UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; September 13, 2007 –- For the second time in his
career, a huge play by Penn
State's Derrick Williams
has been selected the Pontiac Game Changing Performance, doing so in a
landslide.
A
junior wide receiver from Greenbelt,
Md., Williams swung the momentum
in Saturday night's 31-10 thumping of Notre Dame with his zig-zagging 78-yard
touchdown return late in the first quarter, sending the white-clad crowd of
110,078 into a frenzy. The score tied the game at 7-7 and began a run of 17
consecutive points for the Nittany Lions, who improved to 2-0. The punt return
touchdown was the second of his career, as he had a 75-yard return against Temple last season.
Williams'
return was one of four plays nominated for the Pontiac Game Changing
Performance and Nittany Nation and college football fans responded by giving
the play 52 percent of all the votes. A touchdown run by an LSU player was a
distant second with 25 percent of the votes.
With
Williams’ selection as the recipient of the Pontiac Game Changing Performance, Penn State
will receive $5,000 for its general scholarship fund.
A
new feature this year with the program is that all fans who vote for the
Pontiac Game Changing Performance also are eligible to receive a $5,000
scholarship.
As
a freshman in 2005, Williams' game-winning touchdown catch in the final minute
at Northwestern was one of five finalists for the Pontiac Game Changing
Performance of the Year. The victory in Penn
State's Big Ten opener helped propel
the Lions to a share of the Big Ten Championship and the conference's automatic
berth in the Bowl Championship Series, where they defeated Florida State
in the FedEx Orange Bowl.
