Chaz Powell sat in the dim interview alcove inside Beaver Stadium, the orange flash from TV cameras illuminating his face.

He just finished debuting in the role fans and coaches summoned him to -- being Derrick Williams.

Just a sophomore, Powell is trying to carve his own legacy in blue and white, a monumental undertaking as fans expect him to be the same all-purpose threat Williams was for four years.

Replace the man who helped Penn State football climb out of the hole of four losing seasons in five years?

The face of the only senior class in school history to win multiple Big Ten titles?

"Derrick Williams will forever be remembered as the guy who helped turn this program around," Jay Paterno said after the Nittany Lions' second Big Ten championship in four years. "He's going to be an iconic player. When you see No. 2, our fans are going to know who he is 20 years, 30 years from now."

Powell's eyes don't squint from the bright lights.

He just touched up Akron's defense for 65 yards and a touchdown on seven touches -- all in Williams' familiar No. 2 blue jersey.

"I just went out there and played football," Powell said. "A lot of people say they compare me to Derrick.

"They can say what they want. I have a lot of respect for him, but it's my year, it's my time."

Williams remembers when he first held up and admired the plain blue uniform. Former wide receiver Chafie Fields, who wore the jersey in the late 90s, told Williams he needed to rep the number with pride.

Williams did the same for Powell when he came back last winter and found out who the new bearer of the number was.

"Why do you think Chafie Fields told him that?" said Mike Archie, the originator of the No. 2 respect campaign. "Where do you think Chafie Fields got that from? I told him he may wear No. 2. If you're gonna wear that number, you gotta rep it well."

Archie said a kicker -- Henry Adkins -- had it before he took it in 1991.

"I wanted to make sure the next person who wore that number knew that previous person before they got it was a hard worker, wanted to be a good person on and off the field and be a playmaker on the field with that number," said Archie, part of Penn State's undefeated 1994 team.

Both Williams and Powell were asked to compare and contrast their games. Williams said Powell can't throw. Powell said he has more speed than Williams.

Both agreed the other was a playmaker worthy of wearing No. 2.

Football coach Joe Paterno isn't as keen on comparing the two, saying Powell has potential but is too inconsistent to hop on a bandwagon with him yet.

"He's careless with some things," Paterno said Aug. 13. "He doesn't concentrate sometimes going after the football. So, I wouldn't put that thought on his head talking about Derrick Williams.

"Derrick Williams came in here as a very, very confident, very poised kid who could have played quarterback, could have played running back, could have played wideout. Chaz is in the right spot. If he makes up his mind, he's going to go at it and pay attention. He'll get better every day, and he could end up being pretty darn good."

Like Powell to Williams, Archie had to step out of the shadow of a revered Lion in running back Ki-Jana Carter in 1995.

"You just really gotta be yourself," Archie said about replacing a dynamic player. "There could never be another Ki-Jana Carter, but I really wanted people to remember Mike Archie."

Archie and Paterno sat down in his office after the '95 Rose Bowl and layed out the importance of the offseason in becoming the No. 1 tailback.

That summer, a freshman by the name of Curtis Enis arrived.

"I looked at him and said, 'Wow, what a specimen. Look at how he's built,' " Archie said. "The first thing I thought was this guy is gonna have a bright future in front of him. The thing I wanted to do was take him under my wings and put him through the ropes."

Playing time threatened, Archie remembered what Carter did for him against Michigan in 1993.

Archie had the quick feet of the drive, moving the chains with Carter watching from the sidelines, waiting to return to the game.

Carter then went to Joe Paterno and assistant coach Fran Ganter and told them to leave Archie on the field.

"Even when Ki-Jana was there, we always understood," said Archie, nicknamed "deuce" during his career. Between us running backs, there wasn't a selfish bone in my body."

Such a move was a hallmark

of what made that group of

players unique, Archie said.

"I would dare to say no," Archie said about whether such a selfless act would be displayed in today's game of college football.

"I gotta believe there's some people out there like that. But that team was a special team. It really was a special team. We were all so close. We didn't care who got the credit."

Powell spent the last two years -- one as a redshirt -- watching Williams scamper across the football field.

Like Archie when Carter left, Powell is set on making his own mark on Penn State. Williams sees Powell's quick-ness as the key to filling Williams' vacated role in the Spread HD offense.

The two players are comparable, Williams said.

"But everybody has to make that name out for himself," he said.