Alabama football’s freshman receiver Ryan Williams is only 17, but was old enough to take down Georgia

All Alabama football quarterback Jalen Milroe wanted to do was give Ryan Williams a chance.

Trailing by a point with fewer than three minutes to go, Milroe saw the one-on-one matchup he wanted with Williams, who had already exploited the Georgia secondary with a bobbled, circus catch for 54 yards in the third quarter. Milroe looked the safety off, threw up a pass with Williams to the field side and gave him a chance to make the play of his young life.

Williams, just 17, was not feeling the pressure, though. He had done his homework. He knew the equation.

“He know four plus two equal six,” Williams said. “I know four plus two equal six.”

Milroe wears jersey No. 4. Williams wears No. 2. They worked out the math.

Williams jumped up past Georgia defensive back Julian Humphrey, snagged the reception, cut back behind diving defensive back in KJ Bolden and started to run, going 75 yards for a score to lift Alabama to a 41-34 lead it would not lose against the No. 1 Bulldogs.

“I knew anybody, all the way, across the board, anybody could have made that play,” Williams said. “So I was just running my route to win. And I knew my guys were too.”

Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams (2) evades tackles after making a catch against Georgia at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Saturday was Williams’ coming out party in the SEC. He finished with six catches on seven targets for 177 yards and a 75-yard touchdown reception from Milroe. But it was nothing new for Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer.

Williams, he said, is “well ahead of (his) time,” as one of two freshmen who sealed Alabama’s win, along with defensive back Zabien Brown, who had the game-winning interception.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-footballs-freshman-receiver-ryan-141116686.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-29 14:11:16

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