By Roscoe Nance
After backing up Larry Brihm for two seasons, redshirt junior Akevious Williams was the heir apparent to the starting quarterback role for Bethune-Cookman. The job was his to lose, and Williams did nothing to lose it as he battled West Virginia transfer David Israel and redshirt senior Jabari Denham for the No. 1 spot through spring drills and into the 2018 season.
Williams finally beat out his competitors and head coach Terry Sims named him the starter prior to the Wildcats’ Week 4 MEAC opener against Howard in the Circle City Classic. Since then, he has emerged one of the top signalcallers in the conference. He is No. 1 in passing efficiency with a 163.2 rating, touchdown passes with 10, passing yards with 1,043 and completion percentage at .662.
Williams says there is little difference to him in being the starter and being the backup, adding, “it’s all about preparing, studying film of the other teams’ techniques and tendencies. I wouldn’t say it’s different. You’re prepared from studying film throughout the week.’’
He says being the starter, however, does allow him to play free and loose and not worry about the consequences of making a mistake.
“It’s just knowing there’s a possibility you’re going to play the whole game,’’ he said. “It allows you to get into a rhythm and catch the flow of the game early. You can make a couple of mistakes and come back and play the next play, play the next series, and try to execute. You get into the flow quicker. You can bounce back from the bad plays. You can play freer. It keeps you motivated to bounce back and play the next play, to try to score the next drive.’’
Williams and Sims acknowledge that the quarterback remains a work in progress.
“He’s close to where we thought he would be at this point in the season,’’ Sims said. “It’s obvious that he has a few things to work on and clean up. He’s a lot further along than he was at this time last year when he was a backup. He has put in the time and worked on the things he needed to work on, which are staying in the pocket and delivering the football.
“The most progress for him has been in trusting his reads, staying in the pocket and delivering the ball. Last year, Akevious’ first mindset would be if he felt any pressure to take off and run. Now he doesn’t do that. He’s even taken a couple of hits, just stayed in there and delivered the football. That’s where he has definitely improved the most.’’
Williams is a much-improved passer. His 65.2 percent completion rate is evidence of that; he only completed 46 percent of his throws last season and 49 percent in 2016. He says there is room for even more improvement.
“I have to be more balanced, be more of a dual threat,’’ he said. “I want to get better in decision making and making consecutive good decisions to help the offense move the chains, to always think I can play the next down and take what the defense gives me and not pass up something that free if the (opposing) defense messes up. That’s what I’m thinking.’’
Williams’ need to improve his decision-making which reared its ugly head in the Wildcats’ 41-35 shootout loss to Howard when he made two costly fourth-quarterback mistakes. First, Williams forced a throw that was tipped, intercepted and returned 38 yards for a touchdown; on the Wildcats’ final possession, he threw a pass across his body – a cardinal sin for quarterbacks at all levels – on first-and-10 at Howard’s 44 with under a minute remaining in the contest. The Bison intercepted the ball and ran the clock out.
“It’s just a kid trying to make a play,’’ Sims says. “But like I said, he’s close to where we thought he would be at this in the season, and he’s only going to get better as the weeks go on.’’
Said Williams: “The decision making will come with playing more and just staying more in tune, not thinking in big chunks and trying to win the game in one play.’’
Sims has seen plenty from Williams that makes him confident that the Wildcats’ offense is in good hands.
“He has a couple of things,’’ Sims said. “He leads our offense, and he leads by example. He’s going to be that guy out throwing and getting himself ready before practice, and he’s going to stay after practice and throw to the receivers. Also, he can make plays with his arm and legs. I think we have a special one in him in that.’’
The task of developing Williams’ quarterback skills falls to Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Allen Suber, who is also the Wildcats’ quarterbacks coach. Suber was an All-MEAC quarterback for the Wildcats and one of the all-time best signal-callers in school history. Williams says Suber has made an immense difference for him as well as the other Bethune-Cookman quarterbacks.
“He knows the ups and downs of playing quarterback,’’ Williams said. “He can show us what not to do and the correct way to do things from his experience and the things he did. He’s a great coach. He harps on the techniques and doing the little things, footwork, having same throwing motion and being comfortable with what you’re doing.’’
Williams, a three-sport start at Madison (Fla.) High, was heavily recruited by Georgia Tech, Florida State and Northwestern. His first official visit during his recruitment was to Bethune-Cookman; Quentin Williams, the Wildcats’ starting quarterback, and Brihm, his backup, were his hosts. The Wildcats held their football banquet during Williams’ visit. He attended says he had never seen anything like it. The weekend blew Williams and his parents away, and he committed to the Wildcats without making anymore campus visits.
“I felt the vibe,’’ Williams said. Everybody was hanging together. It was all the love. I fell in love. I wasn’t thinking of any other school. I was just thinking about building my legacy at Cookman. It was like my hometown, not too big. I made a great decision.’’