By Joshua Huff

jhuff@kykernel.com

With a name like Stanley “Boom” Williams, the expectations for the freshman running back may have been unjustifiably high. Entering the season at 5-foot-9 and weighing 200 pounds with accolades of a high school four-star recruit would naturally bring high expectations for any new college rusher.

Yet, as we near the end of the 2014 season and have a firm grasp on what UK football is, those expectations have not only been met, but have been exceeded by the young man known as “Boom.”

The addition of Nebraska transfer Braylon Heard and the return of UK’s 2013 leading rusher Jojo Kemp stole the offseason headlines. Williams and fellow freshman Mikel Horton were the poster boys of the future. Tabbed as the shining new toy for head coach Mark Stoops and company, Williams was undoubtedly talented, but was perceived as not yet ready to take the starting role.

Enter the first game of the season against UT-Martin, when the outstanding performance of Heard (two rushes for 116 yards) had everyone asking, “Boom who?” His four rushes for just 12 yards in the game slipped him further down a deep running back depth chart.

However, it was the next game against Ohio that had people wondering who this little power back with the speed and agility of Reggie Bush was. His five rushes for 60 yards and one touchdown was capped off with a stadium-rocking 53-yard burst through the Bobcats’ defense.

It wasn’t until the Florida game when the nation learned what the “Boom” in his name stood for. Despite struggling during regulation, Williams nearly cemented his status in UK history when he caught a 25-yard touchdown pass in the first overtime that sent him sideline-to-sideline in a feat that displayed the fight that the young Cats embody. Regardless of the loss to the Gators, the country saw what these Cats had to offer. And Williams, along with a plethora of freshmen, led the way.

Through 11 weeks, Williams sits third in rushing yards behind Kemp and Heard, but his absence in two of UK’s biggest home games against South Carolina and Mississippi State has people asking “what if.” Kemp had a field day in the Wildcat formation against the Gamecocks but was nonexistent against the Bulldogs.

The struggling run game is befuddling considering the depth and expectations of this group of running backs. It leaves us to ponder the question of where Williams would be had he not missed time due to a suspension and a concussion. Heard and Kemp continue to be the starters, but Williams is lurking. The time away has hurt his progress, but with a name like Boom and a playmaking ability that has his coaches giddy, the expectations will only continue to rise. This time, though, we know that they aren’t too high.

His present may be bright, but his future radiates potential brilliance, which is an overarching theme for this UK team that has defied expectations all year long.