ALCORN STATE, Ms. – Senior defensive tackle Bryan “Big
Cat” Williams (Memphis, TN/Whitehaven) will showcase
his skills as a member of the West team at the Las Vegas Classic
on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2004 at Sam Boyd Stadium. The game, which
will is broadcast by the Fox Sports Network on the West Coast
and Mountain West regions, can also be viewed on the College
Sports Televisions Network (CSTV). Kickoff is set for 12:30
p.m. Pacific time.
Williams was one of the many graduating seniors to attend graduate school,
since he had another year of eligibility. One of the primary reasons for his
decision to come back for another season was to help lead Alcorn State to a
championship, which the Braves fell a tie-breaker short of representing the
Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) East division in the title game. His
other motivation was to get a chance at the next level.
In his four seasons with the Braves, Williams participated in 30 total games
and recorded 84.5 tackles (55 unassisted). Of those 84.5 stops, 27 were for
a loss of 89 yards, while eight were sacks. He also notched five forced fumbles,
three pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries. This season was by far his
best as he recorded career-best 59 tackles and three sacks.
“It’s a whole new ball game,” said Williams of his experiences
while training in California for the past two months. “The training is
much more sophisticated, plus there is a greater emphasis on fundamentals and
techniques. Living in California has been a great experience. I’ve been
working out with four soon-to-be first round draft picks and lining up in practice
everyday against the best offensive linemen from all around the country.
The Las Vegas Classic consists of athletes from the Big 12, Mountain West,
Pac 10, Sun Belt, and WAC, representing the WEST. Representing the EAST are
players from the ACC, Big 10, Big East, Conference USA, MAC and SEC. Two other
players, Tim Manning and Robert Kent, both of Jackson State will represent
the SWAC and the West squad with Williams in the Classic.
“It’s a lot of stress,” said Williams. “You want to
perform well knowing that the scouts want to see if you can perform well out
of your conference against upper echelon players. Going out Saturday and competing
hard will be an eye opener for teams to give me a look. If I play well, it
will give myself and the Alcorn State football program great exposure.
Williams earned his bachelors of science in Business administration in the
spring of 2003 and is six credit hours from garnering his master’s degree
in the same field. Williams plans on returning to Alcorn State to fulfill that
requirement.
