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Dan Williams knows the Vols can’t take Memphis lightly in Saturday’s game.
(Dave Boyd)

Williams recalls seeing Memphis surprise Vols

By Trey Williams
Press Sports Writer
twilliams@johnsoncitypress.com

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Dan Williams, Tennessee’s 320-pound defensive tackle, knows better than to take Memphis lightly.

The senior from Memphis was at the Liberty Bowl the day the Tigers upset Peyton Manning and the sixth-ranked Volunteers, 21-17, in 1996. It’s the Vols’ lone loss in 21 meetings in the series.

“I remember that,” Williams said during a teleconference Tuesday, “My dad, he graduated from the University of Memphis, and he was like ‘We beat Peyton Manning!’”

Williams will feel like he’s going against family when UT (4-4) hosts the Tigers (2-6) Saturday at 7 p.m. (ESPNU). He’ll be popping pads with former Memphis East teammate Malcolm Rawls, a right guard who spent his redshirt freshman season at Tennessee in 2005 before transferring.

“It was like a family member leaving,” Williams said. “We have a special bond. When someone like that leaves it’s like ‘Man, what do I do next?’ Thoughts went through my mind about leaving.”

Williams had bigger problems than being homesick or losing his best friend in those days. He weighed 357 pounds as a freshman.

“When I think about it I’m like ‘Man, I was that big,’ ” he said.

Williams began this season at 313, and is anywhere from 316 to 320 now, which is 10-15 pounds lighter than Rawls. The player that loses Saturday — or gets driven into the backfield or pancaked — is going to get a steady diet of crow.

“We kind of joke about it, being able to tell our kids who won this game,” Williams said. “A lot’s riding on this game. Whoever (loses) this game will have to hear it for the rest of their life.”

There were times Williams felt like he’d have to hear about signing with UT for the rest of his life.

Not long after signing, he says, it caused a traffic incident in Memphis. A woman in the car in front of him waited until a green light turned yellow before advancing through the intersection so Williams couldn’t get through, and Williams, who had a Vols license plate on the front of his truck, learned her motive when he caught her at the next light.

“I pulled up beside her and she was like ‘You made the dumbest decision of your life. Duh, duh, duh,’” Williams said. “I just thought that was funny. Sometimes it can be a little adventurous going home with Tennessee stuff on. ...

“If I go back home and I have a UT outfit on and I go into, like, the mall or Wal-Mart, they’re like ‘What are you doing with that on? Can’t you take that off when you come home? You leave that in Knoxville.’”

Williams liked Tennessee while growing up. His grandparents lived in Jackson, where Al Wilson was a legend.

“I always heard about Al when he was in high school and the things he did,” Williams said. “I always admired them (the Vols). The Peyton Manning days. Watching Leonard Little.”

But Florida State was his favorite, at least until the Seminoles were beaten by the Vols for the 1998 national championship.

“I hopped on the bandwagon ever since then,” Williams said.

A large part of Tennessee’s appeal to Williams was the number of successful defensive tackles its produced, NFL players like Darwin Walker, John Henderson, Albert Haynesworth and Aubrayo Franklin.

“Coming out of high school (the NFL) was part of the reason why I chose Tennessee,” Williams said, “especially with the history that they have of getting defensive tackles to the next level.”

Williams should add to that history. Despite being a large man on the interior, his team-high nine quarterback hurries are more than any two teammates combined. His crushing blow on Georgia’s Joe Cox made Cox wish he’d hurried a little more quickly.

“He is playing unbelievable up front,” Memphis coach Tommy West said Monday. “Nobody in that league is really blocking him. He was in the backfield all night against South Carolina.”

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin said Williams has been a catalyst for the defense’s recent surge. The Vols unit has allowed one touchdown in three games.

“And it all starts with Dan,” Kiffin said. “He’s a dominant force right now. He’s making himself a lot of money.”

Williams is quick to credit Kiffin, defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and defensive line coach Ed Orgeron.

“I’m just happy I had the opportunity to learn from these guys,” Williams said. “When I first heard (Monte) was going to be defensive coordinator ... I was like a little kid in a candy store.”

UT has picked up the pace with the “speed and intensity” in practice compared to previous seasons.

“The best O-Line I’ve seen all year is the guy’s I practice against: Cody (Sullins), Cory (Sullins), Vlad (Richard), Chris Scott,” Williams said. “I mean those guys -- you have to bring it every day in practice. Tuesdays and Wednesdays especially, when we have those full pads on. You better keep your pad level low ... because those guys will get you.

“I mean one time I got high and Jacques (McClendon) caught me and it was over. He slammed me down.”

Better McClendon than Rawls. Williams is looking forward to seeing his old friend Saturday, but not while looking up.

“Things have worked out,” Williams said. “He had to go his own way. It kind of made both of us a little stronger -- our bond. But I mean it’s going to be exciting just seeing him on Saturday.”

Notes: Middle linebacker Savion Frazier tore an ACL in his right knee against South Carolina. He’s the second middle linebacker to suffer the season-ending injury. Nick Reveiz went down against Ohio on Sept. 26. “It’s a huge loss for us. ... He’s been a big reason why we’ve been playing so well lately,” Kiffin said. Redshirt freshman Herman Lathers and true freshman Nigel Mitchell-Thornton are next up in the middle. ... Nickel back Marsalous Johnson, who played well against South Carolina, suffered a thumb injury against the Gamecocks that required surgery Monday. He’s in a cast and not expected back soon. Kiffin said Brent Vinson, who hasn’t played much defensive back since the Ohio game, would be the nickel back against Memphis. ... “It’s time to give him a shot again,” Kiffin said. “He played well on special teams this week.” ... If Kiffin was excited about beating South Carolina by 18 points, he forgot to reveal it. “I had to keep reminding myself that that was a big win -- the largest win over Spurrier by a Tennessee team in 19 years,” he said. “Those things I have to keep reminding myself of, because I didn’t think we played very well. ... I didn’t think I called a very good game.”