Oklahoma Sooners

Damien Williams took the handoff from Landry Jones as his two teammates in the backfield rushed to find white jerseys to block. Williams cut once through the line as a diving Kenny Vaccaro missed Williams' ankles. Williams slowed to let his blockers create a lane before cutting outside and finding himself in the middle of three Longhorns defenders.

His cut put them off balance and as he hit the left sideline, he had one player to outrun -- for a while, anyway. Receiver Kenny Stills erased Quandre Diggs and set Williams free as the Cotton Bowl -- well, half of it -- exploded.

"That's something that any football player wants to be a part of. The fans were so crazy," Williams told ESPN.com this week. "Going into that game I was confident and excited."

No player had ever broken a longer run in the history of the Red River Rivalry than that 95-yarder, and any debate over who should be Oklahoma's starting running back ended.

The 6-foot, 208-pound junior-college transfer grabbed 22 carries, 14 more than any Sooner. A week earlier, his 14 carries in a blowout win over Texas Tech were 12 more than any other Oklahoma back. For now, this job is Williams'. He was expecting to help out the unit and "do his part," whatever that meant.

For now, it means being the Sooners' No. 1 back.

"He’s played consistently all year. He’s made big plays. He’s an incredibly physical, tough runner. He’s got great speed and he’s taking care of the ball," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "He’s been reliable. He’s got great hands. He’s got everything you look for. Power and again, has incredible hands to go with his ability to run."

With Dominique Whaley returning from a fractured ankle and Roy Finch breaking highlight-reel runs, Williams ascending to win the job seemed unlikely in the preseason. Even Brennan Clay had more experience.

Through just five games, though, there's no doubt. Even in the season opener, Williams' potential was there. He broke a 65-yard touchdown run to ice a 24-7 road win over UTEP. A week later, he scored four times in a 69-13 victory over Florida A&M, turning 10 carries into 156 yards.

"I can't make any plays without my team around me," Williams said. "What the line is doing, what the coaches are calling and everything. All I can do is go out there and try to make plays."

He's got 66 carries for 508 yards and six touchdowns in just five games, one of just three Big 12 backs averaging at least 100 yards a game.

Against Texas Tech, he caught six passes for 82 yards, too.

"He’s been a huge spark, just with his physical running and ability to catch the ball," Stoops said.

Williams already has three runs longer than 60 yards this season. No other Big 12 back has one, and the rest of the Big 12 has just five combined. Only three players in all of college football have three runs longer than 60 yards, and all three players have suited up in seven games, compared to just five for Williams and the Sooners.

Colleague KC Joyner took to ranking the nation's top two secondaries , but there's a pair of surprising teams at the top.

The SEC is the league with the defensive reputation, but the nation's top two teams, Alabama and LSU, both finished below Texas and Oklahoma State, who Joyner says are the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 secondaries.

Both of them are outstanding, but even I was surprised to see those two atop the list.

For both teams, it starts with eye-popping duos at cornerback.

For Texas, it's Carrington Byndom and Quandre Diggs. At Oklahoma State, Justin Gilbert and Brodrick Brown are the guys stopping receivers on the outside.

All four may make a case by season's end as the Big 12's best cornerback, but according to Joyner, they're the backbones of the nation's top two secondaries.

Joyner is also a believer in Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro, who racked up 82 tackles and keeping opposing receivers from gaining more than four yards per pass attempt.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State's Gilbert stuck out to Joyner as the best cornerback in college football last season. His five picks and 5.2 yards per attempt suggest that's the case. He also broke up or intercepted 20 passes, second-most in college football.

Those aren't the only two Big 12 teams on Joyner's list.

What about Oklahoma? The Sooners check in at No. 8, with a nice trio of their own in Tony Jefferson, Aaron Colvin and Demontre Hurst.

Joyner reminds that even though the secondary faltered in high-profile losses to Baylor and Texas Tech, the same unit allowed a passer rating of under 106 in eight games.

