Chris Williams
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Chris Williams (born on September 16, 1987) is a wide receiver for the New Mexico State University Aggies in the NCAA college football tournament. Despite being overlooked by several recruiters coming out of high school, Williams has had no trouble proving his critics wrong by making up for his lack of ceiling with his speed, leaping ability, and athleticism. In his four-year career at New Mexico State, Williams has given the Aggie fans something to cheer about amidst the school's continuing drought, courtesy of his explosive plays that have made it to several highlight reels.
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[edit] Personal Life
Chris is the son of Carol and Wallace Williams. He comes from a family of athletes as his father was a basketball standout on prolific Hobbs' squads in the late 1970s and early 1980s and also played briefly at New Mexico before ending his career at Eastern New Mexico in Portales. His brother, Marcus Williams, is a versatile athlete who played basketball, football, and track in high school.
[edit] High School
Williams was a standout at Rio Rancho High School in his hometown of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, competing for the track and football teams. Among his accomplishments in track include a title in the state high jump and 200-meter dash in 2003 and 2004, and a win in the 200-meter dash and the high jump in his last year. In addition, he was part of the 4x100-meter relay team who won the state title. He also scored 26 points at the 2005 Class 5A state championships. His personal bests are tallied at 6'10 in high jump, 21.2 at the 200 meter-run, and in the high 46's in the 400.
On the gridiron, he played under head coach Phil Lopez and finished with 2,032 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior, including 26 scoring runs, 3 TD receptions, and 3 kick-off returns for touchdowns in 11 appearances. In his stint with the Rams, Williams had noteworthy performances including one against Rio Grande where he rushed for 274 yards and four touchdowns on only nine carries in the second quarter against the No.2 ranked defense in the metro area. He also had a remarkable showing against Santa Fe the previous season, rushing for 225 yards on 10 carries. He received first team All-State honors for his performance.
[edit] College
Despite his prolific high school career, not many schools showed interest in Williams because of his small frame. Even NMSU first year head coach Hal Mumme was hesitant about recruiting him until he finally got to see him in action and decided that he was worth the risk. Aside from NMSU, the two-star prospect also received scholarship offers from Air Force and Ohio, but chose to play close to home because of Mumme's pass-happy offense.
[edit] 2005
Williams made his collegiate debut against Texas-El Paso and rushed thrice for 9 yards in the 17-34 setback. He caught his first career pass in a shut-out loss at Colorado but did not record his first gains until the following week at New Mexico when he caught an 8-yard pass in a 13-41 defeat. Against 13th ranked California, Williams made his first career start and caught 3 passes for 45 yards, including a season-long 36-yard catch as the Bears dumped the Aggies, 13-41. Despite the loss, that game turned out to be one of the finest outings for Williams after he registered a career high 94-yard kick return for a touchdown against the Bears, the 13th longest return in Aggie history, which was featured as one of Chris Berman’s ESPN Plays of the Week. At Louisiana Tech, he had a season high 4 receptions for 29 yards in a 14-34 loss to the Bulldogs. He also caught two passes for 13 yards and returned a kickoff for 18 yards against Idaho, then had a 4-yard reception, a 3-yard rush and 2 kickoff returns for 43 yards at Boise State. He also returned three kickoffs for 52 yards in the 24-48 loss to Nevada.
He ended the season with 12 receptions for 97 yards, 12 rushing yards, and a total of 207 yards on kick returns (3rd on the team), finishing his rookie year with 316 all-purpose yards for a 31.6 yards per game average in ten games and three starts.
[edit] 2006
As a sophomore, Williams got the nod to start in one of the Aggies' wideout spots, making his season debut in spectacular fashion after recording his first career 100-yard day. He caught 7 passes for 148 yards and a 37-yard TD catch in the 30-15 win over Southeastern Louisiana. He also made his first punt return in that game for a 14-yard gain. In a loss to New Mexico, he matched his 7 catches but gained only 94 yards while returning his first kickoff of the season for 26 yards. Against Texas Southern, he was held to a season low 4 receptions but had 81 receiving yards, including a 64-yard touchdown catch in a 48-14 win. In the road-opener at UTEP, he had his first double digit reception day, catching 10 passes for 68 yards and an 18-yard TD reception in a 38-44 setback. He also returned 4 kickoffs for 102 yards against the Miners. At Idaho, he began a streak of 100-yard receiving games with 111 yards on 4 receptions with a 49-yard punt return in a 20-28 loss. He accomplished a couple of feats against the Vandals, catching a 96-yard touchdown from Chase Holbrook to set the longest touchdown play (passing or receiving) and the longest play from scrimmage in school history. His streak continued against 15th ranked Boise State after tallying season highs of 13 receptions and 191 receiving yards (6th all-time) with 1 TD in a 12-point loss to the Broncos. His 3rd consecutive 100-yard game happened against Hawai'i, catching 7 passes for 160 yards and 2 TDs (first multiple TD game of his career). At Nevada, his streak of 100-yard outings and games with a TD got halted, although he did catch 8 passes for 90 yards in the 21-48 setback. Against San Jose State, he only had five receptions for a season low 52 yards with a TD in a 21-31 setback.
