Mario Cristobal explains why Auburn WR Seth Williams had 1-on-1 coverage on game-winning TD
By Andrew Olson
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In the box score, Saturday doesn’t look like a particularly memorable night for Auburn WR Seth Williams: four catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth, thanks to that last part.
It was Williams who caught the game-winning touchdown against Oregon in Dallas. Before the game-winner, Williams had a pedestrian three catches for 15 yards.
But Williams was sure to have come up a lot when Oregon scouted Auburn for game prep. As a freshman, Williams logged 26 catches for 534 yards and five touchdowns, making him the team’s No. 3 pass-catcher in receiving yards, behind Darius Slayton and Ryan Davis. With Slayton leaving early for the NFL and Davis out of eligibility, Williams was the returning leader of the Auburn receiving corps entering the 2019 campaign.
After the game, Oregon coach Mario Cristobal was asked why Williams was left in one-on-one coverage (against Ducks CB Verone McKinley III) with the game on the line.
“(McKinley) was part of the package that was in at the time. I don’t know if we were in a nickel or a dime, but he’s played really well for us, he’s done a good job. And, you know, (Williams) made a really good play on him,” Cristobal said.
SEC defenses probably won’t make the same mistake if Williams has another chance to make a game-deciding play.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
