Faith in Williams pays off for Auburn, college football's cardiac kids
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs was especially ebullient Thursday night. Standing outside the visiting locker room following another how-did-they-do-that finish by his program, he was trying to give away boxed snacks to anyone walking by.
"Want some chicken?" Jacobs asked.
The only takers -- the players -- had already boarded their buses to chow down following the Tigers' 20-14 win at Kansas State. Turns out, that would be the only chicken showing around the Auburn program.
You may have noticed there is something about these guys. They don't shy away from the moment. Last year's SEC championship season was built on a win and a prayer. Seven of their 14 games were decided by eight points or less. Six of them were wins.
Dennis DoddKansas State gaffes help keep No. 5 Auburn unbeaten
You may remember a certain Prayer at Jordan-Hare, among other miracles.
Here we go again, it seems. In Auburn's most significant test of the season, the Tigers did not cower. Gus Malzahn called on the nation's No. 1 junior college recruit, playing his third career game at this level, to make the biggest play of the game.
D'haquille "Duke" Williams caught a 39-yard pass on third-and-9 with 1:58 left. It allowed Auburn to run out the clock on its first road nonconference win over a ranked team in 30 years.
Think that won't play with the selection committee?
Williams was Auburn's most-celebrated impact recruit. He caught more than 2,000 yards worth of passes and 26 touchdowns at Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College. If you want a comparison, think former South Carolina receiver Alshon Jeffery.
"Duke reminds me of Alshon," said Auburn defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, who was at South Carolina then. "You can be right there in great position and you can't defend him."
But, if anything, Williams had to make a comeback Thursday. The 6-foot-2, 226-pound specimen had dropped two passes earlier. One would have gone for a 66-yard touchdown. Flat out.
"I'm shocked he dropped that one early in the game," tailback Cameron Artis-Payne said. "That's the first one I've seen him drop in two or three months."
Count the drops and an eight-catch, 110-yard night could have been a 10-catch, 200-yard night. But with the game on the line, Gus Malzahn and his offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee decided to go back to Williams.
"We're in the timeout, Duke's talking about he wants the ball," Lashlee said. "Sometimes you have to trust your players."
This is where the narrative has to backtrack. That scene harkened a bit to last season's Prayer at Jordan Hare. You may recall that night receiver Ricardo Louis demanded the ball during a timeout. He caught the game-winning score against Georgia, of course, only after it was tipped by a Georgia defender.
"I was in my dorm room in junior college," watching the game, Williams said. "Ricardo told them to, 'Give me the chance.' He kept his eye on the ball and it fell in his hands. I just wanted the coach to believe in me, that I can make that play."
What is it about these guys? Earlier, Williams' drops hinted at an upset. There were three drops by Auburn receivers overall. And a couple of overthrows by Nick Marshall.
Had not Kansas State quarterback Jake Waters turned it over four times by himself, and kicker Jack Cantele missed three field goals, the Wildcats could have easily won.
"There's a little nerves, yeah," Lashlee said.
But Williams had cradled an over-the-shoulder touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone early in the fourth quarter to make it 17-7. After K-State cut the margin to six, the decision was basically this at the end: Run the ball into the line at the Auburn 37 and bleed 40 more seconds off the clock before punting or go for it all.
Williams ran a "sluggo" route -- slant and go. K-State corner Danzel McDaniel was twisted so much by the double move, he couldn't recover until Williams was 39 yards downfield.
"We talked about it. Coach [Malzahn] and I decided, 'Let's try to win the game,'" Lashlee said. "It was set up."
What is it about these guys? Malzahn is a reigning national coach of the year. Lashlee has been affiliated with him since he was a junior high quarterback. Already Lashlee's name has been mentioned for the opening at SMU.
Their default setting these past two years has been: Go for it.
"Coach Malzahn does a great job of instilling confidence in our players," Johnson said. "A player feeds off that because he never doubts himself."
What is it about these guys? On Thursday, they were held to the second-fewest rushing yards of the Malzahn era (128). Marshall, a 1,000-yard rusher in '13, was held to only 46.
"It's why our guys believe in him, why they follow him," Lashlee said of Marshall. "He's able to lead in clutch situations. The moment is never too big for him. It doesn't matter if he's played great all game or struggled or something in between. When the game's on the line, he comes through for us."
Auburn's College Football Playoff hopes are still alive one-third of the way through the season. By definition, so is a return trip to the national championship game. There is no clear SEC favorite. But we might already know which team has the most innards when it comes to the clutch.
Duke Williams just joined the swashbuckling family.
"It's good we face adversity this early in the season," Williams said.
In the end there was plenty of chicken eaten. None -- for Auburn -- that was showing.
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