The burden of sports can feel like the weight of the world on some, especially when a game ends up feeling more like a chore than anything else.
Utah Utes running back Joe Williams knows that feeling, having felt the pain and suffering of being a football player. It became so immense that Williams retired from the game of football, leaving his team and coaches. Little did anyone know, Williams return to the field was going to be record breaking.
After a slew of running back injuries decimated the Utes’ depth, head coach Kyle Whittingham asked his players whether they would be okay if Williams returned to the team. The team was unanimously in favor of his return, as recently as October 11th he was listed as day-to-day, not due to injury but because they didn’t know where his commitment level was to the team.
In a raucous affair against UCLA, the Utes defeated the Bruins by a final score of 52-45. Williams rushed for 332 yards and four touchdowns, the yardage was a school record for rushing.
Williams coming out of retirement is nice, talking some trash after his great day is even nicer. Here is what he had to say about his performance.
“I’m pretty sure [the Bruins] are tired of seeing the back of my jersey running down the field,” Williams said, giving the credit to his offensive line. “We’ve got five grown men out there that could be in the NFL tomorrow. I’m just glad to be running behind them.”
What could Williams possibly due for his encore? He’ll face off against top-5 team Washington next week and if he keeps up this pace, he won’t just be record breaking, he’ll be legendary. That doesn’t sound so bad for a recently unretired player, does it?
