SALT LAKE CITY — Joe Williams was prepared to do whatever was asked of him in order to send his senior teammates out with a win.
As it turned out, Utah’s 20-14 win over Colorado required a lot from the junior running back, who became the team’s featured back after Devontae Booker’s season ended with a knee injury.
“Pretty banged up,” the junior said of how he felt being the workhorse for the Utes. “It’s just something I had to do. I had to ball out for the seniors today.”
He said carrying the ball 34 times for a total of 187 yards was something he felt honored his soon-to-graduate teammates. “Coach Whit really got it in our minds, we’ve got to give our all because it’s for the seniors,” he said. “For me, it was just doing what I had to do — running, passing, pass protection.” Williams' performance was one of the few offensive bright spots on a day head coach Kyle Whittingham said they “did just enough on offense to get it done.”
But even Williams' performance, which included a 64-yard run and a touchdown, wasn’t without flaws. He fumbled the football early in the second quarter — his second fumble in two games.
“Joe played well, and he put the ball on the ground again, which is not good,” Whittingham said. “We’ve got to get that corrected because it’s such a momentum changer. But he ran hard and came away with a bunch of yards.”
Utah’s offense struggled mightily, but the Utes have also been decimated by injuries in the skill positions. Quarterback Travis Wilson and slot receiver/running back Bubba Poole were the only offensive season starters still playing in Saturday’s fourth quarter.
This his how Utah’s drives ended against Colorado — touchdown, fumble, punt, field goal, punt, punt, interception, touchdown, field goal, punt, punt, punt, punt. Senior captain and wide receiver Kenneth Scott left the game with an ankle injury while cornerback Dominique Hatfield also left with an unspecified injury.
“It’s been an interesting year in that respect,” Whittingham said. “You just keep moving forward. You can never whine about injuries because nobody cares outside your program. We certainly feel bad for those guys who got hurt. There were a lot of good players standing on the sideline, but that’s the nature of the game. I don’t know anyone in the country that’s not injured to a certain extent.”
Even with the two fumbles, he called Williams the “heir apparent” to Booker.
“He’s next year’s guy,” Whittingham said. “At least, he’ll be competing for that spot. It was good to see him do what he did, except put the ball on the ground one time.”
Williams was slow to get up after some hard tackles Saturday.
“You take hits,” Williams said. “Football is a rough sport. It’s not how many times you fall, it’s how many times you get back up.”
He laughed when he was compared to Booker, adding that his senior teammate “did it for the whole season.”
He said it was nice to do what he could to honor the team’s seniors.
“It was really motivating to know when I go out on the field, I’ve got to put the team on my back in certain situations,” he said. “I’m just doing what I can on my carries.”
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