Hannibal’s Williams waits through rain delay to score first collegiate touchdown for Notre Dame

YouTube highlights of Notre Dame’s win over Stanford, including the first collegiate touchdown for Hannibal’s Aneyas Williams. (NBC/University of Notre Dame)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Aneyas Williams had to wait until the sixth game of the season — and an hour-long weather delay on Saturday afternoon — to score his first collegiate touchdown.

The Hannibal (Mo.) High School graduate, now a freshman running back at the University of Notre Dame, scored from 19 yards to finish off an 11-play, 60-yard drive with 9:17 remaining in the fourth quarter of a 49-7 victory over Stanford.

The victory improved Notre Dame’s record to 5-1 as it finished the unofficial mid-way point of the season.

Riley Leonard threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead No. 11-ranked Notre Dame. Leonard was 16 of 22 passing for 229 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed six times for 31 yards and a TD.

The game was stopped at the end of the third quarter due to lighting in the area, with Notre Dame ahead 42-7. 

Williams had three carries for 28 yards against the Cardinal as Notre Dame racked up 238 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

Williams is tied for fourth place in rushing yards for the Fighting Irish. He has 64 yards on nine carries, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. He has played in five of the team’s six games.

Williams was a four-time Class 4 all-state selection and named the Class 4 Offensive Player of the Year by the Missouri Football Coaches Association after a record-breaking senior season at Hannibal. He rushed for 1,415 yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards per carry. He also caught 44 passes for 815 yards and 17 touchdowns. He returned one interception and two punts for touchdowns, and he converted five two-point conversions.

In his career, Williams rushed for 4,255 yards and caught 177 passes for 3,249 yards. His 152 career touchdowns ranks second in Missouri State High School Activities Association history.