It's not the way Nate Williams wanted to get his chance, but the Northwestern University linebacker and Central Catholic graduate was ready to take advantage.

When senior Malcolm Arrington sustained a season-ending knee injury during the first quarter of a 48-26 victory Oct. 18 against Purdue, Williams filled in for him and made four tackles.

A sophomore, Williams cracked the starting lineup the next week in a 21-19 loss at Indiana and has recorded 34 tackles in the four games since, including a team-high 12 in a 45-10 loss Nov. 8 to Ohio State.

"You've got to be prepared for your opportunity," Williams said. "The opportunity came my way and I had to be ready to play."

In all, Williams has 44 tackles, one sack and 2 1/2 tackles for lost yardage in 10 games this season for Northwestern (8-3, 4-3 Big Ten Conference), which finishes the regular season Saturday against Illinois.

"I'm finding my role on the team," Williams said. "I'm getting comfortable on defense. It's been a great experience."

Williams, 6 feet 2 and 235 pounds, said he is fulfilling a dream by playing linebacker in the Big Ten.

"Being a linebacker and coming out of the WPIAL, you play with tough, hard-nose kids," he said. "The Big Ten emulates that, except you're playing at a bigger level. Guys here are working harder and they're faster.

"I've wanted to compete and get in there. To finally get that chance, it's been a great deal of fun."

But there have been some struggles along the way.

Williams, a starter on Central Catholic's 2004 WPIAL and PIAA Quad-A championship team, first had to deal with the loss of his college coach before his career even started.

Randy Walker died unexpectedly in June 2006 and was replaced by linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator Pat Fitzgerald, an All-America linebacker on Northwestern's 1995 Rose Bowl team.

"It was a weird situation," Williams said. "I was already committed and signed, and I went [to Evanston, Ill.] for the funeral. It was a hard process to go through.

"But I also knew coach Fitzgerald was getting the job. The main reason I went to Northwestern was to get coached by the best linebackers coach in the country, so I decided to stick with it. It's been great to play for him. He's helped me progress as a linebacker throughout the years."

Williams took a redshirt and sat out the 2006 season. As a freshman, he played sparingly, recording six tackles in 11 games. He had a season-high four tackles against Nevada and was named the Northwestern special teams player of the week after recording two tackles against Duke.

Williams said he remained patient while waiting for his chance.

"I just kept fighting," he said.

His sudden emergence has been noticed by his coach.

"I'm encouraged by the way he's playing and growing each week," Fitzgerald said following the Ohio State game. "The expectations for him have risen tremendously since the start of the season. His role has changed dramatically and to see his growth is nothing less than exciting.

"It's disappointing that Malcolm Arrington isn't out there. ... That adversity has meant an opportunity for Nate, and I think he's stepped up and done a nice job."

Williams has been joined on this year's team by his brother, Quentin, a redshirt freshman.

"It's just like high school all over again," Nate Williams said. "We've been playing ball together since we were 9 years old."

Williams said he is looking forward to the end of the season, when Northwestern is expected to receive only the seventh bowl invitation in the program's history.

"I really want to finish the season off with a bang," he said.