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con6dence and short on memory. My con- 6dence is very high. I've been working hard all o8-season, watching 6lm with my teammates and just taking coaching, trying to get as much help as I can, and I think that's paid o8 for me." Taking his cues from the likes of Lucas and Amos, both of whom shared tech- niques that could help him further adjust to the position and cement his importance to the team, Williams made physical strides. Taking on Da'Quan Davis in a preseason battle for the position, a battle in which Davis reportedly made a serious bid to start, Williams was able to put his work in the 6lm room into practice. The key? "Understanding the coaching schemes and what the coaches want," he said. "I think I'm just learning more of the schemes better, and my reads are di8erent." The improvements are paying o8. Though Williams split time with Davis in the season opener in Dublin against UCF, allowing a fourth-and-10 com- pletion to a falling Knights receiver late in the game, he responded by playing the best game of his career just two weeks later at Rutgers. A9er two games in which the Nittany Lions failed to pick o8 a pass, Williams helped unleash a turnover bonanza, grab- bing two interceptions against the Scarlet Knights. They weren't insigni6cant, either. The 6rst one halted a Rutgers drive at Penn State's 34-yard line in the 6rst quar- ter, while the second occurred on a deep pass early in the third quarter. The latter interception – one of 6ve that they amassed in their Big Ten opener – gave the Nittany Lions possession at their own 13-yard line and triggered their 6rst scoring drive of the game, helping set the stage for a 13-10 comeback victory. For his e8orts, Williams was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week – an honor that provided an immediate shot of self-assurance. "It's a tremendous con- 6dence boost for him," cornerbacks coach Terry Smith said. "He had a tremendous night. … I'd say this could take Trevor to another level. He's been practicing really well for the last few weeks. It wasn't any surprise that he played well, because he's been practicing well. "I think Trevor could be, potentially, one of the top corners in the league. Ob- viously, he has to continue to get better and provide consistency at the corner, but we're very happy with his approach to practice and to games each day." James Franklin seems to agree. The Nit- tany Lions' head coach said Williams "has all the tools that you're looking for in terms of the height and in terms of the speed and in terms of the athleticism and the strength, the intelligence. "You would recruit him every single year," he added. "The fact that he's now been able to make some plays and his con6dence is soaring, that was the one thing that was missing – just having the experience of going out and playing and playing well. Guys skyrocket with that. "That's kind of what's happened with him right now. … I've been real pleased with him." De7ecting praise at every opportunity, Williams would prefer to bring the con- versation back to the one thing he's gained that had been absent until now. "I just think experience wasn't on my side," he said. "That's the di8erence be- tween last year and this year, and that's all I'm really thinking about – just moving forward." ■ KNIGHT MOVES Williams came up big in PSU's conference opener at Rutgers. He finished the game with two interceptions to help lift the Lions to a 13-10 victory. Photo by Steve Manuel

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