North Carolina State University Athletics
Big Play Brian
8/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 3, 2001
By Tony Haynes
For a guy that doesn't talk very much, Brian Williams sure speaks loudly with his play on the football field. Just call NC State's senior cornerback a `silent assassin.'
Quarterback Philip Rivers, receiver Koren Robinson and linebacker Levar Fisher received most of the headlines during the Wolfpack's remarkable run to an 8-4 season last year, but without Williams' knack for making big plays at crucial times, it's doubtful the Pack would have been celebrating a MicronPC.com Bowl victory over Minnesota last December.
Flashback to the waning moments of NC State's season opener against Arkansas State last September. Leading 24-21 with just over two minutes remaining, the underdog Indians attempt to put the game way by going for a touchdown on fourth and goal from the two. But on a sweep left, Williams darts across the line of scrimmage to stop running back Danny Smith for a nine-yard loss. The play gives the Wolfpack one last chance to drive the length of the field and kick a game-tying field goal. The Pack eventually wins in double overtime.
"That was a big goal line stand," Williams recalls. "It got down to fourth and goal and coach sent in the play. I was just taking care of my responsibility, they ran a counter sweep out to my side and I just made the play. We were actually lined-up wrong. If they would have run the other way it might have been a different story. I think about it all the time. If I don't make that tackle, we're 0-1 and we probably wouldn't have bounced back the way we did the next week at Indiana. We would have been devastated if we didn't make that stop and they would have gone on to win the game."
Nearly four months later, Williams makes yet another game-turning play when he blocks a Minnesota punt in the third quarter of the bowl game in Miami. The block totally changes the momentum of a game that had been dominated by the Gophers. State goes on to complete one of the greatest comebacks in school history by recording a 38-30 victory.
"We had watched film on Minnesota before the game and we noticed that their outside man was a little weak," Williams said of his blocked punt. "I started out on the corner, but then I moved in just before the snap and I got around the outside man. The punter kind of bobbled the snap, which gave me a little more time to get there. It was a big play. It turned everything around."
Over the last two seasons, Brian Williams has quietly gone about his business of giving the NC State defense steady performances week in and week out. A free safety as a sophomore, he led the Wolfpack in tackles with 131. But with the departures of solid senior Lloyd Harrison and Tony Scott following the 1999 campaign, coach Chuck Amato and his staff went looking for some experience at one of the corner positions.
Their search ended when the decision was made in fall camp to move Williams from safety to cornerback. It was a move no one involved with NC State would regret as Williams played consistently well every time out.
As a standout running back at Southwest Guilford High School, Williams ran for 1,955 yards in his senior season. But in college, he has truly become one of NC State's most reliable and versatile defensive players.
"Moving to corner was the best thing for our secondary so I had to do it. I really didn't mind that much," he said. "It really worked out best for the team and it's helping me also. It shows that I can play both positions. If I don't turn out to be a corner on the next level, I'll be looked at as a fast safety. Either way you look at it, it's worked out for the best for the team and for me personally."
In the final analysis, helping the team is what Brian Williams is all about.
