Why Notre Dame should cherish what’s left of Kyren Williams’ college career
Don’t blink. You might miss it.
It refers to the tremendous second half of the season Notre Dame junior running back Kyren Williams is having. But maybe replace “it” with “him.” So just don’t blink. You might miss him dashing down the sideline and darting through defenses with as much ease as anyone in college football.
Williams will almost assuredly forego his senior season and enter the 2022 NFL Draft. Could he come back and have his best season yet in an Irish uniform behind an offensive line that will presumably be as effective as it is right now for an entire season? Set some records? Make one more run at a College Football Playoff title?
Without a doubt.
Would it be the smartest decision? Probably not.
Running backs have short shelf lives. In order to maximize his career at the next level, Williams will have to skip his senior season. So that’s why Notre Dame fans in attendance should take advantage of watching Williams in what could very well be the final time he takes the field at Notre Dame Stadium this Saturday.
And oh, what a treat it could be.
Georgia Tech’s defense has been rather generous against the run this season. The Yellow Jackets have allowed at least 150 rushing yards to all of their opponents but one. Williams himself has been on a similar tear. He averaged 144 rushing yards in recent games against USC, North Carolina and Navy. He averaged a mere 60.5 in the first six games of the year.
What Williams has managed to do of late is mind-boggling. Yes, it has had much to do with a maligned offensive line that has improved immensely from week to week. But some of the things Williams has pulled off in the last month have had nothing to do with the offensive line and everything to do with one of the shiftiest and pound for pound strongest running backs in the game.
Bouncing the 91-yard touchdown to the outside against North Carolina? That was all Williams until he needed downfield blocking help. He might've scored without it anyway. Juking and spinning his way 20 yards to paydirt against Navy? That was all Williams, too. He didn’t even need help recovering his own fumble to secure the score, either. His 22-yard touchdown last week against Virginia surely made many "ooh" and "ahh" as well.
"He can make a three-yard run look like the best play of the game, and he can go untouched for 70 and you go, 'Oh yeah, that's just Ky,'" senior wide receiver Braden Lenzy said. "He has set the standard so high for what we expect."
The numbers might be more modest than many predicted prior to the season, but they’re still really good — even in spite of being slowed by the offensive line’s woes early on. Williams has brought his yards per carry average up to 5.0. He reached that mark just once in the first six games of the season. He hit it in all of the four games immediately thereafter.
Williams has 875 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. To reach last year’s season-long total of 1,125 yards rushing in 12 games, Williams would needs to average 125 yards per game in the final two games of the regular season. Then he could easily set a new career high if he were to play in Notre Dame’s bowl game. And if the Irish somehow snuck into the College Football Playoff? Improve even further upon it.
Williams has already set a career high in receptions (46) and needs six yards to set a new high in receiving yards. He has 308 so far this season.
Even with sophomore Chris Tyree and freshmen Logan Diggs and Audric Estime set to be on next year’s Notre Dame roster, the Irish are sure going to miss Williams. They just don’t make too many like him. There aren’t a lot of players as high profile as Williams who seem to play the game with as much of a youthful, spry attitude as he does.
When Notre Dame debuted the light show after the third quarter of the USC game, all eyes were on Williams. He had as much fun dancing around the field, waving his arms in the air and swinging a towel around as anyone.
When walk-on quarterback Chase Ketterer recorded a tackle on special teams against Navy after preparing the Notre Dame defense all week as the scout team quarterback, Williams celebrated as joyfully as anyone. He just has a different demeanor about him.
“I’d say what he does more than anything is gets people excited to play football,” Lenzy said.
With 326 more rushing yards this season (as of Nov. 11), Williams would pass George Gipp for 10th on the Notre Dame all-time rushing list. That wouldn’t be so bad for someone who only started for two seasons.
Williams won’t go down as the best running back Notre Dame ever had. He might not even be immortalized among the names of the greats. But he’ll forever be remembered for the unthinkable runs he produced and plays he made while wearing an Irish uniform (and all the fun he had along the way). There might not be too many of those left to feast your eyes on.
So don’t blink.
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