Louisville football | Malik Williams aims to spark Cards alongside Lamar Jackson

The broadcasters on the ESPN telecast had just been talking about the Louisville football team’s struggles in developing a running back when senior Malik Williams took a handoff in the fourth quarter against North Carolina on Saturday. Williams ran toward the marker, lowered his shoulder and picked up the first down.

On the next play, up 40-28 with just over five minutes to play, the Cardinals went back to Williams. This time, he turned the corner and scampered down the left sideline for 74 yards. Three plays later, Lamar Jackson scored to salt away a 47-35 win.

Before then, the comments were not inaccurate. Jackson had 39 of the Cardinals’ 70 carries on the season. He had been by far U of L’s leading rusher in the first two games. The Cards had not yet established a consistent backfield mate to replace Brandon Radcliff.

After Saturday, Williams may be their answer. The 6-foot-1, 221-pound senior finished with 149 yards rushing, four more than he had all of last year before he suffered a season-ending knee injury against Houston in November.

“But towards the end of the year last year, you saw it,” Petrino said of Williams’ growth. “And I think we really saw it the other day.”

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The knee injury wasn’t severe enough to keep Williams from spring practice, and then he earned good reviews from Petrino in fall camp, despite a calf issue. Williams’ emergence Saturday, coupled with Jeremy Smith’s season-ending broken foot, provides an opportunity.

Williams said the coaches have not spoken with him about his role changing, nor have his practice reps looked different than they did last week. But he adds a dimension to the Cards’ offense, perhaps enough to earn him a starting role Saturday.

“He can do a lot of things, too,” Petrino said Monday. “He can run routes and catch the ball just like Reggie (Bonnafon) can. I think that’s the thing that’s neat about the two of them, is both of them are very, very good receivers. Both of them can do different things out of the backfield. Both of them are big enough and strong enough to protect the quarterback.”

Williams’ background explains how promising this weekend is. The senior transferred from Allan Hancock (Calif.) College, a school that played home games at a local high school until the year Williams arrived. Two years later, the Cards have sold out Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, and No. 2 Clemson comes to town Saturday.

“You know, junior college is not really a big stage, but …” Williams said, “coming over here to a Division I school and showcasing talent like that is a great opportunity.”

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Hancock rotated Williams between running back and wide receiver. The North Carolina native has also played defensive back. He did once eclipse the 149 yards he gained Saturday while at Hancock, against Pasadena City College.

A few days before the biggest game of his career, Williams said this fortune was always in his plans.

“I felt like I’ve always been able to do it. It’s just getting there,” Williams said. “It was great to actually get here and try not to get caught up in the hype — just read everything the way you’ve been reading it, playing the way you’ve been playing.”