GOLDEN — Nearly 13 years after his father was murdered on the streets of Denver, Darius Williams stood on a football field in Broncos Country and triumphantly raised his palms toward heaven, pulling down the thunder.

“I was born to do this. When I play football, everything clicks in my mind. It’s my escape,” Williams said Saturday, after beating Colorado School of Mines 23-3 in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

“My Dad wasn’t able to live out his football dreams, so I’m trying to fulfill them.”

This feisty sophomore at Texas A&M-Commerce wears No. 27, just as his late father did for the Broncos. He plays defensive back as his dad before being killed in a drive-by shooting during the wee hours of January 1, 2007. And when he smiles, I swear you can catch a glimpse of Darrent Williams’ passion in this young cornerback’s eyes.

“I play with the same passion as my Dad. He was little, but he played big,” said Williams, making a fist and flexing his biceps for my inspection. “I’m a little bit taller than him. But I ain’t got his guns. Yet.”

Then he bent at the waist, reaching inside his sock, wanting to show me something, as Williams squinted into the sun sliding toward the foothills that frame Marv Kay Stadium on the Mines campus.

“I got this made right before playoffs began,” Williams said.

He tugged at a brightly-colored, custom-designed cleat cover, emblazoned with photos of himself and his dad. It was a gift from his mother, Tierria Leonard.

No little boy should ever have to stare death in the eye. But the last time I saw Williams he was a 7-year-old boy, trembling in the arms of Leonard as he peered into an open casket at a funeral service in Fort Worth, Texas, that was awash in the tears of Pat Bowlen, grieving Denver teammates and the entire Broncos family.

“My Mama always told me: ‘Now that he’s gone, your Mama is your Dad.’ She is a great woman,” Williams said. “My Mama means the world to me. I already lost half my world. I can’t ever lose the other half.”

With laughter in his voice, a feisty, 5-foot-8 NFL player used to look me in the eye and declare: “Fear nothing.” And Darrent Williams never backed down. The football battle cry “D-Will” made famous during 23 games as a starter in the Broncos secondary from 2005 until his death was: “All ready!”

Williams and his teammates arrived in Colorado on Thanksgiving, after celebrating the holiday at a no-fuss buffet in a restaurant back in Texas. Turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie? No way.

“I ate some fish and fries,” Williams said.

It was the second trip to Colorado of the autumn for Texas A&M-Commerce, which lost to CSU-Pueblo in September. But this time, the Lions came to play. And the defense roared.

Mines entered the second-round playoff game undefeated and averaging six touchdowns per game. But with winds gusting to 35 mph, Texas A&M-Commerce blew the Orediggers off their own field, forcing five fumbles, including two that sabotaged Mines’ drives in the red zone. A fierce pass rush repeatedly battered starting quarterback John Matocha, who limped away from the game during the second half and did not return.

“I couldn’t lose two times in one season in Colorado,” Williams said. “But we won when it counted.”

On obvious passing downs, he plays extensively for the Lions in packages with multiple defensive backs. He harbors dreams of NFL Sundays, the way an adolescent player does, before the realities of adulthood’s limitations intrude. While the younger Williams is not blessed with the elite athletic gifts of his father, he has earned everything on the field and wants no favors from anybody in this sport.

“I don’t want people to feel like they have to give me something because they feel sorry for me. I want to work for everything I’ve got. I want to make my own name in football,” said Williams, credited with four tackles against the Orediggers.

As the final seconds of the fourth quarter ticked away, with the Texas A&M-Commerce fixing to celebrate on a vanquished foe’s home field, Williams defiantly cupped a hand to his ear.

There were catcalls from a disappointed Orediggers sideline, in an attempt to shout down the young Lions cornerback, who firmly stood his ground, wearing an unbeatable smile that’s a blessing of his genes. Over the din, I swear you could hear: All ready!