Now, new coordinator Mike Stoops is in town to give the Sooners a boost in the secondary. The Sooners lost cornerback Jamell Fleming, but Fleming's 9.2 yards per attempt give Joyner reason to believe the loss will result in addition by subtraction.

I'm not so sure about that, but ultimately, the season will tell.

Are you a believer in the Cowboys and Longhorns as the nation's top two secondaries? What about the Sooners? Too high? Too low?

Here's what I'm keeping an eye on in this week's games.

1. Kansas State's secondary. The Wildcats failed their big test last week against Oklahoma and it gets just as difficult, if not more so, this week in Stillwater. And time it's on the road. OSU's running game is better than Oklahoma's, and its passing game is just as difficult to cover. Brandon Weeden has been sharp, and the task ahead of Nigel Malone and David Garrett is enormous. This matchup will decide the game.

2. Baylor's front seven. The Bears are giving up almost 250 yards on the ground in conference play, and Missouri fields a two-headed rushing attack with James Franklin and Henry Josey, who both torched a solid Texas A&M front seven last week. These guys have to play well to give Robert Griffin III and the Bears a chance, or Missouri will control possession and the game.

3. Oklahoma's home prowess. The home streak is gone, but did the mystique follow Texas Tech out of the building? Badly beating a good Texas A&M team would be a nice start for the Sooners, but Texas A&M has to be significantly less intimidated by a) seeing that result and b) beating Oklahoma last season. So which is it?

4. Texas QB(s)? Texas continues to list Case McCoy and David Ash as co-starters when the playing time looks like there's nothing "co" about it. Does McCoy still have a future on the field, or has the true freshman, Ash, taken over a full-time role? My guess is the latter, but Texas Tech will be a real test, unlike Kansas. The Red Raiders could be revealing.

5. Kansas ... offense? Prove to us that this offense really is better. Iowa State's defense doesn't really scare many folks across the Big 12, but KU had just three first downs against Texas last week and 46 total yards in a 43-0 loss. Part of that was the Longhorns eliminating the Jayhawks' running game, but can the offense help the Jayhawks get their first conference win?

6. Missouri's secondary. E.J. Gaines & Co. have stepped up their play in recent weeks, but this week will be a tough test for the Tigers. Griffin III endured a frustrating outing against Oklahoma State last week and will be back at home, where he's been dominant all season. Are the Tigers up to the task? They're dealing with one of the best receiving corps in the league, and a quarterback that would love nothing more than to beat them over the top.

7. Seth Doege's accuracy. Iowa State didn't blitz Tech much in last week's 41-7 win, but Doege wasn't sharp and the Red Raiders paid the price with a nonsensical loss. Doege's been outstanding, but can he bounce back this week? I expect him to, but Texas' secondary is one of the league's best, and the Longhorns will harass him and make him hurry throws at corners Quandre Diggs and Carrington Byndom.

8. Texas A&M's second half. It has to be said, does it not? Texas A&M has been the league's most odd team this year, only a few plays away from being in the top 3, instead of Oklahoma State. But alas, here they are, with losses to three teams after possessing double-digit halftime leads. Second halves haven't been the issue on the whole for this team, but they've been more evident in the losses. What's in store this week at Oklahoma?

9. Iowa State's identity. Who are these Cyclones? Was last week a statement of how good they can be? Or did Texas Tech lay an egg? I don't know how much Kansas can answer that question this week, but the Cyclones would be well-served to be the next team to blow out the Jayhawks, but Kansas could reach up and do to Iowa State what the Cyclones did to Tech. Should be an interesting matchup.

10. Oklahoma State's yes, focus. We've seen it the past two weeks. Oklahoma, then Texas Tech. If Oklahoma State isn't sharp, K-State will make it pay for dropped passes and poorly-timed three-and-outs. The ranking beside K-State's name should help the Cowboys perk up, but seeing last week's blowout loss to Oklahoma might inspire a bit of complacency. Or will it? OSU's stayed pretty loose this week, and this will be one of the toughest tests left before the showdown with Oklahoma.