CARDELL WILLIAMS NEWS

Pinnick, Fisher carry UC Davis to 31-27 win over Sacramento State, possible FCS playoff spot

Caden Pinnick threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns and UC Davis held on downs at its 27 in the closing seconds to win the 71st Causeway Classic 31-27 over Sacramento State

NOVEMBER 23 • Associated Press

Big Sky acknowledges officiating error in final seconds of Idaho-Sacramento State game

The Big Sky Conference says an officiating error was made in the final seconds of Sacramento State's victory over Idaho

NOVEMBER 17 • Associated Press

Williams' TD run with 9 seconds left pushes Sacramento State over Idaho 23-20

Rodney Hammond Jr. and Jaquail Smith each run for over 100 yards, leading Sacramento State to a thrilling 23-20 victory over Idaho

NOVEMBER 16 • Associated Press

Rodney Hammond Jr. runs for 191 yards and 2 TDs, Sacramento St. beats Portland St. 52-24

Cardell Williams threw two first-half touchdown passes to Ernest Campbell, Rodney Hammond Jr. had 191 yards rushing and two TDs on 17 carries and Sacramento State beat Portland Sta...

NOVEMBER 9 • Associated Press

Hammond Jr., Smith run for 2 TDs each, Sacramento State beats Eastern Washington 35-13

Rodney Hammond Jr. had 208 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 22 carries, Jaquail Smith ran for TDs of 45 and 29 yards and Sacramento State beat Eastern Washington 35-13

NOVEMBER 1 • Associated Press

Keali'i Ah Yat, Michael Wortham propel Montana to 49-35 victory over Sacramento State

Keali’i Ah Yat threw three touchdown passes, Michael Wortham caught a touchdown pass and ran for two scores and Montana remained unbeaten with a 49-35 victory over Sacramento State

OCTOBER 25 • Associated Press

Cardell Williams, Rodney Hammond Jr. power Sacramento State to 55-27 victory over Weber State

Cardell Williams rushed for three touchdowns, Rodney Hammond Jr. had two touchdown runs before returning a kickoff for a score and Sacramento State steamrolled Weber State 55-27

OCTOBER 12 • Associated Press

Kelly throws 2 TD passes, Washington runs for 113 yards to help Cal Poly beat Sacramento State 32-24

Cal Poly has defeated Sacramento State 32-24 in the Big Sky Conference opener

SEPTEMBER 28 • Associated Press

Williams accounts for 3 TDs, Sacramento State uses big plays to beat Central Arkansas 45-16

Cardell Williams passed for 252 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, Damian Henderson II ran for an 85-yard touchdown, and Sacramento State beat Central Arkansas 45-16

SEPTEMBER 21 • Associated Press

Henderson, Williams lead Sacramento State to 49-28 win over Mercyhurst

Damian Henderson II runs for 98 yards and three touchdowns as Sacramento State defeats Mercyhurst 49-28

SEPTEMBER 14 • Associated Press

Maldonado interception return helps Nevada edge Sacramento State 20-17

Jonathan Maldonado returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown with 2:17 to play and Nevada defeated Sacramento State 20-17 after the Hornets had touchdowns on consecutive pl...

SEPTEMBER 7 • Associated Press

Commits to Sacramento State Williams has announced his commitment to Sacramento State.

Impact Perhaps transferring to an FCS university will help Williams become a QB1, which he showed promise of being during his 2023 season. The quarterback logged 79 completions for 1,149 yards and 10 touchdowns then. Williams also recorded five rushing TDs.

JANUARY 9 • ROTOWIRE

Leaving Tulsa Williams will enter the transfer portal, he announced via his personal X account.

Impact Williams will seek greener pastures after three years with Tulsa. The gunslinger tossed for 1,149 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2023, but hardly saw the field this fall. He should have two years of eligibility remaining.

DECEMBER 13, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Leads two drives Saturday Williams was 3-for-8 passing for 32 yards during Saturday's 52-20 defeat against North Texas. He also had three rushes for 21 yards.

Impact Williams replaced Kirk Francis in the third quarter Saturday after Francis was benched following a very poor performance. Williams led to drives which led to a punt and a field goal. He did not throw the ball particularly well, but he showed off his rushing ability with a 28-yard scamper. Cooper Legas and Tim Carpenter also led a drive Saturday so it's clear that head coach Kevin Wilson is seeing what he has in the quarterback room. If Francis is benched before or after Saturday's game versus Army Williams would be the favorite to start, however Legas should not be ruled out of contention.

OCTOBER 2, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Scores rushing TD in loss Williams was 0-for-1 passing for zero yards during Saturday's 28-24 loss versus Arkansas State. He also had one rush for five yards with one touchdown.

