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Ex-Rio Rancho standout thrives with Aggies

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Reporters keep asking Rio Rancho grad-turned-Aggie Chris Williams the wrong questions.

They want to know what it felt like to be spurned by the Lobos.

They want to know if he still holds a grudge.

They want to know if a New Mexico State win in University Stadium on Saturday would be sweet revenge.

"It's not like everybody thinks," he said. "I don't feel like I missed out on something. I always knew I wanted to come to New Mexico State. This is the best school for me."

That doesn't mean he doesn't want to beat the Lobos.

Williams would like nothing more than to knock the University of New Mexico down a few pegs in front of his hometown crowd.

"They're still the school everyone looks at in New Mexico, so of course we want to beat them," he said. "I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who don't believe we can win, but we have what it takes to go out there and beat the Lobos on their home field."

The Aggies enter the game 1-0 after beating Southeastern Louisiana at home, while the Lobos are 0-1 on the heels of a loss at UTEP.

New Mexico State's first game was just as much an eye opener for Williams and the Aggies' offense as the Miner loss was to the Lobos. Junior quarterback Chase Holbrook tossed three interceptions and struggled at times to handle pressure from a lightweight team.

"We saw that we have to play smarter and better," Williams said. "It was good because we learned what we need to fix without actually losing a game."

Williams isn't accustomed to losing, a trend he had to endure his first season with the Aggies when they went 0-12.

He grew up in the shadow of University Stadium, the son of former Lobos men's basketball player Wallace Williams.

Chris and younger brother Marcus were always graced with speed and athleticism. They both developed into football and basketball stars by the time they reached Rio Rancho High.

Chris Williams is now 5-foot-8 and 157 pounds, but he was much leaner as a high school player. The Lobos did pass on recruiting him, casting him as more of a basketball player.

The Aggies saw Williams as a perfect wide receiver.

"He's proven to be a tremendous athlete with great hands," Mumme said.

Holbrook said Williams makes his job much easier.

"He'll catch anything you throw his way," he said.

Williams has thrived in Mumme's air-raid offense, earning honorable mention All-American honors from SI.com after his sophomore season. He led the nation in receiving yards per game with 117.9 and catches per game with 7.7. His 1,861 all-purpose yards ranked fourth nationally.

"You can definitely see he is perfect for that offense," Lobos coach Rocky Long said. "It's a great place for him to show off his skills."

While Williams' r‚sum‚ already glistens, he isn't resting on his laurels.

"I pushed myself really hard this summer to get stronger and faster," Williams said. "I wanted to make sure I didn't get worn down and beat up toward the end of the season. I know people are going to be gunning for me, and I don't want to let my team down."