BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Nearly three years after one of the worst days of his life, Dexter Williams II vividly remembers the feeling.
With Indiana leading Purdue 7-3 and marching deep into Boilermaker territory late in the first quarter, Williams fell to the turf inside Memorial Stadium. The box score showed a six-yard sack. The broadcast showed Williams clutching his right knee.
None of it showed Williams’ heart, which broke into a thousand pieces.
“I had just finally gotten to where I felt like I was in a spot to keep the job and move into the next year with the job,” Williams said Sunday on The Rock Report podcast. “And it all came crashing down.”
Williams, who started and helped Indiana reclaim the Old Brass Spittoon against Michigan State the week prior, made his second career start that Saturday against Purdue. Instead of ending the season with a win and carrying momentum into the offseason, he was forced to rehab his second ACL injury in less than two years.
He never played another snap in Bloomington.
The Macon, Ga., native spent 2023 getting back to full health. He entered the transfer portal Nov. 27, one day after Indiana fired coach Tom Allen, and he committed to Georgia Southern less than a month later.
Williams played in five games with Georgia Southern before hitting the portal once more in November 2024, ultimately landing on Kennesaw State.
Now, Williams, who's the Olws' starting quarterback, has a second chance to seize the moment at Indiana.
Kennesaw State travels to Bloomington to face No. 23 Indiana at noon Saturday on Merchants Bank Field inside Memorial Stadium. The Owls are 36.5-point underdogs and have just a 5.4% chance of victory, according to ESPN.
Williams, however, is excited to “put up a battle” and make Indiana play all 60 minutes. The Hoosiers look much different than during Williams’ last season in Bloomington. He noted few coaches remain on staff, and only 27 players — including 11 walk-ons — were on the team in 2023.
And while the 23-year-old Williams doesn’t want Saturday’s game to be too big of a homecoming, he expects to have several pre- and post-game conversations.
“I’m definitely excited to see a whole bunch of people,” Williams said. “Got a ton of friends that are still in Bloomington, still some of the training staff. So, (it will) be good to go see those people. And the friends that’ll just be at the game that I’ll see from time to time.”
Despite a cruel end to his time at Indiana, Williams still holds fond memories.
He arrived on campus as a 17-year-old early enrollee two months before the COVID-19 pandemic, and he watched as Michael Penix Jr. led Indiana to as high as No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. But just as it appeared his playing opportunities were plentiful, he lost three seasons due to separate knee injuries.
Williams admitted his injury in 2022 took a toll on him, especially the first few months after he was hurt. But it ultimately provided valuable life lessons he’ll carry with him back to Bloomington on Saturday.
“It taught me how to maneuver when things aren’t going your way,” Williams said. “Like, how to still be a person of faith and a person that is there for others, that’s not just there for themself. It also taught me to appreciate the people around. Not just what they can do for me, but what I can do for them, because that’s what it’s all about.
“We sometimes get caught up in football about ‘What does it give to us?’ And not much of, ‘What can we give to the game?’ And that’s really where I think the injury made me grow the most. It made me more selfless as a person, because I had to put my focus on other areas of my life.”
Williams said Indiana’s coaching staff treated him like a graduate assistant in 2023, giving him the chance to be around players and coaches. It helped his perspective and gave him an understanding of game-planning and what coaches experience week-to-week.
“That was really good for me,” Williams said. “It taught me a lot about football. It taught me not to take advantage of the time I do have when I’m on the field and when I’m in the film room.”
The 6-foot-1, 218–pound Williams now has the chance to put those lessons to use against his former team.
Williams is hoping to build on a rocky Kennesaw State debut. In his first start since Indiana’s loss to Purdue in 2022, he went only 12-for-33 passing for 149 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 14 rushes for 44 yards in a 10-9 road loss to Wake Forest.
Kennesaw State coach Jerry Mack said the Owls’ aerial struggles against Wake Forest weren’t entirely Williams’ fault. The team’s receivers need to hit their marks better and more consistently. Mack also expected Kennesaw State’s offensive line to give Williams more time — he was pressured on 18 of 38 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
But ultimately, Mack said, the onus falls on Williams. After all, the play starts and ends with him.
“He’s got to do a better job of putting us in better situations,” Mack said. “Not everything is a throwaway. Sometimes, he can do a better job of finding those completions on the field. And eye progression, starting in the right place at the right time. So, it’s a combination of so many different things.
“But I think really the biggest thing is, all those guys understand what the issues are and they’re willing to make that commitment trying to get that fixed over the next few days.”
For Williams, Kennesaw State’s theme is legacy. The Owls are in their second season as an FBS program. They have many “firsts” to check off the list. Williams carries the pressure — and privilege — of helping them do it.
But Williams, mature and battle-tested, embraces it, in part because he’s spent so much time wondering if he’d ever get the chance to feel it again.