The last couple of years have without a doubt been a great time to be a Seminole and 2014 looks to be no different. While Florida State won its first ACC title in seven years in 2012 and its first national title in 14 years in January, arguably the two biggest plays in each of the last two seasons have come from one player — Karlos Williams.
A former 5-star safety out of Ridge Community High School in Davenport, Williams’ late game interception against Georgia Tech on December 1st, 2012 sealed Florida State’s first ACC championship since 2005.
Georgia Tech entered that contest with just a 6-6 record, but with a little over a minute to play, the Yellow Jackets were within six of the heavily favored Seminoles and had the ball.
After converting a fourth down with his feet the play prior, quarterback Tevin Washington fired a pass which Williams stepped in front of and tipped to himself for his first career interception. The play salvaged FSU’s first conference crown under head coach Jimbo Fisher. Thanks to that 21-15 victory in Charlotte, the Seminoles would go on to beat Northern Illinois for their first BCS bowl victory since 1999.
With the Seminoles trailing 21-3 in the BCS National Championship in January, Williams’ 7-yard run on a fake punt gave Florida State a first down and set up the first touchdown of the game for FSU. That score gave Florida State momentum heading into the locker room and served as the catalyst for a 21-point turnaround.
A converted safety, Williams has made huge plays on defense and special teams in each of the last two seasons, but what Williams does on offense in 2014 will make him a household name to college football fans everywhere.
As a junior in 2013, Williams finished with 730 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns while averaging a remarkable 8.0 yards-per-carry. Making Williams’ production more jaw-dropping is the fact that he started Florida State’s 2013 opener in Pittsburgh on defense.
In his debut at running back in Florida State’s home opener against Nevada, Williams took his first carry 65 yards for a touchdown. Williams was productive a season ago for the Seminoles despite splitting time with a pair of NFL-bound backs in Devonta Freeman and James Wilder Jr.
While the Wilder/Freeman and Wilder/Chris Thompson combinations over the past two seasons have given FSU a “thunder and lighting” duo in the backfield, Williams possesses both traits.
At 6’1″ and 225 pounds, Williams has the frame to run between the tackles and is already one of the faster players on Florida State’s speed-rich roster. With both Freeman and Wilder leaving early, the bulk of the carries will go to Williams this season.
Not only will Williams serve as Florida State’s workhorse in 2014, but he has had all spring to become more acclimated to the running back position. Averaging eight yards with each tote as he did last season is pretty scary considering Williams had never spent a single spring or fall practice at tailback.
Adding to the optimism for Williams in 2014 is the possibility that FSU could be more inclined to keep the ball on the ground.
The Seminoles do return a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback in Jameis Winston, but two of Winston’s top three targets from a season ago are gone. Leading receiver Rashad Greene returns, but seldom-used Christian Green and Jarred “Scooter” Haggins — a player coming off of a knee injury — are the only other Seminoles with any real experience at wideout.
Florida State will also return four of its five starters from an offensive line that helped produce more points than any other team in FBS history. With four returning starters up front and an inexperienced receiving corps, it’s not inconceivable that Williams and the ground game could be more of a factor for the ‘Noles in 2014.
Since first stepping foot on campus, Florida State fans have been anxious to see what Karlos Williams was capable of. After getting a small glimpse in 2012, Williams transformed himself into one of the more exciting players to watch in the entire ACC in 2013. Williams was held out of last week’s spring game, but that will all change come fall. With a full slate of practices at tailback and a larger role in 2014, it shouldn’t be long before fans outside of Tallahassee know exactly how good Williams really is.
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