Tennessee defenders A.J. Johnson (45) Owen Williams (58) and Jalen Reeves-Maybin jump onto Utah State running back Joe Hill during the Vols’ season-opener football game against the Aggies on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.KNOXVILLE – For a brief stretch late in the third quarter, Tennessee’s 34-19 win against Arkansas State on Saturday became the Owen Williams Show.
The junior college transfer defensive tackle popped up with a handful of plays that helped the Volunteers keep the Red Wolves at bay, and for a Tennessee defensive front trying to identify its playmakers, it was an encouraging sight.
“It was good. Great to see,” Vols coach Butch Jones said Monday. “He had about three plays in a row back to back to back that really impacted the game. That’s the thing that we really focus on — is how are you impacting the game. When you’re on the field, are you making impactful plays?
“He was able to do that, and I think he’ll really gain some valuable confidence from that.”
With Arkansas State starting a series near midfield and still within shouting distance, the 6-foot-2, 288-pound Williams came free after a stunt to smother quarterback Fredi Knighten, and he ended that possession by making a tackle on a screen pass.