Last season as a junior, UTSA running back Jarveon Williams received a lot of notoriety for his play on the football field. In UTSA's short football history, Williams became the first running back to surpass 1,000 rushing (1,042), while averaging six yards per carry.
His individual stats led to some accolades, such as honorable mention All-Conference USA, but awards aside, Williams only wants to win games. He wants to have a chance to win the conference and to play in a bowl game.
"Coach Wilson preaches about having a purpose in everything we do, and I think that this year the team has really bought into Coach Wilson's vision," Williams said. "I think if we as a team stay with him and his vision that it'll pay off in the long run this season."
With a few returning starters on both sides of the ball, UTSA will need to rely on its leaders like Williams and fellow Conference USA media day attendee, safety, Michael Egwuagu.
Egwuagu was also selected as an All-Conference USA honorable mention. He ranks third on UTSA's interceptions chart (5).
"With myself and Michael and the other guys coming back, we'll need those leaders in the locker room to really drive this team to have a pretty good season," Williams said.
BirdsUp: One of the biggest questions fans have for next season is what is expected of the Roadrunner backfield?
Williams: As an individual, I want to be even more productive than I was last year. I think I had a pretty decent year with running the ball, but I also want to be more involved in the passing game. I think I'll be able to help out there. As far as running backs go, I think we have a lot of playmakers in our backfield that we'll utilize and will be able to put us in the best position to run certain plays and do certain things that we haven't been able to do in the past to ultimately help us win games.
BirdsUp: Another concern was protecting the quarterback. What do you, the offensive line and the rest of the running back core need to do to help keep your quarterback upright?
Williams: We gave up a lot of sacks last season, myself included, but I think that's an area I know we'll improve in because it left a bitter taste in our mouth after watching our quarterbacks go down multiple times throughout each game. I think we will take pride in our position, and what we end up doing or not doing on game days will eventually lead to wins or losses.
BirdsUp: With Coach Wilson coming from LSU as its running backs coach, does his former coaching job make it easier for you to get the ball, especially in the passing game?
Williams: Yes, definitely. I think last year it wasn't so much of me not having an opportunity; it was mainly due to us not being able to protect the quarterback. It's hard to get the ball to the check down when a defender is in our quarterback's face a lot, but I believe with the guys we've got coming back on the offensive line and some of the new guys we've added, it'll help out us as running backs to make plays in the open field.
At the end of the day, the senior tailback doesn't care for individual awards. All he wants to do is win football games and compete for a spot in a bowl game.
"This season I'm not going to worry about looking ahead," Williams said. "I'm going to take each opponent one game at a time, keep my nose down, steady with my team. We're going to show up every day to accomplish our goal and that's to win games."
His individual stats led to some accolades, such as honorable mention All-Conference USA, but awards aside, Williams only wants to win games. He wants to have a chance to win the conference and to play in a bowl game.
"Coach Wilson preaches about having a purpose in everything we do, and I think that this year the team has really bought into Coach Wilson's vision," Williams said. "I think if we as a team stay with him and his vision that it'll pay off in the long run this season."
With a few returning starters on both sides of the ball, UTSA will need to rely on its leaders like Williams and fellow Conference USA media day attendee, safety, Michael Egwuagu.
Egwuagu was also selected as an All-Conference USA honorable mention. He ranks third on UTSA's interceptions chart (5).
"With myself and Michael and the other guys coming back, we'll need those leaders in the locker room to really drive this team to have a pretty good season," Williams said.
BirdsUp: One of the biggest questions fans have for next season is what is expected of the Roadrunner backfield?
Williams: As an individual, I want to be even more productive than I was last year. I think I had a pretty decent year with running the ball, but I also want to be more involved in the passing game. I think I'll be able to help out there. As far as running backs go, I think we have a lot of playmakers in our backfield that we'll utilize and will be able to put us in the best position to run certain plays and do certain things that we haven't been able to do in the past to ultimately help us win games.
BirdsUp: Another concern was protecting the quarterback. What do you, the offensive line and the rest of the running back core need to do to help keep your quarterback upright?
Williams: We gave up a lot of sacks last season, myself included, but I think that's an area I know we'll improve in because it left a bitter taste in our mouth after watching our quarterbacks go down multiple times throughout each game. I think we will take pride in our position, and what we end up doing or not doing on game days will eventually lead to wins or losses.
BirdsUp: With Coach Wilson coming from LSU as its running backs coach, does his former coaching job make it easier for you to get the ball, especially in the passing game?
Williams: Yes, definitely. I think last year it wasn't so much of me not having an opportunity; it was mainly due to us not being able to protect the quarterback. It's hard to get the ball to the check down when a defender is in our quarterback's face a lot, but I believe with the guys we've got coming back on the offensive line and some of the new guys we've added, it'll help out us as running backs to make plays in the open field.
At the end of the day, the senior tailback doesn't care for individual awards. All he wants to do is win football games and compete for a spot in a bowl game.
"This season I'm not going to worry about looking ahead," Williams said. "I'm going to take each opponent one game at a time, keep my nose down, steady with my team. We're going to show up every day to accomplish our goal and that's to win games."
