FAYETTEVILLE - One of the side issues of Arkansas' season opener Saturday was whether tight end D.J. Williams would exceed his 2007 receptions total against Western Illinois.

It turned out to be a push. Williams caught five passes for 45 yards, tying his five catches from all of last season.

It is clearly a new day for the Arkansas offense.

"Five catches were great," Williams said Monday. "It was exciting, and it just shows the new offense we're trying out this year is doing a great job."

Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino needed only a few weeks of spring drills to make this assessment of Williams : "I think D.J. can be as good a tight end as there is in the country."

To measure Williams' full impact on the Razorbacks, however, it's necessary to go beyond the numbers.

For instance, the first play of the Bobby Petrino era was wholly indicative of the offensive scheme. Quarterback Casey Dick ran a play-action fake and hit Williams for 13 yards to get the Razorbacks out of the shadow of their own goal post.

"[Williams] is a guy that is able to get open," Dick said. "That's just something we have to rely on."

Williams also played a role on other key downs when he wasn't the receiving target. For instance, Williams helped open up the middle of the field on the fourth-and-10 play on Arkansas' game-winning drive when Dick completed a pass to Carlton Salters for 11 yards.

"On the fourth-down play we had him running across the field and the mike [middle] linebacker jumped on him, and that opened up the 'in' cut behind it to Salters," Bobby Petrino said.

Western Illinois' scouting report obviously accounted for Williams, and after the Hogs' first offensive play, he was somewhat of a marked man.

"There were a number of times we called his number and two guys clamped him and doubled him, and that opened up other guys," Bobby Petrino said.

Another facet of Williams' play is the duality of his role, because he's also a quality blocker in the run game.

"He can be a great force for us and... he does the things you need to do from that position not only in the passing game, but in the running game," Bobby Petrino said earlier in camp. "That's what impresses me the most, his ability to block as well as catch the ball."

Williams talked this spring about the dilemma he faced over whether to stay put with the Razorbacks or follow Houston Nutt's coaching staff, to which he had become attached, to Ole Miss. After meeting with Petrino, Williams elected to remain on board, where he's expected to become a playmaker for the new Razorbacks staff as a sophomore.

"He needs to be a go-to guy," Petrino said. "He needs to be a guy that we write down plays, how to get the ball to him."

Williams will be heading home to Little Rock this weekend to play in front of a small party of family members, including his mother, Vicky, and his brother and sister.

"I love it down in Little Rock," Williams said. "My home is about five minutes away from the stadium. It's a different atmosphere, and I can't hardly wait to play down there."

Williams can't hardly wait for the Petrino offense to be fully unleashed, either.

"I hate to say I'm more pleased with the way things are going just because I am getting [passes], but I do really like the way the offense is working out," Williams said. D.J. Williams glance POSITION Tight end HEIGHT 6-2 WEIGHT 250 CLASS Sophomore HIGH SCHOOL Central Arkansas Christian THE SKINNY Immediately turned into a goto target for Casey Dick in the spring, grabbing 21 passes for 278 yards and 2 TDs in scrimmages. Williams' five receptions against Western Illinois on Saturday tied for fifth among SEC receivers and equaled his receptions total from all of 2007.