Boston College’s Andre Williams wasn’t regarded among the top running backs in the Atlantic Coast Conference, let alone the nation, when the season started.Williams is beginning to receive mention as a Heisman Trophy candidate after he followed a 339-yard outburst against North Carolina State with 263 yards against Maryland on Saturday.The 6-foot, 227-pound senior has gone for more than 250 yards three straight weeks and is the 16th player in NCAA history to surpass 2,000 yards in a season.His 188.5 yards a game leads the nation. Ka’Deem Carey of Arizona is next at 155.9 a game.Williams finishes the regular season against Syracuse, which held Pittsburgh to 21 yards on 27 rushes in a 17-16 loss Saturday. That’s not to say Williams won’t put up big numbers this week. Florida State averaged almost 12 yards a carry while running for 225 yards against Syracuse on Nov. 16, and Georgia Tech ran for 394 yards against the Orange a month ago.CAREY’S CARRIES: Arizona’s Carey carried a school-record 48 times – the most in the Bowl Subdivision this season – while running for 206 yards and four touchdowns in the 42-16 upset of Oregon. Carey passed Trung Canidate (1996-99) to become the Wildcats’ career rushing leader with 3,913 yards. His four TDs increased his career total to 49, breaking Art Luppino’s school record of 48 from 1953-56.WYOMING GOES WILD: Brett Smith passed for a Mountain West record-tying seven touchdowns, the most in the FBS this season, in Wyoming’s 59-56 overtime win over Hawaii. Smith also ran for an eighth TD, setting a MWC record for touchdowns responsible for. He had a conference-record 640 yards of total offense while becoming the Wyoming career leader with 10,209 yards. Smith’s 498 yards passing broke the school record, as well.PROLIFIC TIGHT END: Texas Tech’s Jace Amaro is the nation’s most productive tight end, and no one is close. In fact, the 6-foot-5, 260-pounder’s receiving numbers are so big – 92 catches for 1,157 yards and six touchdowns – he’s a semifinalist for both the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end and the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the top receiver. The tight end with the next-best receiving numbers is North Carolina’s Eric Ebron, who has 50 catches for 774 yards and three TDs.URBAN’S GRAND RUSHER: Ohio State’s Carlos Hyde, despite serving a three-game suspension to start the season, became the first running back on an Urban Meyer-coached team to go over 1,000 yards. Hyde reached the milestone with his 117 yards on 18 carries against Indiana. Buckeyes’ quarterback Braxton Miller last year became the first Meyer-coached player to run for 1,000 yards. Running backs have come close since Meyer first became a head coach at Bowling Green in 2001. Brandon Warfield had 976 yards for Meyer’s 2003 Utah team, and Hyde had 970 yards last season.AROUND THE COUNTRY: Marcus Mariota threw his first interception in more than a year when Scooby Wright picked off a ball that deflected off receiver Bralon Addison on Oregon’s first play from scrimmage against Arizona. Thus ended Mariota’s Pac-12 record of 353 pass attempts without an interception. Mariota finished the game with two picks. … Stanford set a ”Big Game” series record for points in its 63-13 win over California. The Cardinal’s 42 points through two quarters were most in a half in school history.
Continue Reading: BC’s Andre Williams pads lead in NCAA rushing race