D.J. Williams helping Tigers as he recovers

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D.J. Williams helping Tigers as he recovers

By Giana Han

3-4 minutes

While freshman running back Tank Bigsby has dazzled with two 100-yard games in a row, sophomore D.J. Williams has quietly been adding another element to the running game.

In Auburn’s loss to South Carolina, Williams had 17 rushing yards on four carries while also adding 26 receiving yards on two catches. It’s the third game Williams has helped in both the receiving and the ground game, and he’s done it while injured.

Coming into the season, Williams was the second-most experienced running back on the Auburn depth chart, and he was second, behind Shaun Shivers, to hit the field in the season opener against Kentucky. However, both Williams and Shivers were injured before the Georgia game. While Shivers sat out, Williams still hit the field, but on a limited basis. Meanwhile, Bigsby had to take over the No. 1 running back’s responsibilities, a role he stepped into smoothly. But even with the injuries, Williams has been able to help the team.

In his first game he played while injured, Williams wasn’t able to do much. He made one catch for a loss of four yards. But after just a week to recover, Williams burst back onto the scene.

Against Arkansas, Williams picked up 71 yards on eight carries, averaging 8.9 yards per carry, and made one catch for a gain of one yard. Williams took one of his carries for 41 yards, helping set up an Auburn field goal.

Although Williams' production dropped against South Carolina, his runs showed off his ability to break tackles and forge through traffic. It was a positive sign that he’s getting back to full strength.

“D.J. is a guy that’s getting healthier,” coach Gus Malzahn said. “Don’t know if he’s 100 percent, but he’s getting healthier.”

Williams demonstrated last season that he can handle a larger role than the one he’s been playing as he recovers from injury.

As a freshman, Williams was forced to step up, much like Bigsby has this season, when starting running back Boobee Whitlow was injured against Florida. He hit the field against Arkansas and rushed for 48 yards on 11 carries. The following game, he dropped 130 yards on national champion LSU.

By the end of the season, Williams had 84 carries for 400 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He also finished with five catches for 32 yards. Williams came into the 2020 season as Auburn’s leading returning running back.

“He’s a veteran guy that’s been in the backfield in some big games,” Malzahn said.

Although Williams had health issues before the season, as well, he still got some work in with the ones. Shivers ended up earning the start, but Williams was given the most carries in Auburn’s first game.

While the two of them have been recovering, Bigsby has earned the right to a larger role in the run game with his performances against Georgia, Arkansas and South Carolina. But getting Williams back will still be big for the Tigers. Not only will it help take some of the load off of Bigsby’s shoulders, but it will also diversify the threat Auburn presents in the run game.