Loss of Jamaal Williams a Major Blow to BYU Offense in 2015

By Tyler Brett
jamaal williams
Brendan Maloney – USA TODAY Sports

The BYU Cougars were looking forward to adding an offensive leader back onto their roster for 2015 with quarterback Taysom Hill set to return from a gruesome leg injury this fall. But with one offensive leading coming back into the mix, another is leaving as running back Jamaal Williams announced that he has withdrawn from school and will sit out the season, dealing a serious blow to the Cougars offense for the upcoming season.

Williams has proven himself to be a valuable part of the BYU attack as an effective runner that could pair nicely with the nimble playmaking of Hill. Over the course of three seasons at BYU, Williams has rushed for 2,626 yards and 23 touchdowns while catching 53 passes for 487 yards. He accounted for a team-high 515 yards and four touchdowns in 2014 before getting sidelined for the final five games of the season with an injury. Now, his absence will be extended for the entire 2015 season due to what Bronco Mendenhall described as “personal reasons,” though the coach does expect Williams back in 2016.

His absence highlights a severe lack of experience for the Cougars in the running game heading into this season. While Hill’s ability to make plays with his legs is well documented as a premier dual-threat quarterback in college football, his supporting cast this fall have not proven much in limited playing time. Algernon Brown (324 yards rushing last season), Nate Carter (290), and Adam Hine (154) are now the team’s top returning rushers at running back with the trio combining for just three rushing touchdowns in 2014. Someone will have to emerge from that group and show they can be a workhorse back to help take some of the pressure off of Hill as he returns from injury.

Losing a key piece of the offense that the team could rely upon like Jamaal Williams is not the way that BYU wanted to kick off fall camp. Will the Cougars offense be able to overcome his absence in 2015?

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