USC QB Caleb Williams tries to block out noise amid Heisman buzz
Williams says he is focused on bigger goals, like beating Utah in the Pac-12 championship game Friday in Las Vegas
Adam Grosbard (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — The past few weeks, USC quarterback Caleb Williams has seen an uptick in text messages from friends and family. Some are congratulatory, others are commenting on all the hype surrounding Williams as a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy.
Williams is sure to send an obligatory “thank you” back, then tries to get back to the work at hand for the Trojans.
“One of the things that we did two weeks ago was block out the noise and that’s what I’ve been doing because we have bigger goals in mind,” Williams said after practice Tuesday. “I’m sticking to my same routine, still trying to lead these guys.”
Williams and the Trojans will face Utah on Friday in the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas. A win there, and USC will lock up its spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.
So that is where the attention should be. But Williams has established himself as the Heisman favorite at this point in the season. His 44 total touchdowns are a single-season record at USC, and his 65.8% completion rate is higher than either Matt Leinart’s or Carson Palmer’s during their Heisman campaigns at USC.
Williams first learned of the Heisman, given annually to college football’s best player, when he was nearing the end of elementary school. It quickly became a goal of his, as he’s always considered himself the best player on the field.
“I thought that last year when I was playing, I thought it before I came into college,” Williams said. “It’s a certain confidence.”
And it was something head coach Lincoln Riley spoke with Williams about when he first recruited the quarterback to Oklahoma. Riley coached Heisman winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray with the Sooners, as well as finalist Jalen Hurts. So the comparison resonated with Williams.
“[Riley] believed that I had traits of them all and also had some unique traits of myself,” Williams said. “He tries to recruit guys like that, that can help him go win championships.”
It’s the idea of a championship that Williams is trying to focus on right now, despite all the hype surrounding him personally. His teammates have appreciated that concentration, with linebacker Shane Lee noting that Williams has not brought up the possibility of the award with the team.
Williams said he’s relied on his family as a support system, as well as lessons learned from his parents to guide him through these moments.
“I want to win and getting too big-headed and focusing on the highs and anything like that is where you start going downhill,” Williams said. “So focusing on routine, being here, trying to win with these guys and leading them keeps things in perspective.”
ocregister.com
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Win or lose, Utah will be in the Rose Bowl just because of the normal attrition that goes on in this conference. Washington deserves to go if not USC. Unless Ohio State gets invited to the playoff, they will again meet and beat Utah. Borrrrrring. Today the Rose Bowl committee must either give up the guaranteed & exclusive (no other games being played) 2pm New Year’s day game time or be out of the playoff rotation bowl schedule. It’s a standoff on both sides but I am afraid the Rose Bowl will have to give in or get run over… Read more »
Jamaica, I do not think that is correct. If SC wins and plays in a CFP Bowl, the Rose Bowl is not contractually obligated to take any Pac team (remember when TCU played in the Rose Bowl the year Washington was in the CFP Bowl I think against an Big 10 team). The Rose will NOT take a 4 loss Utah team. What I have read is the choice will probably be 2 loss UW or some other team. If it loses, Utah will go to the Alamo Bowl. I think an tOSU and UW match up is a great… Read more »
This is what I am thinking……USC media will be disappointed (or more) if we lose ……USC Fan Base will be disappointed (or more) if we lose But players in that SC Lockeroom will be CRUSHED if they lose (because they have goals/expectations that very very high now …..Especially Caleb ) …..FIGHT ON !!!!!
Family member asked me If Utah wins will The USC fan base be in shock ?…..Had to think about for quite a while but I finally answered ………. YES Because if we lose to Utah ……No being involved in the playoffs and……NO playing in the Rose Bowl (Utah would be in Rose Bowl as Pac-12 Champs…..as they should be ).
And ESPN spent 5 minutes talking about Ohio State Playing Georgia in the Playoffs ?????
