Colleges

Big plays come naturally to USF's Williams

The star cornerback stops them constantly. With experience on offense, he can make them, too.

By Greg Auman
Published November 14, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Ted McLaren | Times] USF cornerback Trae Williams returns a first-quarter interception 73 yards for a score against Cincinnati. The senior has 14 career interceptions, ranking him second on the Bulls' list behind J.R. Reed, who has 18. Trae Williams will make his 43rd career start in his final home game Saturday.

TAMPA - When USF senior Trae Williams intercepted a Cincinnati pass two weeks ago and returned it 73 yards for a touchdown, cornerbacks coach Rich Rachel remembered the first time he saw Williams play.

"The first three times he touched the ball, he went for touchdowns," said Rachel, who was scouting Williams, then a senior running back at Durant. "And he wasn't like he went 2 yards. He went 70, then 60, then 50-plus, all for touchdowns."

In five years, Williams' reputation has gone from making big plays to eliminating them. He spent his redshirt season as a running back but has been a cornerback ever since. On Saturday, his final home game will be his 43rd career start, and Williams and the Bulls have come a long way from his redshirt freshman year in 2004, when USF went 4-7.

"That was a tough year. I didn't play that well, had just moved to cornerback," the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Williams said. "I looked at that year as a learning year. It felt like we had hit rock bottom, so there wasn't a way to go but up. We worked hard in the offseason that year, watched a lot of film of ourselves to get better."

The Bulls' defense set dubious records that season, allowing the most points (351) and yards (4,383) in school history. USF allowed five opponents to score more than 40 points; that hasn't happened once in 35 games since.

"It was a baptism by fire," Rachel said. "Trae was always getting his feet stuck in the ground, and Mike (Jenkins) was always guessing. It made them resilient though."

Williams, now 22, still has a running back's hands, as his 14 career interceptions rank second on the team behind J.R. Reed, who now plays in the NFL.

Williams led the Big East with seven picks last season, and he's one off the league lead with four this year. Over the last two seasons, only four players in Division I-A have more interceptions.

"He competes for the ball while he's in the air," Rachel said. "He acts like the ball belongs to him."

Williams, who will graduate in May with degrees in criminology and African studies, was a first-team all-Big East selection last season, honored as USF's defensive playmaker of the year.

Where has he improved most this season?

Rachel said in his tackling, where had has consistently wrapped up receivers and limited their yards after catches.

"There are guys who can run like the wind, who can cover anybody, but they can't tackle," Rachel said.

"I think what he's most proud of this season is the way he's making tackles this fall."

Williams is on pace to increase his total tackles for the third year in a row. He is a surefire NFL draft pick for this spring; ESPN.com's Mel Kiper has mentioned him as a potential second-round pick.

Williams compares his recognition of his NFL potential to high school, when he first realized he could play in college, then showed he could land a scholarship at a high-level school like USF.

"I would love to go to the NFL if the opportunity presents itself," the humble senior said. "I've always had a dream of playing at the next level."

He'll be honored as one of 16 seniors on Saturday, proud to be on the field with his mother, Sonya, who raised him as a single parent, along with his younger sisters Courtney and Brandi.

"It went by fast," he said.

"Me and Mike were talking about it the other day, about how time goes by. We both redshirted, and you don't think it'll come that fast. We were 18 when we first got here.

"I always tell the freshmen, enjoy it while you're here. I can't believe it's been that long."

[Last modified November 14, 2007, 00:02:06]