Grading Dom Williams’ 2013 Season for the Washington State Cougars
By George Means
Oct 12, 2013; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars wide receiver Dom Williams (80) is tackled by Oregon State Beavers linebacker Rommel Mageo (46) during the first half at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
The last of the Wulff commits at WR, we can accurately surmise what Leach was thinking when he arrived in Pullman and began to evaluate his commits: He’s a legit 6’4″? 4.5 40? Can he catch? Yeah, we’ll hold onto this one. Williams, out of Pomona, CA turned down Boise and Utah to come to a Paul Wulff lead Pullman, so we have to assume he is what we want from a Coug, guts and a huge chip on his shoulder.
Williams had a terrific 2013 often getting well behind the secondary early on, burning DBs only to be missed by his QB (we’ll get back to this in a bit). He only caught 40 balls, but led WRs in yards per catch at 16.18. When he pulls the ball in, something good tends to happen. While the misses by Halliday were not Williams’ fault, the drops that occurred throughout the year gave Wazzu fans a self inflicted concussion from slapping themselves on the forehead.
While exasperating, these trends were by no stretch endemic. As Halliday develops a better rapport with Williams, those matador type first moves will pay off more frequently. With the receiving corp growing (only losing Ratliff for personal reasons), Dominique will see more balls in his direction. He is the home run threat on this team, he is needed, and we are sure he has the Randy Moss that his frame would indicate. Grade: B