Ryan ‘Hollywood’ Williams gives the Bama faithful what they came to see

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Hollywood, Ala.

(Formerly known as Tuscaloosa)

Ordinarily, Alabama playing Western Kentucky would be as riveting as those brainless TV commercials where an ostrich and a lizard try to sell you on auto, home and life insurance. You know the one: “Only pay for what you need.”

That’s good advice but the 100,077 fans who trudged through the rain on their pilgrimage to Nick Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday evening needed more while they dried out, even more than the 63-0 victory. They didn’t need insurance, they needed assurance.

They needed to see if Ryan “Hollywood” Williams — the five-star recruit, the only player to ever be named Mr. Football twice, the teenager who reputedly beat the blink of an eye in the blink of an eye — was everything they had heard he was, that he could go from one galaxy to the next at warp speed. After all, if you haven’t seen him in person, especially if you are a defensive back, you can’t be exactly certain that he is a mirage.

And they needed to see for themselves that Saban was really and truly not on the sideline or, maybe, that he was dressed incognito and pouring players cups of water from the same lake Bear Bryant left his footprints on. Shoot, some of them still can’t believe the Bear is dead. After all, he walked on water.

Williams didn’t walk on water but it sure seemed like he at least glided across it in a first official day on the job that was as perfect as anyone could ask for. The same is true for new coach Kalen DeBoer, who showed the faithful he can give them faith in something and someone other than Saban, who, having paid only for what he needed, was last seen descending from his suite in an elevator early in the fourth quarter, minus the traditional Alabama State Trooper escort.

Williams left the game much sooner after touching the ball twice in the first half and turning both into long touchdowns of 84 and 55 yards from Jalen Milroe on a field that was soaked by a heavy pregame downpour. Someone said it looked like the 17-year-old from Saraland, the youngest player on the field, had been doing this all his life. That’s because he has.

His father and mentor, Ryan Sr., watched the cavalcade in one corner of the stadium with immense pride and glee.

“I know it’s Western Kentucky but that doesn’t matter right now,” Big Ryan said. “He’s supposed to be playing Gulf Shores this week. For a 17-year-old, there’s no bigger stage.”

Two targets and two touchdowns. If you had been there sitting next to someone and tried to describe what you had just seen, you couldn’t have been heard over the roar that welled up in the bottom of the big bowl and reverberated for a spell before boiling over the top of the place.

Williams started at the X receiver and 44 minutes into the game — after Williams showed he could block on the perimeter — Milroe found X marked the spot. The time was 6:50 p.m., time for a Hollywood premiere.

It was third-and-13 when Williams catapulted out on a go route and beat his man so badly that he had time to wait for the ball to come down. When he got to the sideline, he was treated far more roughly by his teammates, who battered, pounded and slapped Williams in celebration.

Milroe said afterward it might not be possible to overthrow Hollywood.

“I’ve got to warm up real good for him,” Milroe said. “He’s got speed, attention to detail and instincts.”

Williams held the all-time Alabama record at 84 yards per catch until his 55-yard TD dropped his average to a paltry 69.5 yards per reception. On the shorter one, Williams found a gaping cavity over the middle, sucked in the ball, left two defenders in a heap and sprinted free.

“That was big boy football, going over the middle with no fear,” Big Ryan said.

The last time he was on this field, Williams scored four touchdowns in the state championship game. But at least Clay-Chalkville kept him from scoring every time he touched the ball.

Williams’ father didn’t know his son was going to start and admitted he didn’t know what to expect.

“Just seeing him run out with that Bama uniform on, that’s a moment to remember,” said Big Ryan, who was accompanied by his wife, Cortney. “One-hundred-and-thirty-nine yards and two touchdowns, that’s crazy work for his first start. It was a good coming out party for him.”

People went crazy on social media and any future party invitations might need to be sent to a new address. In Saraland, Spartans coach Jeff Kelly posted: “Change the name of Tuscaloosa to Hollywood, Alabama!”

Afterward, the new mayor faced his first crush of reporters, who made it harder on him than the Hilltoppers did.

“Let him through!” the UA sports information staffers said, parting the press as Williams has parted so many defenses.

Williams, who was listed second on the depth chart in the pregame, also said he didn’t know he was going to start.

“I didn’t know until the first play,” he said. “I heard ‘Ryan!’ and I ran out there.”

With his flamboyant necklace glittering in the intense lights of the TV cameras, Williams described the two touchdowns as simple plays — a simple go ball, a simple dig route. That’s easy for him to say.

He did come up with a mathematical equation for the chemistry he and Milroe have developed.

“Well, 4 plus 2 equals 6,” said Williams, in reference to the jersey numbers of he and his quarterback. “He always puts it in a perfect place.”

Is there pressure now to score every time he touches the ball?

“I’m just playing ball,” Williams replied.

For the first time in years, someone other than Saban was escorted by the troopers to the podium to talk about a Tide football victory and DeBoer didn’t need to be goaded into talking about Williams, who helped build up the largest margin of victory for an Alabama coach in his first game.

“He’s got that big-play capability,” DeBoer said. “It was exciting to see him get out there. It doesn’t seem like the game is too fast for him. It’s impressive that a guy that age can go out and do what he does. The guys believe in him. There’s a lot of attention thrown his way but he’s really humble and stays the course.”

It’s hard to be humble when his fellow students want to take selfies with him during class — “I don’t want to interrupt the professor,” Williams said — but he remains charitable, at least off the field. On it, he is obsessed with being great and so eager to absorb new tactics that his learning curve is more like a learning straightaway that doesn’t slow him down. He is so elite mentally and physically that he won’t be chasing the intricacies of the game, they’ll be chasing him.

“Defensive coordinators will be designing intricate coverages to both cover him and throw the quarterback’s initial read off him,” said former Alabama quarterback Scott Hunter, who was at the game. “But he’s one that can blow through the intricacies and beat any coverage. DeBoer knows that and will have schemes to get him open against single coverage or to holes in zone coverage. Or he will be the best decoy wide receiver in the country.”

Milroe values Williams’ work ethic as much as his phenomenal physical gifts.

“He came this summer and put his head down and worked,” Milroe said. “He has a hungry heart. He has a great head, a great support system around him. I give credit to the veterans in the room who poured into him.”

Williams has pulled into the big arena on Paul W. Bryant Drive with a tank and both hands ready to be filled.

“I told him this morning he’s got to prove himself all over again,” his father said.

Hollywood is well on his way to doing that.