What Ryan Williams said about his first game without a receiving TD

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Last week against South Carolina marked the first game of this rookie season that Alabama freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams did not score a touchdown.

Williams was targeted six times, which tied Germie Bernard for the team lead, and caught four passes for 32 yards. But the former Five-Star Plus+ recruit only produced one receiving play worth double-digit yards (16, to be exact) and was held scoreless for the first time.

Given his hot start to the 2024 season, teams are starting to give Williams more attention, but the newcomer isn’t worrying about that. He’s trying to control what he can control.

“Kind of, but I haven’t really just been looking into it,” Williams said on Tuesday. “Just focusing on our schemes and doing what I can do to the best of my ability for the team.”

He did, however, notice that South Carolina defended him “a little” differently than others.

“They kind of funneled, but I mean, it worked out for the better for us because it opened up more for my other guys to shine,” Williams said.

Although he only averaged eight yards per catch last week, Williams still leads the nation with an average of 25.05 yards per reception, his six receiving scores are still tied for the most in the SEC, and his 576 receiving yards are good for second place among SEC receivers. 

He also ranks third nationally in yards per game (96.0). Although he didn’t have a receiving play longer than 16 yards last week, the freshman wideout still leads the FBS in catches of 40-plus (7) and 50-plus yards (5). With his ability to make big plays, especially when Alabama’s offense needs one, the Tide knows Williams needs to be involved in its game plan.

“He’s gotta be a guy that we’re always really paying attention to as far as the number of targets,” said Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer on Monday. “I think, for the most part, we understand who those guys are. A lot of them are in the starting lineup and maybe just the next guys in that you have to be really making sure in the game plan that they’re involved. 

“And so that will always be the case. We’ve gotta continue to emphasize that. It’s something we always look at each and every week as we lay out the whole plan.”

Bernard led the Crimson Tide in receiving last week against the Gamecocks with 89 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown on four receptions. With South Carolina maybe making sure Williams didn’t break free for an explosive, that allowed Bernard to get open for a big day.

“We have the guys,” Williams said. “I feel like anybody in our receiver room can do what I do or what he did this past weekend. It was no surprise to me. I was just happy for him that he did make those plays because he deserves that.”

Williams remains Alabama’s leading receiver at the regular season’s midway point. He has 576 receiving yards and six touchdowns on just 20 catches. Before the South Carolina game, Williams was tied with Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith for the most receiving touchdowns by a true freshman, but Smith caught his seventh in a loss to Oregon this past Saturday.

Williams has more receiving yards (576-553) on fewer receptions (20-32), but Smith has a slight edge in receiving touchdowns. The pair of former 5-star receivers have been closely compared since their hot starts to the season, and though Williams believes they are the top two wideouts in the country, they aren’t battling for who has the best stats each week.

“A lot of people do try to make it a competition, but I just take it as two guys grinding for their team and doing the best possible (job) to help their teams win,” Williams said. “I have nothing but respect for him because he’s a great player.”

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