Just 46 Yards Left for Brandon Williams
August 30, 2005 | Football
For the second straight year, a University of Wisconsin special teams player has a school record within sight at the beginning of the season'this time, it's wide receiver Brandon Williams, who needs 46 kickoff return yards to break Nick Davis ' record of 1,778, accumulated from 1998-2001.
In 2004, former Badger Jim Leonhard broke Davis' punt return record of 1,007 yards in the second game of the season and finished the year with 1,347, also a Big Ten Conference record.
Like Leonhard, it doesn't appear to be a matter of if Williams will break it, but rather when. The senior's 670 kickoff return yards he tallied as a freshman are a school record in a season, while his 626 yards the following year are second all-time at UW.
Last year Williams' numbers dropped slightly, but one must remember that through the first nine games, Wisconsin led the nation in scoring defense (9.1 ppg) and ended up sixth nationally. As a result, UW's opponents didn 't have that many kickoffs.
But even with another dominating defensive season, Williams could fall far below his career average (577.7 yards/season) and the record will still easily be his. However, as a pie in the sky, if the St. Louis native can rack up 843 yards, the Big Ten career kickoff return record will be his as well.
Also on the horizon: Over the past 39 games, Williams has totaled 143 career receptions, only 33 shy of Lee Evans' school record. Having never had a season with fewer than 42 catches, Williams could notch another record in a few weeks.
In the meantime, look for Williams to begin a memorable season with the kickoff record in reach.
