By Allen Wilson
Buffalo News Sports Reporter
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/
November 29, 2010, 12:40 AM
ORCHARD PARK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Ben Roethlisberger escapes the rush while Chris Kemoeatu #68 holds Kyle Williams #95 of the Buffalo Bills during the game at Ralph Wilson Stadium on November 28, 2010 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers won't meet again this season, and that's probably a good thing for Chris Kemoeatu.
The Steelers' left guard got more than he wanted from Bills nose tackle Kyle Williams, who dominated their matchup Sunday.
Williams finished with 10 tackles, including two sacks and another stop behind the line of scrimmage. He also drew four holding penalties on Kemoeatu (one was declined), including two in the fourth quarter. The first wiped out a 42-yard run by running back Rashard Mendenhall and the second negated a 17-yard Ben Roethlisberger pass completion to receiver Emmanuel Sanders that would have sewn up the game for the Steelers.
"I thought some of the holding calls were kind of iffy," Kemoeatu said after Pittsburgh pulled out a 19-16 victory in overtime. "I do know which ones I did hold on, which were obvious. I know the ones I didn't hold on that were called, too. But I can't blame the refs. It's something I just have to work on as far as keeping my hands inside and moving my feet. I know I made some mistakes out there. It was a tough day."
Williams made it tough. The fifth-year veteran was virtually unblockable most of the game as he continues to string together Pro Bowl-caliber performances.
He leads the Bills with five sacks and went into Sunday's game ranked second in the NFL among interior defensive linemen in tackles.
"I think I'm the same way since I've been here," said Williams, a former fifth-round draft pick. "I'm going to go out there and play as hard as I can every single time and try to get after those guys, no matter who we're playing."
The Steelers' offensive line problems have been well-documented, and it was evident again Sunday. Roethlisberger was sacked five times and would have gone down more if not for his uncanny knack for escaping tacklers. Still, the Bills' defensive line had its way with the Steelers' blockers on numerous occasions. No one was more disruptive than Williams, whose play drew praise from both locker rooms.
"He's definitely a great player," Kemoeatu said. "Everybody knows he's strong as hell. I thought we had a good week preparing for him. But my hat goes off to him. He's a helluva baller. He's physical, comes off the ball and just hits you in the helmet. I kind of got stunned a couple of plays, but I managed to recover. He gave us a lot of trouble today."
"They couldn't block him," Bills inside linebacker Paul Posluszny said. "I don't know how many times Kyle got into the backfield, but it was a lot. When he makes plays like that he can make it a long day for anybody."
Williams never gave much thought to what he was doing to Kemoeatu, though it was obvious to everyone in Ralph Wilson Stadium. And who knows how many times Kemoeatu held Williams and it wasn't called?
"I tried to get off the ball and work my rush off of how he is going to set," Williams said. "I had some good ones, I had some bad ones. That's how the game goes."
As well as he played, Williams said there were no positives that can be drawn from a loss, which was the Bills' fourth in a row by three points.
He did say Sunday's game was another example that the Bills can hang with the best teams in the NFL.
"I don't think we're a pushover," he said. "There's no quit. We're going to go fight and make some things happen."
Kinda sums up the way Williams plays. Just ask Kemoeatu.
awilson@buffnews.com
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