Keiland Williams took a handoff in the middle of the fourth quarter last Saturday, slipped a tackle, danced for 8 yards and accomplished something he hadn’t done since September 2007 — crack the century mark in a game. The senior running back took advantage of his first start of the season and only second of his career in place of the injured Charles Scott. He rushed for 116 yards on 15 carries last Saturday against Louisiana Tech and tied a career high with two rushing touchdowns. Tiger fans and fellow Southeastern Conference opponents will likely see a heavy dose of Williams to close out the season.”He gets the first go,” LSU coach Les Miles said of Williams. “I’d like to see No. 5 get on track and going and see how well he can play the back end of his career.” Williams’ career in purple and gold is nearing a finish with only two regular season games and a bowl game left. While no player ever wishes a teammate get hurt, Scott’s season-ending collarbone fracture he suffered Nov. 7 against Alabama may be a blessing in disguise for Williams. The Lafayette native was considered one of the top prep prospects in 2006 out of Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia where he became the school’s first 1,000-yard rusher.His performance at Hargrave earned him a five-star rating and the No. 3 ranking at running back by Scout.com. But Williams has never had a real shot to showcase the talent he showed in high school.He has only recorded double-digit carries 10 times in 45 career games and has only hit the 100-yard mark three times. Some would call it underutilization, while others may blame the talent pool LSU has had in the backfield the past few years.Regardless, Williams wants to focus on ending his career with a bang. “When I look back, I definitely won’t feel like I’ve had the career I’ve wanted to,” he said. “But these [final] three games can say a lot for me.” It won’t be all smooth sailing for Williams in the backfield, as sophomore Stevan Ridley is expected to factor into the running game as well. Ridley has similarities to Scott. Both are bulldozers who have fullback experience, while Williams is known for his speed, blocking and pass catching ability out of the backfield. “It’s hard to get all the reps that he wants to get in the game,” senior offensive tackle Ciron Black said of Williams. “We have so many great athletes who are capable of running the ball.”Although Williams was coming off a disappointing performance in Alabama after failing to record a rushing attempt and losing a friend and teammate to injury, his outbreak against Louisiana Tech was nothing new to his teammates. “We definitely needed a big force in the running game, and we knew Keiland could do it,” said senior linebacker Perry Riley. “He proved to us that he could.” His 15 carries against Louisiana Tech were seven more than his eight carries he recorded in his previous five contests combined.”People say we normally don’t ride the hot hand out, but this past game, Keiland got hot,” Ridley said. “There was no question about it.”Despite picking up his highest workload last Saturday since 2008 versus South Carolina, Williams remains humble behind the permanent smile on his face. “I’m going to approach [the rest of the season] like I did last week — not knowing how many touches I’m going to get,” Williams said.Williams spent his first two seasons behind Scott and former Tiger running back Jacob Hester but figured to see an expanded role in Gary Crowton’s offense once his junior season rolled around. The 6-foot, 221-pound Williams showed a glimpse of greatness in LSU’s 48-7 annihilation of Virginia Tech in 2007, rushing for 126 yards and two scores.But his performance only teased Tiger fans as he failed to break the 50-yard rushing barrier in LSU’s remaining 12 games that season.Williams will try to improve on his less than stellar career stat line this weekend at Ole Miss, one that includes only 52 rushing yards and a touchdown in three career games.”The key is how bright you shine,” Miles said. “He has plenty of time here to distinguish himself and distinguish his career.”—-Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]