In August who of you would have guessed through five games Ryan Williams would only have 139 rushing yards? Did anyone think he'd miss two (or more) games with a hamstring injury? Raise your hand if you were convinced David Wilson would redshirt. I'm raising my left hand and shaking my head no. With my right hand I'm eating a heavy on the mayonnaise tuna fish sandwich that's been seasoned with Old Bay and held together by a honey wheat bagel, but that's besides the point which is football is unpredictable.
Teams that are consistently excellent are able to handle and bounce back from the unexpected. In Williams absence we've gone 3-0 and are getting better running the ball each week (664 yards on the ground since he's been injured). It helps that Orange Bowl MVP Darren Evans, David "I eat Chick-fil-A on Sundays" Wilson were behind him on depth chart. And that's the rub, what do you do with Williams when he's healthy?
Billy Hite yesterday said Williams was only 90% and favoring his hamstring. To me it doesn't sound like he'll play this week and the smart move is to hold him out until he's 100%. After all, I suspect Evans and Wilson can handle the load against Central Michigan, Wake Forest and Duke (54th, 93rd, 109th respectively in rush defense), but with how this season has gone who knows.
Regardless, unless the coaches aren't telling us something RMFW will play again in 2010. The most obvious solution is to make him the starter when he returns. After seeing how Evans (6.48 YPC, 4 TDs) and Wilson (5.7 YPC, 2 TDs) have stepped up I don't think that's the right idea. So far this season Williams hasn't been the iron plated cheetah that ran roughshod on defenses in '09. He has not been constantly able to grind out the tough yards and find the open field. All the blame can't be put on Williams, because the offensive line struggled tremendously against Boise State and James Madison. But, you can't ignore that whatever wasn't working before is fixed now.
When you're making a custard you don't just pour the hot milk in with the eggs, sugar and vanilla mixture because it will scramble it. You fold it in slowly and gently. Does that imply I know how to bake a custard? Maybe. The coaches are going to have to be careful with how fast they work Williams back onto the field, too much at once can spoil the mix.
