "His ability to get open today and get yards-after-catch was the biggest thing tonight."
Williams improves his season stats to 781 yards of total offense in five games (averaging 156.2 yards a game). He has five touchdowns on the season, including three rushing and two receiving.
Next up may be Williams' biggest challenge to date, as he and the Aggies attempt to do their thing against BYU's stingy defense during next Friday's in-state showdown between USU and BYU.
Alex Rivera is the Assistant Sports Editor of the UVU Review. You can contact him at arivera.2011@hotmail.com or through his Twitter account @A_River_Uh
