College Football
Wednesday, December 29
Williams ready to move Texas line
Associated Press

DALLAS -- When somebody mentioned the bus incident at the high school all-star game, Bobby Williams put his huge right hand over his face. He was embarrassed.

Prodded, he fessed up.

Seems that Williams had laid claim to a particular window seat on the bus that transported the players. On this day, a 330-pound teammate was in the seat.

"I asked him politely would he move," said Williams, a senior tackle at Arkansas.

"You're name ain't on it," the player responded.

"He didn't just want to move voluntarily," Williams said. "I helped him a little bit."

D.J. Cooper, Williams' teammate at Arkansas and at the all-star game, swears Williams tossed the seat squatter at least 5 feet.

"After that he was pretty much a good friend," Williams said, but refused to identify the player. "Can't say no names."

Williams will admit to a temper from time to time and his feats, when riled up, are related with awe.

Cooper says former offensive line coach Mike Bender once started yelling at Willliams about getting low when hitting a large blocking sled. "That thing weighs about 2,000 pounds," Cooper said. "But Bobby picks it up and pushes it about 10 yards downfield and drops it."

"Sometimes, you've almost got to step on his toes to get him going," said Arkansas offensive line coach Mike Markuson.

"You know what it is? Off the field, he's just a good old guy," Markuson said. "He's tender hearted. He's not a rah-rah. He's not a guy who's going to brawl you on the street. He's just a big old teddy bear who likes to play football."

Williams says his approach is one of "controlled aggression. I had to work with it a little bit, but I think I've got the hang of it now," he said with a big smile.

Last year, Williams was overshadowed by four seniors.

"Bobby was that one lone guy who was coming back and I needed him, especially with the young group that I had to play with this year," Markuson said. "He's not a real vocal guy, but he's a practice guy, a do-hard guy. He's a yes-sir, no-sir."

This year, Williams was a second team All-Southeastern Conference selection and anchored a line that only allowed 14 sacks.

Saturday, he'll start his 35th straight game when the Razorbacks play Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Early this week, he paid more attention to the menu than the opponents when the two teams got together for a barbecue.

"No size, no nothing puts fear in my heart," he said. "that's not the type of person I am."

He loved basketball in high school at Jefferson -- about 140 miles east of Dallas -- and picked up the nickname "Baby Shaq." He was 6-2½, "a slim 305," and broke a rim with a dunk in the ninth grade.

A man he trusted told him he could make a lot of money playing football. "I thought, 'I don't think I'm going to get too much taller for basketball, but I think I'm going to get a little bit bigger so I think I'm going to stick with this football," he said.

Now, he's 6-4½ and 330.

Williams said many Texas schools were very interested in him until they found out he had postponed taking the ACT. The Longhorns were among those who backed off.

"You forgive and you forget, but this right here is a whole nother form of payback," he said. "I'm taking this as a personal issue, going out with a bang, have fun and the only way to have fun is to win."

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