Jameson Williams explained his plan every time he touches the ball Saturday night after clearly following it against Southern Miss.
It’s not complicated, really.
“I’m trying to go to the crib, no matter what play or what catch,” Williams said, “I’m trying to go to the crib.”
He did so in record-breaking fashion in Alabama’s 63-14 win over the Golden Eagles. Pairing his fourth-quarter kickoff return touchdown with his game-opening score of the same variety, the Ohio State transfer became the first Crimson Tide player to score a pair of kickoff return touchdowns in one game.
His sprint on the opening kickoff was the first 100-yard return since 2004 when Tyrone Prothro did it at Kentucky.
And then the 83-yarder in the fourth quarter put him in his own category in the Alabama record book. They were the 27th and 28th kickoff return touchdowns in school history and the first to come in a pair.
“I bounced it back to the field and I just tried to hit the hole,” Williams said of the 100-yarder. “I knew it was going to be there. I just had to hit it. Make one man miss, touchdown.”
Williams also added an 81-yard touchdown catch from Bryce Young in the second quarter to show he’s a threat in a vertical passing game that had been relatively absent in the first three games.
“I’m used to it. I’m not even that tired,” Williams said. “That’s something I do. I’m used to it. I’m not really that tired.”
Nick Saban likes the competitive streak in Williams and his interest in playing as many special teams as possible.
“I call guys like him — you’ve heard the team before — he’s a dawg,” Saban said. “He loves playing. He plays hard and he plays fast and he has great speed. That’s one of the things we loved about him in getting him here was he complemented the other guys because he gave us a great vertical threat.”
Williams said it was a great compliment to hear Saban call him “a dawg.”
“I love football so I’m trying to stay on the field as long as possible,” Williams. “That’s kinda why that is.”
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.