At Fresno State, he began another streak of 100-yard performances after catching 8 passes for 121 yards and a TD. The following week at Utah State, he helped the Aggies snap their seven game losing streak with 7 receptions for 161 yards, including touchdowns from 47, 26, and 22 yards in a 42-20 victory. Against La. Tech, he posted 12 catches for 150 yards in a 50-23 NMSU win. He ended the season as the team's leading receiver with single season school records for receptions (92) and receiving yards (1,425), in the process becoming the first Aggie to go over 1,000 yards receiving since 1995. His 12 TD receptions was #2 all-time in the NMSU record books while his seven 100-yard receiving games set a new school record. He led the team in scoring with 72 points on the year and moved into the top-10 for a career in pass receptions (104), reception yards (1,512) and touchdown receptions (12). He led the nation in receiving yards per game (117.9) and catches per game (7.66) while his 1,861 all-purpose yards ranked fourth overall.
In terms of his special teams production, he had a team-leading 301 kick-off return yards on 13 attempts and 92 yards on six returns on the punt team. His performance landed him a spot on the SI.com All-America Honorable Mention team to become the ninth player in school history to earn All-American honors. He was also the only Aggie to be named first team all-WAC.
[edit] 2007
At the start of his junior year, Williams carried his hot streak as he scored atleast a TD in his first five games. He began the season with a 2-TD performance (4 receptions for 47 yards) in a 35-14 repeat win over Southeastern Louisiana. He then went on to record his first 10+ catch, 100-yard effort of the season at in-state rival New Mexico, where he also matched his career best of three touchdowns. He also returned a season high 3 kickoffs for 86 yards in the 10-point loss to the Lobos. Against UTEP, he once again etched his name into the school record books after catching 9 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns to become only the fifth player in school history to record over 200 yards receiving and the first since 2003. At Auburn, he added 9 more catches for 109 yards with 1 TD in a 20-55 loss. Following the 20-17 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where he had 6 catches for 47 yards and a TD, the Broncos covered Williams just enough to limit him to 4 catches for 32 yards and went without a TD for the first time since the finale the previous season. He bounced back at Tech as he tallied 11 receptions for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns in a heartbreaking loss to the Bulldogs. The game marked his 11th 100-yard career game, tying the school record. His 2 touchdown catches also improved his season total to 11, to become only the second Aggie football player to post 10+ TD receptions in back-to-back seasons. After recording season lows in receptions (3) and receiving yards (26) against Idaho, Williams was sidelined for the remainder of the season because of a shoulder injury.
His abbreviated season produced 56 receptions for 772 yards and 11 touchdowns with 5 kickoff returns for 116 yards and six punt returns for 100 yards in eight starts. Although he missed the last five games of the season, Williams still made it into the All-WAC team as listed by the coaches and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, an honor given to the nation’s top wide receiver.
[edit] 2008
Following the cancellation of the season-opener against Nicholls State, Williams made his return at Nebraska but only caught a season low 4 passes for 42 yards in a 7-38 beating. He bounced back the following week at UTEP by recording his first 100-yard game of the season, catching 7 passes for 119 yards in a thrilling 34-33 NMSU victory. After contributing 6 receptions for 89 yards in a loss to the Lobos, he came back and posted 128 receiving yards on six catches with an 80-yard touchdown reception in addition to 2 punt returns for 88 yards, including an 83-yard scoring return in a 45-10 win over Alcorn State. The TD return was a first in 87 games (since 2000). He also accomplished additional feats in that game, becoming the school's 5th all-time leader in all-purpose yards and 2nd all-time in school history for receiving yards and career receptions. At Nevada, he replicated his 6-catch, 128-yard effort to help the Aggies win, 48-45. His 30-yard reception late in the second quarter moved him past Lucious Davis for the Aggies’ all-time leader in receiving yards in a career while also placing him over 100 yards receiving for the 13th time in his career. Against SJSU, he caught 12 passes for 146 yards and a TD in a 14-31 setback. His 7-yard TD catch in the 2nd period moved him into a tie for 12th all-time in WAC history for TD catches in a career. At Idaho, he matched his career high with 13 receptions for 112 yards and 2 TDs in a disappointing 14-20 loss. It was his first multi-touchdown game of the season and his 4th straight 100-yard receiving game. Against the 11th ranked Broncos, Boise State once again clamped down on Williams, limiting him to season lows of 4 receptions and 24 receiving yards in the shut-out loss. He atoned for his lackluster showing the following game, matching his career high of 221 receiving yards and 3 TDs vs, UH, but his efforts were not enough as the Aggies dropped a 30-42 decision. His 23-yard TD catch against the Warriors moved him on the 11th place in the WAC's career receiving yards list.
