BYU Football vs. GA Tech: "Baby J" Needs a New Nickname

Jamaal Williams dragging GA Tech to their demise (from www.deepshadesofblue.com)

When I was 17, I was just trying to survive high school and hoping I didn't run my parents' car into a mailbox. But 17-year-old Jamaal Williams, referred to "affectionately" as "Baby J" by his teammates, is scoring 4 touchdowns in one game against a BCS team in the ACC. He doesn't even turn 18 until April 3, 2013! But Jamaal is definitely not a baby anymore.

Riley Nelson puts it all in perspective: "He was 11 years old when I started my first game as a freshman before my mission. Just think about that for a minute."

That's freaking crazy. I can't believe how mature he is, though. He's not even LDS, but decided to go to BYU because he likes the standards and didn't want to get distracted by things like partying and alcohol. Way to stand up for what you believe in! Have the missionaries made a visit to his dorm room yet? Haha.

When Michael Alisa went down with a broken arm in the Hawaii game, I thought we were doomed, especially with an already-struggling offense. But Jamaal Williams rose to the occasion and has really delivered in spectacular fashion. He's currently averaging 4.8 yards per carry rushing and 11.3 yards receiving and is quickly becoming Riley's go-to guy on the ground. He is going to bring very, very special things to BYU for the next 3 years. I predict he may even pass Harvey Unga as BYU's all-time leading rusher.

Of course, Jamaal wasn't the only one to shine in the Georgia Tech game. I had no idea until after the game was over that Tech has the 3rd ranked rushing offense in the country . . . somehow I missed that memo, but dang, our defense really stepped up, too. How many third-down conversions did Tech get? ZERO. How many TDs did our defense allow? ZERO. Of course the Cougar D has been stellar all year, but struggled in the last few games, so I'm glad they've come out of their rut. 

We've got a pretty "easy" (knock on wood) stretch of games coming for the remainder of the season, so I just hope we can win out, stay healthy, and continue to improve enough to win the bowl game. It definitely hasn't been the greatest season on record, but there's still a light at the end of the tunnel that it can end in a very positive way, in large part thanks to Baby J :)