Ever since Auburn landed the nation's No. 1 junior college prospect in the spring, players and coaches have been raving about wide receiver D'haquille "Duke" Williams, noting how he gives the hurry-up no huddle offense yet another weapon.
It did not take long for Williams to make a name for himself, as the sellout crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium erupted in a "Duuuuke" chant nine times throughout the 45-21 victory over Arkansas because of his stellar nine receptions for 154 yards with a touchdown performance.
Williams said he will always remember the fans chanting his nickname after his first reception in orange and blue.
"This would have to be the best feeling of my life," Williams said. "It just made me feel like they love me. When they chanted that, I caught the chills. My heart just started beating faster. I'm just like, 'there's no way 90,000 just chanted my name.' I ran to the sidelines and just had to take a seat, put a towel on my head and start thinking, 'It's really here. Everything I worked for.'''
Although the team expected Williams to be a playmaker, none of them could have predicted his amazing first half of SEC football, which included seven catches, one of them good for 62 yards and another being an 18-yard touchdown.
"I think everybody saw today he's got playmaking ability in the passing game," said head coach Gus Malzahn. "He attacks the ball, there's no doubt. We had a plan if they played us a certain way we'd attack them in the middle, and he executed."
Williams ran the no-huddle offense in junior college at Mississippi Gulf Coast, but he learned on the first drive against Arkansas that Malzahn's offense is much faster.
"I was looking left and right, like, 'I got to get to my position,' and by the time I got there, they had already snapped the ball," Williams said.
Williams said he has worked hard in order to keep up with Malzahn's fast-paced offense.
"I didn't change my game up or anything," Williams said. "I just got better, learned how to run routes better, got faster, stronger. Because in JUCO I didn't really have that much weight, but now I'm 233 with 4.3 speed. That just makes it hard for them to tackle me."
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