Alabama OC tells how Tide can better use Ryan Williams in playoff

Photo By Tramayne Wright - Touchdown Alabama

In the SEC Championship game, Alabama’s offense struggled to cross the logo as the unit struggled to pick up first downs, but one player that made the most of his two catches was wideout Ryan Williams.

Williams used his athleticism to turn a quick throw near the line of scrimmage into a 20-yard gain in the first quarter, and later in the second quarter, he put the moves on another Georgia defender to pick up 13 yards. After that, Williams did not receive another target until the fourth quarter, and he was not able to connect with Ty Simpson down the field.

For a guy that’s had some issues with catching passes down the field but has all the talent in the world to make people miss, the idea that floats into everyone’s brain is to find ways to get Williams the ball in space quickly.

Offense coordinator Ryan Grubb was asked about how the offense was able to get Williams the football with opportunities to use his athleticism to make plays in space and how he can build on what he did in the SEC Championship game.

“I think all the guys that are touch players, they can get the ball in space,” Grubb said. “Certainly, Ryan is that kind of guy. Now, you got to have all the compliments to go with it. He is certainly a guy that can hurt you down the field as well, and those are the things you got to try to, you know, paint the picture for the defense of what you want to do and where you’re going to get the football, but Ryan can get it now at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield. He can get it down the field on a post route, so those are the things, intermediary routes and things like that, I feel like Ryan, when he’s playing his best, he’s in all of those positions.”

In the Crimson Tide 23-21 loss to Oklahoma earlier in the season, Williams finished with three catches for 45 yards, averaging 15 yards a grab. When he is on the top of things, Williams can make some massive plays down the field, but his ability to make a guy miss and turn a bubble into a first down is a thing of beauty to watch.

This has not been the year that most people thought Williams was going to have, but with the College Football Playoff fast approaching, all it takes is a quick explosive play for Williams to remind people that he is the biggest threat on the field.

Will Grubb dial up plays for Simpson to get the football to Williams in the quick game? That is a question that will be answered on Friday night when Alabama plays Oklahoma.