At Fresno, he was held to an average of 6.11 yards in nine catches, although he did return a kickoff for a career high 96-yard touchdown in the first quarter that gave the Aggies an early lead in the 17-24 loss. His 13-yard catch in the second half also moved him into 8th on the WAC career reception list. Against Tech, he caught 10 passes for 189 yards and 2 TDs in another heartbreaking 31-35 loss. Williams' 80-yard TD reception in the second quarter of the game gave him a share of the school record for career TDs while his 34-yard TD catch in the fourth, which gave the Aggies' their last taste of the lead, made him the school-record holder for career TD receptions while raising his total to 3,500 career receiving yards. In his last game as an Aggie, Williams was held to two receptions for 18 yards, in addition to two kickoff returns for 31 yards as NMSU lost a 2-47 blow-out at Utah State. He finished his senior year with a first team All-WAC selection after leading the Aggies with 86 receptions for 1,271 yards and nine touchdown catches. Despite his lackluster finale, he still paced the league in receiving yards per game (105.9, 4th overall) and catches per game (7.17, 12th overall)
[edit] Career Stats
| Receiving | Rushing | Punt Returns | Kickoff Returns | |||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret/G | Yds/G | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret/G | Yds/G |
| 2005 | 12 | 97 | 8.1 | 36 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 3.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 207 | 29.57 | 1 | 0.7 | 20.7 |
| 2006 | 92 | 1425 | 15.5 | 96 | 12 | 5 | 53 | 10.6 | 19 | 0 | 6 | 92 | 15.33 | 0 | 0.5 | 7.7 | 13 | 301 | 23.15 | 0 | 1.1 | 25.1 |
| 2007 | 56 | 772 | 13.8 | 82 | 11 | 10 | 35 | 3.5 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 100 | 16.67 | 0 | 0.8 | 12.5 | 5 | 116 | 23.20 | 0 | 0.6 | 14.5 |
| 2008 | 86 | 1271 | 14.8 | 84 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 105 | 15.00 | 1 | 0.6 | 8.8 | 16 | 409 | 25.56 | 1 | 1.3 | 34.1 |
[edit] Achievements
[edit] 2008
- All-WAC First Team
- Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook Preseason All-WAC Team
- Collegefootballnews.com Preseason All-WAC First Team
- Collegefootballnews.com's #5 Preseason Player in the WAC
- Phil Steele First Team All-WAC
- Phil Steele Fourth Team All-American
- Phil Steele Midseason All-WAC First Team
- Phil Steele Preseason All-WAC First Team
- WAC Special Teams Player of the Week (vs. Fresno State)
[edit] 2007
- All-WAC team (coaches)
- Biletnikoff Award finalist
- Collegefootballnews.com Midseason Second Team All-America Offense
- Collegefootballnews.com Preseason All-WAC First Team
- Collegefootballnews.com's #6 Preseason Player in the WAC
- WAC Offensive Player of the Week (vs. UTEP)
[edit] 2006
- All-WAC first team
- Collegefootballnews.com All-WAC Team
- Collegefootballnews.com's #1 WR in the WAC
- Collegefootballnews.com's #3 Player in the WAC
- SI.com All-America Honorable Mention team
- WAC Special Teams Player of the Week (vs. Idaho)
[edit] References
- Aggie receiver breaks out with big game
- Chris Williams Cfbstats.com
- Chris Williams New Mexico State Profile
- Chris Williams Scout.com Profile
- New Mexico: Rio Rancho's Mr. Electricity
- New Mexico State wide receiver Chris Williams is a speedy, slippery playmaking machine.
- Wide receiver Chris Williams plays final home game for New Mexico State Aggies
