Wake Forest Athletics
Player Spotlight: The Key is 'T'
10/27/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 27, 2002
For each of the past two seasons, Tarence Williams has been a staple in the Wake Forest backfield.
In his sophomore season, the 5-foot-10 tailback led the Deacons in rushing yards (661), touchdowns (7) and averaged better than five yards per carry. In 2001, under new head coach Jim Grobe, Williams became one of the most effective running backs in the ACC. In just 10 games, he gained over 1,000 yards on 249 carries and again led the Deacs in touchdowns, finding the endzone 10 times.
Williams spent much of the off-season preparing for this year, in which he was poised to become not only the team??s starting running back, but also one of the ACC's premier players.
Over the summer, though, his path to greatness hit a roadblock when he broke his a bone in his foot. Williams had to shift his focus from tearing up the field to just getting back on it.
Coming back from injury is nothing new to Williams, who prefers his friends call him "T." Last year, he sprained his ankle against Clemson and was expected to miss a good portion of the year.
"Usually an ankle sprain will hold you out for about three or four weeks, but I only missed one game," said the senior from Wilmington, N.C. "I didn't expect to play in that next game (at North Carolina), because I hadn't practiced that week. But I played and things went well."
Actually, things went better than "well." The Deacons overcame a 24-point halftime deficit to beat the Tar Heels and Williams ran for over 100 yards. With that game on his mind, Williams began his recovery.
After playing sparingly in the team's first four games and sharing time with Chris Barclay, Cornelius Birgs and Nick Burney in Wake's 38-34 loss to Virginia, Williams could have been frustrated. He is fiercely competitive and knows his capabilities.
Still, Williams just worked even harder to get back to his form of a year ago. He finally got the chance to go back to making things happen on October 5 at Georgia Tech and did not disappoint. He gained 99 yards on 19 carries and scored the game-winning touchdown in the 24-21 victory.
After that game, running backs and kicking coach Billy Mitchell was optimistic about Williams' role for the rest of the year.
"We're bringing him along slowly," Mitchell said. "He's very well-conditioned and he's pretty close to where he was last year. He's a guy we want to have in there, because he's real quick and he makes people miss. He can make things happen on his own and he's played for four years, so he's seen a lot."
Despite the team's recent success, Williams is only concerned with the tasks that lie ahead. His goal is to win football games and in order to do that, he said that he believes the team needs to treat each game the same.
"It's one game at time. When you lose a tough game, like Virginia, you have to leave that behind," Williams said. "But also when you win a big game, like we did against Georgia Tech, you have to leave that behind, too, and focus on the present."
Williams knows that his health is an important concern, because he wants to be able to play during the final stretch of the season. He recognizes that the team is different this year and that there are several talented running backs on the squad. With the no-huddle offense that Wake Forest employs, depth is important to keep the skill players fresh. Still, his desire to contribute has not dwindled.
"The coaches need to do whatever they need to do to win. I respect that. But personally, I love getting the ball," Williams said. "I want the ball 20 or 25 times a game -- or more, like last year. But I'm just here to play my role and whenever I'm in the game, I want to make things happen and help us win."
More wins is what it will take for Wake Forest to earn a berth in a bowl game. That's something Williams has experienced before and would like to again.
"Going to the Aloha Bowl my freshman year is something that I think about every day," he said. "We got to go across the ocean to play on national television. I was what, 18 years old? And I only got a few carries. But that was a great year. I'd love to get back to a bowl now, when I know I'd appreciate it even more."
The Deacons are currently 4-4 and need six wins to become bowl eligible. Seven wins would virtually guarantee a postseason bid. If the man they call "T" can be a fixture in backfield, the Deacons' chances get a whole lot better.
