'Flashed a lot': Darnell Williams having breakout season for Mount Union football team

ALLIANCE — A 70-plus-point blowout can still reveal specific aspects of a great college football program.

One thing that emerged from Mount Union's lopsided win over Capital last week? The Purple Raiders running backs are pretty talented.

Meet Darnell Williams, who had a career day in Mount Union's 76-0 victory. The junior out of Cleveland John Adams rushed for 137 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Williams took just five handoffs in nine college games prior to this season. Now he is having a breakout year with a shot at possibly a 1,000-yard season if the Purple Raiders go deep in the playoffs.

"Darnell has flashed a lot, especially this year," head coach Geoff Dartt said. " ... He made the most of his opportunity, and I'm happy for him."

The Purple Raiders already have a 1,000-yard rusher.

DeAndre Parker has been one of Mount Union's top backs the past three seasons. He rushed for 1,254 yards and 18 TDs in 2022. He could approach those marks again this year.

With Parker out last week, Williams kept the running game firing on all cylinders.

"I give it up to the O-line first," Williams said. "They put me in a position to get to the second level."

When the offensive line creates gaps, Williams uses his speed to race through them. He scored on TD runs of 48 and 50 yards last week.

Capital is not the first team burned by his big runs. Williams scored on a 63-yard run in the home opener against Muskingum and on a 58-yard run two weeks ago at Heidelberg.

"Inside or outside (the tackles), once I break through to the second level, it's all about having the vision," Williams said. "I'm trying to do what I can to put my offense in a better position to score."

Williams knows none of the running backs shoulder the load alone. In addition to he and Parker, Tyler Echeverry also keeps the running game moving. He has scored six TDs this season.

The chemistry among the running backs is solid.

"We're a family," Williams said. "We compete with each other. "We hold everybody to a high standard. We just want to bring out the best in everybody."

Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Mount Union football's Darnell Williams makes most of opportunity