Dickey, Williams stand tall, run full speed ahead
October 08, 2025 | Football
LUBBOCK – A call comes from Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire who is standing on stage in front of a large gathering of fans. This is back on August 21 at the Red Raider Club Kickoff Luncheon with the team in the final stages of preseason camp and the highly anticipated season opener quickly approaching. The fans are on the edge of their seats eating lunch and every word he's saying. Optimism is palpable, especially when he has all 45 players in attendance rise to rousing applause. McGuire then pauses for a moment and makes what appears to be an audible to his speech.
"We had an unfortunate injury last week and I know when I get on social media and see the passion of Red Raiders and some panic," McGuire said. "We've got our two running backs here. J'Koby Williams and Cam Dickey. Will you two stand up? I promise you, don't panic. No. 8 and No. 20, the last time those two ran in a football game they rushed for 199 yards against Arkansas in the bowl game. We're going to be ok."
After a season where Tahj Brooks set the school rushing record and a preseason injury to transfer running back Quinten Joyner, there was a moderate level of concern for the first time in an offseason full of enthusiasm. Almost everything before Joyner's injury was positive and had the fanbase fully engaged and believing. Adversity had arrived for the Tech running back group when Joyner went down with a season-ending injury in an intrasquad scrimmage but also opened more opportunity for Cameron Dickey and Williams. The two returning running backs showed flashes of their ability last season and built their coaching staff's confidence throughout the offseason that there would not be a drop off in production running the ball.
"That was a really big moment for me," Williams said. "Coach getting up there and talking about how confident he was in us felt great going into the season. We believed in ourselves and what we were going to be able to do but it meant a lot in that moment for him to say that in front of our fans."
"It was really awesome when he had J'Koby and me stand up," Dickey said. "We felt special and could tell that he had confidence in us. He had told us before how much he believed in us, but for it to come in front of everyone was a great feeling."
Through five games, No. 9 Texas Tech is one of only 15 teams in the nation currently unbeaten and has won each of its games by 20 or more points for the first time since the 1953-54 seasons. As a team, the Red Raiders have already rushed for 1,104 yards compared to 990 last season through five games. The fifth win to start this season came with a 35-11 win at Houston last Saturday in a game where Dickey and Williams each ran for their single-game highs this season and combined for 205 rushing yards on 40 carries between the two. For the season, Dickey and Williams have combined for 650 yards while Brooks had 581 through five games last season. Williams ran for his second career 100-plus game, gaining 107 yards on 19 rushes against the Cougars. Dickey went for 98 yards on 21 carries while also recording a 69-yard touchdown reception from Behren Morton to give Tech a 15-3 lead in the first quarter. A sophomore from Austin, Dickey already has 30 more carries and 105 yards rushing than he did in 12 games last season. His 21 carries, 98 yards rushing and 69 receiving yards against Houston were all career highs.
"I knew there would be more opportunities for me to run the ball this season and I worked really hard in the offseason to prepare," Dickey said. "I feel like both of us are excelling in our opportunities right now. We have an amazing offensive line. They're all great guys and are doing a great job blocking for us. They're making it a lot easier for both of us when we get the ball. It's all about getting better though. Each week, we're getting more and more reps in practice and games to get an even better feel for it."
In a 34-10 statement win at Utah, it was Williams who caught a pass from Morton for a big play that showcases the pair of running backs ability to impact the game beyond carrying the ball. On the third play of the game against the Utes, and the ball on Tech's 15-yard line, Williams caught a pass and sprinted through the Utah defense for a 73-yard gain. A sophomore from Beckville, Williams recounted childhood memories before the season. The stage was when he was playing as a kid for the Beckville Bearcats: "Front flipping into the endzone. I was probably like in third grade, scored a touchdown and did a flip into the endzone. We were having fun out there. It was my second touchdown of the game and I got excited with it. The game brought me so much joy right away." That same joy could be seen in Salt Lake City, just on a bigger stage. Four plays after Williams broke loose down the middle of the field, Dickey ran it in for a 1-yard touchdown.
"That play gave us early momentum," Williams said. "It was a big pass from Behren to me to get us going in a big game. I was just trying to get it down the field and get us going. We're both going to do everything we can to help us win."
Dickey leads the Red Raiders with 336 rushing yards and six touchdowns this season, while Williams has 314 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Out of the backfield, Williams has 15 receptions and Dickey has seven. They're both averaging 15.1 yards per catch this season.
"The running game is going really good," Williams said. "I feed off Cam. Cam feeds off me. We want the best for each other and our team all the time. The energy we give each other is great."
"I feel like we feed off each other really well," Dickey echoed. "We're really good friends and love to compete. We push each other. Seeing him do something great on the field makes me want to get out there and do the same thing to show what I can do. We love seeing each other make big plays."
Williams played in 10 games last season as a freshman and showed out with a career-high 123 yards rushing against Arkansas in the 66th AutoZone Liberty Bowl. In that game, he had 15 rushing attempts including breaking free for a 54-yard touchdown. The effort in his final game as a freshman gave him 236 total yards for the season on 41 rushing attempts and set the tone for this season. Â
"I'm feeling really good about our team chemistry," Williams said. "We talk a lot about that in the offseason but for us to be this connected at this point in the season is huge. We're a family and don't let anything bad get to us. That's a big part of why we are playing like we are right now. Everyone is about this team and not out there just for themselves."
Dickey, Williams and the Red Raiders have more than quelled any panic the fanbase may have been feeling back at the luncheon in August and have taken advantage of every opportunity on the field so far this season. Before the season started, Dickey said: "You have to write your own story in this game. Believe in yourself. My 10-year-old self would be going crazy seeing what we're doing right now." So, what's next? A matchup against Kansas at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium with Dickey and Williams ready to help carry the Red Raiders to another victory. Â
"We're ready to keep our momentum going," Dickey said. "Our team is in a really good spot right now, but we just can't get complacent. We're focused on the next game."
