Ryan Williams shook off criticism to deliver for Alabama against Tennessee

Part of being a star player is having to play under a microscope. That's certainly true of Alabama sophomore WR Ryan Williams. Williams has endured a lot of criticism this year for an up-and-down second season in Tuscaloosa. The highs have been spectacular, like his two touchdowns against Wisconsin in Week 3, but he's also among the nation's leaders in dropped passes, something that has been a major problem for him in both seasons in Tuscaloosa.

It's certainly not for a lack of effort. Williams recently called the issues with drops '1000% mental.' He's putting the work in, and that work shined in Alabama's 37-20 win over Tennessee on Saturday night.

Williams caught five passes for 87 yards in the Tide's victory. He made several difficult catches that were critical in Alabama's ability to sustain drives and put points on the board. He also added 16 yards on the ground with a nicely designed end-around called by Ryan Grubb, giving him over 100 yards from scrimmage.

That's the superstar version of Ryan Williams that Alabama needs. And that's the version that opposing fans should be most afraid of. Because Williams still isn't 100% there physically, and yet he's still finding ways to make big plays for the Crimson Tide.

The talent is undeniable, something that Ty Simpson spoke to after the game.

"Ryan's like the top player in the nation," Simpson said. "He gets in his own head sometimes because he has so much expectations for himself on who he thinks he needs to be... He has so much pressure on himself from everybody from the media to himself. He's a big-time player."

"It was really just trying to be the best for my team," Williams said of his performance after the game.

That's the key for Williams - playing for his teammates and himself, shutting out the outside noise and ignoring the criticism.

This version of Ryan Williams can take the Alabama offense to another level

Alabama's offense continues to be pretty good, but I'll maintain that they've not yet come anywhere close to what their ceiling can be. That kind of performance from Williams gets them much closer to that ceiling, though.

Simpson has an embarrassment of riches at WR, and when the offensive line can give him time to work like they did against Tennessee, he's going to carve up most defenses.

Williams and Germie Bernard are one of the best 1-2 punches in college football. Bernard also went over 100 yards from scrimmage against Tennessee. He caught five passes for 60 yards, while adding 49 yards on four attempts on the ground. 212 of Alabama's 373 total years against Tennessee were produced by Williams and Bernard.

The strength of the room isn't just in that 1-2 punch, but with the players after them. Miami (FL) transfer Isaiah Horton has been outstanding. So has freshman Lotzeir Brooks. And redshirt freshman Rico Scott got an opportunity and forced his way into the endzone on Saturday night.

It's a deep, talented group of receivers, well beyond what Alabama had last season. But Williams is still the most talented of the bunch, and the kind of performance he gave last night can make the Crimson Tide's passing offense truly unstoppable.