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LEXINGTON — Stanley “Boom” Williams did a lot of impressive things for Kentucky in Saturday’s 48-14 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
He had a 75-yard kickoff return to open the game that set up a field goal. He had a 58-yard scoring burst in the second half and finished the game with seven rushes for 104 yards
However, what the Kentucky freshman did after the game was even more impressive — he owned his mistake that got him suspended for last week’s win over South Carolina. Williams was one of four players suspended after their actions with air pistols led to a campus alert that locked down the campus after a report of shots being fired on campus. They have all been charged with disorderly conduct and have court appearances Oct. 28.
"I learned a lot," he said. "You just gotta be real careful with your decisions and the things that you do, knowing that you're a valuable player to your team. I just wanted to come out and play hard. I owed it to the team, the fans and the coaches, so I just wanted to come out and show those guys that I do want to be part of the team."
He didn’t make excuses after UK officials made him available for interviews after Saturday’s game, something not every school would have done.
“ Just wanted to come out, play hard. I just wanted to come out, play well, and get the win. I did want to prove something. Obviously missing the game last week, not being able to help my teammates hurt. I came out with a chip on my shoulder. The coaches wanted to get me the ball and make plays and that’s what I did,” Williams, who was not even allowed on the sideline with teammates during UK’s win over South Carolina because of his suspension.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops was sure Williams wanted to atone for his mistake.
“I'm sure he did. He was focused and fresh. So he went out there and did some big things,” Stoops said after the win. “I thought it was good because, obviously, we had our struggles offensively early, and having Boom get that big kickoff return right from the start, we got three points. Didn't get very many yards, but we still got three, and it was good to start that way.”
Imagine how Williams felt.
“The return wasn’t really something we worked all week. Coach (Craig Naivar) just set it up and said it was going to be there. I trust coach and everything that he says. Coach Naivar is a good special teams coach. J.D. Harmon got the lead block for me and set me up to return and put the offense in a great position,” Williams said.
He had to feel the weight of the world had been lifted from him much like he did against South Carolina when the Wildcats scored the final 21 points to pull out the win and take the focus off the players’ suspensions.
"Making a mistake like that, you beat yourself up over and over just thinking about it,” Williams admitted.
He said he never worried about not being able to play football again, but he did wonder how long his suspension might last. But he never said he didn’t deserve the punishment he got — or more. He knew he made a mistake and accepted the consequences with no whimpering.
Now he’s ready to help Kentucky keep rolling as the Cats get set to play at LSU in what could be a huge statement game for Stoops’ program — and give Williams a chance to make plays to atone for his off-field transgression.
“We’re pretty confident, but we just want to stay humble and come out every week and get better. We’ve got a big game next week in Baton Rouge at LSU, so we want to come out have a good week of practice and get ready for the game,” Williams said.
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