The Evergreen Athlete of the Week is James Williams, who is having a breakout season. The redshirt junior running back leads the team in rushing yards, carries and touchdowns, and is second on the team in receptions. He is a true leader on the field, always finding a way to make an impact in the running and passing game.

Williams had an incredible game Saturday. In WSU’s win over then-No. 12 University of Oregon, Williams rushed nine times for 53 yards and a touchdown while catching seven passes for 42 yards. His biggest play of the night was a 24-yard rush to score the first touchdown of the game and put WSU up 7-0.

Late in the first quarter, WSU lined up in the swinging gate formation. After taking the handoff from quarterback Gardner Minshew II, Williams ran to his right, making six Ducks miss on his way to the end zone. This play set the tone for the WSU offense, who torched the Ducks for 34 points and 400 total offensive yards.

He is in the midst of a career year, already matching his career-highs in touchdown runs and touchdown receptions. He is on pace to approach his career-high in rushing yards and shatter his career-high in receiving by over 200 yards.

Williams committed to WSU in 2015 and was a three-star recruit out of Burbank, California. Williams also received offers from the University of Arizona and the University of California, Berkeley, but decided to play college ball in Pullman. He took a redshirt season his freshman year, allowing him to save a year of eligibility while learning the WSU offense at practice.

Williams is a key part of the WSU offensive machine. He leads the Cougars’ running game and is also an essential piece of the passing offense making him the Evergreen Athlete of the Week.