Impact Late in the second quarter, Williams took over the offense in the redzone and scored a five-yard touchdown to make the lead 17-7. While he was only in for a couple of plays, he made the most of his opportunity. While it was nice to see him find the endzone in his second straight game, he still doesn't have enough volume to be a viable fantasy option, barring a Francis injury.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Scores rushing TD in loss Williams was 0-for-1 passing for zero yards during Saturday's 28-24 loss versus Arkansas State. He also had one rush for five yards with one touchdown.

Impact Late in the second quarter, Williams took over the offense in the redzone and scored a five-yard touchdown to make the lead 17-7. While he was only in for a couple of plays, he made the most of his opportunity. While it was nice to see him find the endzone in his second straight game, he still doesn't have enough volume to be a viable fantasy option, barring a Francis injury.

SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Scores in opener Williams had four rushes for 35 yards with one touchdown during Thursday's 62-28 win against Northwestern State.

Impact Williams lost out the starting job to Kirk Francis but with the game essentially over, got his chance to see the field and scored a 22-yard rushing touchdown. It's currently unclear if Williams or Cooper Legas is the preferred option as backup quarterback, but Williams could still see some action as a change-of-pace, rushing threat.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Slated to receive Week 1 reps Williams will see the field in some capacity in Week 1, Cayden McFarland of KJRH TV reports.

Impact Tulsa head coach Kevin Wilson announced that Kirk Francis would trot out onto the field first in Week 1, but maintained that he's not yet the starter and that Williams and Cooper Legas will also receive reps. "The other two guys are playing pretty damn good, so I think I'm gonna play 'em," Wilson said. Last season with the Golden Hurricanes, Williams tossed for 1,149 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 59.8 percent of his passes.

AUGUST 23, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Healthy and in QB competition Williams (shoulder) is healthy and battling to be Tulsa's primary quarterback, Cayden McFarland of KJRH TV reports.

Impact Williams sat out Tulsa's spring practice to recover from shoulder surgery. Fast-forward more than three months later, and Williams will look to regain the QB1 position he held across 2023 before his injury. But after Cooper Legas' commitment to Tulsa and an impressive November 2023 from Kirk Francis, both quarterbacks could replace Williams as Tulsa's primary QB. Perhaps showing more promise and consistency in the passing game during preseason will reward Williams.

JULY 29, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Absent against Tulane Williams (shoulder) didn't play Saturday against North Texas.

Impact Williams missed a second straight game Saturday, but his absence wasn't surprising since he wasn't participating in warm-ups with the first- or second-team offenses. His next chance to play will come in the regular-season finale against East Carolina, but even that seems like a long shot with the game less than a week away.

NOVEMBER 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Not among top two QBs Williams (shoulder) is not participating in pre-game warmups with the first or second team offenses Saturday, Brent Briggeman of The Colorado Springs Gazette reports.

Impact Williams may be on his way to sitting out again Saturday as he is not warming up with the first or second team offenses. He sat out last week with a shoulder injury which may still be bothering him. Based on warmups, it looks as if Kirk Francis will draw the start for the Golden Hurricane.

NOVEMBER 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Excellent before injury Williams (shoulder) was 6-for-11 passing for 61 yards during Saturday's 33-26 overtime loss versus Charlotte. He also had seven rushes for 51 yards with two touchdowns.

Impact Williams left the game late in the first half with a shoulder injury, the extent of which is currently unknown. Before his injury he was excellent. He started the game on the bench but was thrown into the starting job after one drive due to Braylon Braxton's struggles. He rushed for two touchdowns in the first quarter and helped his team jump out to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter, a lead that was eventually squandered without him. His status for Saturday's game at Tulane, due to both his injury and his place on the depth chart, is unknown.

NOVEMBER 6, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Tosses touchdown Thursday Williams completed 7 of 14 passes for 101 yards and one touchdown during Thursday's 42-10 defeat against Rice. He also had nine rushes for 13 yards.

Impact Williams did not start Thursday but once again played a fair amount with Braylon Braxton seemingly limited. Williams played 28 snaps compared to Braxton's 41, but Williams attempted more passes. He also threw the only Golden Hurricane touchdown, a 30-yard completion to Kamdyn Benjamin late in the second quarter. It is currently unclear if Williams will continue splitting snaps with Braxton, but next Saturday's game at SMU should shed some more light on the situation.

OCTOBER 20, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Cardell Williams throws for 3 TDs, runs for a fourth, to lead Tulsa past Temple 48-26

Cardell Williams threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead Tulsa to a 48-26 win over Temple to open America Athletic Conference play

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 • Associated Press

Freshman quarterback Cardell Williams comes off bench to lead Tulsa to 42-7 win Freshman Cardell Williams came off the bench to throw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead Tulsa to a 42-7 win over Arkansas-Pin...

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023 • SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.COM