Kieron Williams Seeks His Own Pictures, Answers

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Monday was role reversal day for safety Kieron Williams, whose 30 tackles lead Nebraska in its 4-0 start. The Shreveport, La., native has played in all 30 games in his third season, but Monday’s press conference had a definitive twist to it.

Williams came to the weekly media session with a camera and a tape recorder, hoping to ask questions and get answers rather than the other way around. An Advertising and Public Relations major, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound junior wore a broad smile, and it wasn’t because he has six more tackles than team runner-up Nathan Gerry.

Gerry is, after all, the standard by which Williams measures himself. “I’m pretty sure that Nate has some type of thing in his head where he knows everything before it happens,” Williams said. “That dude pretty much can call out a play before it even happens.”

Fortunately, Kieron is often the benefactor of Gerry’s omnipotence that influences where each Blackshirt seizes opportunity. “We’re communicating better,” Williams said. “We’re helping each other, and it’s all about making the team better.”

Experiencing a 5-7 regular season a year ago, Williams and his fellow Blackshirts want to be role models to the younger guys on the team, so “they start to look up to you a little more,” he said. “It’s kind of a big brother role.”

Williams: 18 Solo Tackles, 12 Assists, One Tackle for Loss, Two Interceptions

The overall vibes are good among the Blackshirts and Kieron Williams (No. 26 above) is pivotally positioned with 18 unassisted tackles, 12 assists, one tackle for loss and two interceptions. The first interception was returned eight yards against Fresno State and the second was returned 23 yards for a touchdown against Wyoming.

Kieron favors the “Lockdown U” mindset his coaches are preaching. “We want to do our best to keep the quarterback in the pocket and not let them run around,” he said. “We want to make an impact on defense and create turnovers.”

As a young guy, “it’s your own experience,” Williams said. “You have to make your first experience fun. The older guys tried to explain that to the younger guys who made their first road trip. I feel like everybody did well. I didn’t see any slipups.”

The Huskers wanted to make a statement. “The emotion on the road was no different than what it was when Oregon was in Lincoln,” he said. “As a young guy, you have to go through your own experience on the road while older guys try to explain.”

Nebraska’s Primary Goal: Look at Every Game as the Same to Avoid Slipups

The primary goal is “to compete every game the same,” said Williams (above after scoring against Wyoming). “If you don’t, it can cause slipups. When you prepare, you should do well. It has to be one game at a time. Every team has a choice in the way you look at it.

“If you say you want to look forward to the national championship, you have to know how you get there,” Williams said. “You can only take it one day at a time. I think it’s something we try to keep in our everyday practice. You have to perform every game.

“This is the first time I’ve ever talked about it,” Williams said. “I don’t think the offense thinks about it because we’re focused on what we need to prepare for today and tomorrow. It takes preparation to know how they’re going to attack us or create the way they will try to attack us.

“Every Division I player has talent,” Williams said. “We will do the best we can to try and stop what they do. You can’t ever get comfortable. I just always try to focus and prepare for every single week like it’s my last one.

“When you get to the Big Ten, you’re definitely going to play against more physical teams,” Williams said. “Some just want to pound the ball. That means we have to take care of our bodies even more than we already do. Football is definitely a body and mind game, especially when you go against downhill teams. You need both.”

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