Damien Williams even surprised his teammates with Saturday’s touchdown run
“A lot of guys look at me as the heavy back because I weigh more than everyone else,” said Williams, a junior-college transfer from Arizona Western. “When I was able to break away, everyone came back with ‘I didn’t know you had it in you.’
“I was like, there’s more to come, so don’t be so surprised next time.”
With about three minutes remaining in Oklahoma’s season opener at UTEP, Williams took a handoff from quarterback Landry Jones, ran to his right and cut upfield. When fullback Trey Millard took out a Miner defender with a low block, Williams saw a big hole open up.
“My eyes got big and I said, ‘Oh yeah; I know I’m going all the way,’” Williams said.
He took off for a 65-yard score that sealed the Sooners’ 24-7 season-opening win. Williams finished with 10 carries for 103 yards.
“He has really learned the offense really, really fast,” said running backs coach Cale Gundy. “He’s really picked it up really well. I’ve been really impressed with him. He knows everything. He really does.”
Williams led all junior-college backs last season in rushing yards and helped carry Arizona Western to the JUCO national championship game.
Oklahoma wasn’t in the market for a junior-college running back, Gundy said, but last fall, after Jermie Calhoun, Jonathon Miller and Brandon Williams all left the program, the Sooners started looking.
“We were fortunate to get in and get a guy whose potentially has a chance to be a good player for us,” Gundy said.
Williams’ powerful running style adds a new dimension to the Sooners’ offense, and compliments the other two backs in the rotation — senior returning starter Dominique Whaley and junior Brennan Clay.
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