On Nov. 21, 2020, it seemed as though wide receiver Devon Williams had his breakout game. Mario Cristobal thought so, too.
“[I’m] really proud of Devon, and I feel like he’s another guy that’s just kind of getting going now,” Cristobal said after the 38-35 win over UCLA.
He added: “We feel like he’s going to be an excellent football player. [The] sky’s the limit.”
Williams posted career highs in catches (six) and yards (123) in last year’s matchup with the Bruins. He followed that up with another 100-plus yard performance against Oregon State the next week.
Yet, after two explosive weeks, Williams shrunk back into the shadows. He was thrown to only five times in Oregon’s final two games, the majority of which were off target. Trapped in a constant cycle of rotations, Williams is a valuable asset against a dismal UCLA secondary.
Mario Cristobal said Williams’ increase in touches came from “taking more accountability in his approach to practice.”
Patience is a scarce resource in college football, and few players have had to exercise more of it than Williams.
As the No. 1 rated athlete in the 2017 high school recruiting class, Williams committed to the USC Trojans. Two years, five catches and only 98 yards later, he transferred to Oregon.
As a sophomore currently playing his fourth year of college football, Williams became a bright spot for Oregon’s passing game in 2020. He finished as the team leader in receiving yards with 286 through seven games.
Williams has shown impressive length and separation with his 6-foot-5, 207-pound frame, something Oregon’s receiving corps has historically lacked. Even in the days of Chip Kelly’s offense, receivers would often be schemed wide open and relied less on their physicality to make plays.
Among Oregon wide receivers, Williams ranks fifth in total receiving yards (115) despite logging the highest Pro Football Focus receiving grade (70.8) this season.
This year, UCLA has the worst passing defense in the Pac-12. They allow over 290 passing yards per game, a number Oregon is yet to reach this season.
Williams is just one of Oregon’s receivers looking to get more touches. Senior Johnny Johnson III, sophomore Mycah Pittman and freshman Troy Franklin have all been under-utilized in 2021.
Oregon’s 216.3 passing yards per game ranks ninth in the conference. They pass the ball on 41.19% of plays against FBS opponents, which ranks 101st in the nation.
Last week, quarterback Anthony Brown threw the ball to Williams more than usual. Williams (four targets and four catches for 67 yards) was poised for a resurgent performance, but saw zero looks in the second half.
His 6.13 expected points added trailed only Travis Dye (10.55) that night, according to GameOnPaper.com.
With a few more targets, Williams could be the difference in the game on Saturday for the Ducks, who are narrow road underdogs in Pasadena.
For now, he’ll patiently await his chance.
