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Kentucky Football: Players Who Broke Out Against NMSU

By Maxwell Ogden

Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats tight end C.J. Conrad (87) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New Mexico State Aggies in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats tight end C.J. Conrad (87) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New Mexico State Aggies in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 3, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Stanley Boom Williams (18) runs the ball against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Stanley Boom Williams (18) runs the ball against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

Stanley Boom Williams

Technically speaking, this wasn’t a breakout performance for Kentucky football standout Stanley Boom Williams. Williams has been one of the better running backs in the SEC since last season, when he ran for 855 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games.

Though he was solid and productive in each of the first two games, it was the New Mexico State game that catapulted Williams back into the conversation for star status.

That’s quite the run.

Williams finished with 18 rushing attempts for 181 yards and that explosive 63-yard touchdown that put Kentucky on the board. He moved the chains with relative ease and continued to be Kentucky’s most productive running back.

After running for 94 yards on 13 carries in Week 1 and 66 yards on 12 carries in Week 2, Williams finally received a big enough workload to justify his ability.

If Kentucky is hoping to run the offense in an efficient manner, then giving Williams a healthy number of carries should be a top priority. He’s averaging 7.9 yards per carry in 2016 and picked up a school record 7.1 yards per carry in 2015.

Thus, while this may not have been a true breakout performance by the somewhat established junior running back, Williams certainly earned a higher number of carries.

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