Brian Kelly is discussing all things Irish and Sun Bowl this morning, but the biggest news (other than the Irish going to El Paso) to break this weekend is that Ian Williams has pronounced himself 100 percent healthy and will be fully available for the bowl game.
“I think I’m 100 percent right now,” Williams said. “I felt great in practice the other day and look forward to getting back.”
Williams’ return to the defensive front comes when the unit is playing its best football of the year, and doing so in multiple fronts far more often than they did when Williams anchored the interior of the defensive line.
One of the interesting aspects of the Irish prep for the Hurricanes will be what kind of fronts the Irish decide to line up in, especially having such success with four down linemen against teams like Utah, Army, and USC. Giving Bob Diaco and Mike Elston the ability to play Williams next to fellow defensive tackle Sean Cwynar is intriguing. You would’ve never thought it possible earlier this year, but the Irish will actually have to find creative ways to get guys like Williams, Cwynar, Prince Shembo and Darius Fleming all engaged on the field, mixing and matching them with guys like Brian Smith, Carlo Calabrese, and Kerry Neal, all important defenders that have played good football down the stretch.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the one noteworthy sound bite Williams gave the assembled media when he talked about the Hurricanes, a football program that didn’t think he was worth a scholarship offer.
“They actually called me to come down for a junior day, but they said I was too small,” Williams said before letting people know how that made him feel. “On the 31st they’ll find out.”
