STARKVILLE — Aeris Williams worked his way up Mississippi State’s depth chart wearing No. 27 and became a 1,000-yard rusher in his one season wearing No. 22.
For his final act, his senior season, the West Point native is finally wearing his most meaningful number.
With former running back Alec Murphy now a full-time linebacker, the No. 26 became available on No. 19 MSU’s offense and Williams took it as an homage to his favorite Bible verse: Genesis 1:26. He will wear it 5 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) against Florida (3-1).
The part of Genesis 1:26 that Williams is inspired by reads, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”
“It’s my favorite verse,” Williams said. “I’ve been loving that verse, I just did it my senior year.”
The importance of Williams’ faith was not lost on running backs coach/run game coordinator Charles Huff, who has his own experience in combining religion with college football. In his playing days at Hampton University, Huff was a fixture at Fellowship of Christian Athletes events and a part of the team’s choir.
Huff said he never had a lengthy chat with Williams about religion when he came to MSU, but he could tell by how passionately he talked about it that it was important to him. It was also easy to assume as much when he saw Williams carrying the Bible through the football complex on occasion and quoting the Bible when coaches ask for players to recite a quote that’s important to them.
“It’s a constant reminder to him that it’s not just about him, it’s not just about what he does, it’s a blessing that he has, a gift that he’s been given that he’s able to maximize every day,” Huff said.
The number has that meaning for Williams, but for Huff and head coach Joe Moorhead, seeing it on a running back was quite the deja vu trip.
Their Penn State feature back, Saquon Barkley, wore the number for their two seasons together at Happy Valley, running for a total of 2,767 yards and 36 touchdowns. Moorhead warned Huff about Williams’ number change, but Huff must not have registered it: it was a little jarring for him to see another back wearing 26.
“Saquon’s a good player, but you’re going to need more than his number to make some things like him happen,” Huff joked.
Even if not doing so in the way Barkley did, Williams is making his impact wearing No. 26, having now clearly made himself one of the top two running backs alongside Kylin Hill.
“He’s as physical a football player as I’ve ever been around,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. “He’s an attacking young man and when he touches that turf, he can turn on it. He practices hard, he practices the right way, he has a high football IQ. I’m looking forward to seeing him, I really am. He’s a violent guy and he plays that way.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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