ORONO – On the surface, it would seem the University of Massachusetts would have been a perfect fit for Marcus Williams.

He was from Amherst, where the school is located; he led Amherst Regional High School to a state championship his junior year; and his mother, Dr. Pam Marsh-Williams, is a dean at the school.

But Williams preferred the sales pitch from the coaches at the University of Maine and the Black Bears staff is glad he did.

As a sophomore this season, the 5-foot-10, 216-pound tailback was a second-team All-Atlantic 10 selection after rushing for 1,136 yards and six touchdowns on 211 carries (5.4 yards per carry).

“Maine was more aggressive recruiting me,” said Williams. “They came out early and said ‘You’re our guy. We want you to come and play tailback for us.’ UMass took it for granted because I was right there. They felt didn’t have to recruit that hard to get me.’

UMass wanted Williams to play defense, but he prefers being a running back.

Maine offensive coordinator Bob Wilder said, “We were the only team in the league that looked at him [being able to play] in a dual role: a tailback and a very good ‘one’ back, meaning he could run the ball or pass protect. Other teams didn’t see that.”

Williams got his feet wet last season, carrying the ball 33 times for 176 yards. He made two starts.

“I was really nervous at first but then I was really glad that happened to me because, coming into this season, I was that much more prepared for what it was like playing on Saturdays,” said Williams.

He admitted that the transition was major.

“The biggest adjustment for me was the physical nature of college football. I had been one of the biggest kids on my high school team and I would have 160-pound defensive backs trying to tackle me. I came in to Maine and got killed. Everybody was physical, fast, strong and smart,” said Williams.

This season, after a year of weight training and experience, it has been Williams who has been punishing opposing linebackers and defensive backs.

“I’ve been able to kind of run through people. When I got hit last year, I’d go down. This year, I’m dragging people for another two or three yards.

Williams had five 100-yard games this season, including 198 on 25 carries against Rhode Island. He became the seventh UMaine running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

“Marcus has a fantastic work ethic along with being a very talented kid,” said Maine running backs, tight ends and specials teams coach Jeff Cole. “He’s very dedicated and devoted to everything he does. He is extremely well-prepared. He wants to be a great running back and the combination of attributes he possesses is a great recipe for success.”

“He has been a real consistent football player for us all year long,” said Maine head coach Jack Cosgrove. “He has done a tremendous job. If he continues to develop along these lines, he will be one of the great players in the history of our program.”

Williams said rushing for 1,000 yards was one of his goals at the outset of the season.

“The coaches told me it was possible that I’d carry the ball 200 times this season and I’d have to be prepared, mentally and physically, to be a workhorse,” said Williams, who was ready for the challenge.

“I knew we had a pretty good offense. We had the pieces around me that allowed me to succeed. The offense has a lot of talent so I knew that the goal was possible, especially in our offense because the tailback gets the ball a lot.”

Williams shares the credit for his success to his teammates, particularly the offensive line and fullback John Gelsomino. He said rushing for 135 yards on 26 carries in Maine’s win over William & Mary was one of the turning points in his season.

“That gave me confidence,” said the 19-year-old Williams who is a prototype North-South runner.

“He is extremely physical running the ball. He is our most punishing back,” said Cole. “He knows where he’s going. He wants to go hit people and gain positive yards.””My strength is my power and running downfield, using my low center of gravity,” Williams said.

“What a lot of people don’t know about him is he is also our third-down back. We have him in there for pass protection, he runs routes out of the backfield and picks up blitzing linebackers,” said Wilder.

“He knows what everybody is supposed to be doing in pass protection and it’s very rare to find a tailback who has that type of knowledge about the passing game,” Wilder added.

Williams credits his parents, Dr. David Williams, an administrator at the University of Connecticut at Hartford, and his mom, with being the biggest influences on his life.

“They are very supportive and give me confidence,” said Marcus, who hopes to add a little speed to his arsenal in the coming years to become what he termed a complete back.

The mass communications major is ready for Saturday’s playoff game at Appalachian State and said the fact the team has overcome the loss of some key players to have the kind of season they have had is a tribute to the team.

“We’ve had a lot of adversity this year but we keep battling through it. Football is a real team sport and just because Jake [Eaton] isn’t out there or Stef [Gomes] and Paris [Minor] aren’t out there hasn’t meant we can’t win. This will be another test this week,” said Williams.