Austin ? Roy Williams ran past the defender and stuck out his hands to catch a pass.

Then he felt a twinge, dropped the ball and grabbed the back of his right leg. When he fell to the ground, 83,000 fans at Royal-Memorial stadium groaned in disappointment.

That was eight weeks ago. Now healthy and running well again, the junior has re-emerged as the dominating receiver he was when No. 4 Texas (9-1, 5-1 Big 12) started the season with hopes for a national title.

“Roy’s playing as good as I’ve ever seen him,” said UT coach Mack Brown as his team prepared for today’s game at Texas Tech (7-4, 4-2).

Williams has 21 catches for 333 yards and three TDs in Texas’ last two games. He caught a school-record 13 passes for 161 yards and two scores in a win at Nebraska. In last week’s 41-0 victory over Baylor, his 73-yard touchdown on the second play all but ended that game after just 24 seconds.

But those two games came after weeks of frustration since Williams strained his right hamstring Sept. 21 against Houston.

The injury left the ‘Horns offense without its X-factor, the player who could scramble defenses by forcing double-coverage and preventing opponents from using a safety to stop the run.

It also left quarterback Chris Simms unable to rely on his favorite target. At 6-foot-4, Williams has the big body to make the crossing routes over the middle and the speed to burn defenses deep.

Williams continued to play with the injury but the impact was clear as he hobbled around at half speed.

He caught a 44-yard TD pass early in Texas’ 35-24 loss to Oklahoma, but also got run down from behind by Sooners’ defensive tackle Tommy Harris on a reverse.

The offense slumped to as low as 84th in the nation before Williams returned to form with a vengeance against Nebraska.

Texas receiver Roy Williams makes a touchdown catch against Baylor. Williams has 21 receptions in UT's last two games.