If USC loses to UTAH, that could easily happen. It’ll most likely be either ALA or probably OHIO ST who will be playing GA if USC somehow blows it in Vegas against the Utes.
But USC’s gonna win the Pac-12 title this year. I can’t see the Trojans letting this one slip away after the Trojans have come so far.
I’d say if we cover Kincaid like we did Mayer, we will win.
Kincaid left last week’s game against CU with an unspecified injury and didn’t return. I’m thinking he won’t be 100%. Maybe no big deal. Maybe a very big deal.
“We expect him to play,” Whittingham said on Monday. “It’s not a guarantee, but we’ll see what happens.”
I am skeptical on any Kincaid injury. They could have sat him against CO, but it would look bad. So he leaves early with an “unspecified injury?” If it isn’t a definitive tweak or awkward twist that shows on the film, I would treat him as 100% healthy. Although, we’re probably wisely doing that no matter what. In general, I don’t like the sea of concensus that we will win Friday, as if no one can notice the spread has this in “anything can happen” territory. And the assumption that Caleb can’t lose, despite that he has — to THIS… Read more »
What you describe sounds like Riley. They say they are not seeking vengeance, which I find hard to believe among the players. Their motivation should be future games and a shot at the trophy. I am anxious to see how they defend Kincaid and what they do with Rising. I hope they have him Setting.
I see what you did there.
While I definitely expect and anticipate a USC victory, I’m confident LR and his staff are handling the players correctly and getting them ready. Nothing about this team reeks of any type of overconfidence or arrogance to me. I think the Trojans are very well aware of how the Utes handled us offensively earlier this year. Numerous reports reveal that USC took that loss very hard, especially Caleb. Also, I am one of those people who think UTAH is more dangerous at home with their big crowd advantage in the cold, so I am very glad this next matchup is… Read more »
I generally agree with both of you. I just am of the “one game at a time school” — and I don’t like my team being told that they will win by everyone — especially in a short week. Riley is doing the right thing to play down the revenge factor, because he knows that revenge is not a strategy. It IS a motivator, and he knows the players will be hungry to right the only wrong of this season. But the main things for a game like this are preparation, focus, and not looking ahead to a playoff we… Read more »
The 13-9 game was the worst. It was an experience I don’t remember having before because USC looked so bad, it didn’t affect me as negatively as it should have. I figured any team that could only stumble its way to nine points against a typically bad Karl Dorrell UCLA group that day sure didn’t deserve to play in the BCS title game. Then USC went ahead and smashed MICH in the Rose Bowl no less, 32-18. Food for thought! I’m afraid I’ve recklessly thrown caution to the wind a bit. Can’t help it with this ground-breaking 2022 LR team.… Read more »
Allen,
One of the big reasons we lost that game was our offensive staff at the time got way too cocky.. They literally thought they would put 40 points on Dewayne Walker’s defense.. We held them to 13 points… You win those games 95% of the time.. You could tell during the game something wasn’t right. It was abysmal to say the least…
Plus Booty had an annoying habit of launching blocked passes.
Sure enough, the 13-9 debacle ends on a slow-motion tip picked barely off the turf by a 2nd-string Bruin LB. I never thought USC was gonna score on that last drive. Abysmal is right.
Funny the 13-9 game was brought up, that one still stings badly to me too. One reason is that it allowed the gators into the natty game at SC’s expense, and I really really really hate the gators. A bunch of cousins from FL let me have it pretty good, and still do. But I was thinking about that game earlier today, and decided that Friday’s game is the most important game the Trojans have played since that game. This game has the opportunity to propel us into the playoff, with is a shot at the national championship. As big… Read more »
Not to guarantee it will happen in Vegas, but all year the Utes have definitely played worse away from the friendly confines of Salt Lake City.
As one article I read suggested, just win, leave no doubt, and don’t put it in the hands of the playoff selection committee.
Best plan for SC right there Volunteer ↑↑↑↑↑ (and I am leaning/rooting for the “Leave No Doubt” part) Fight On !
Absolutely. And I assure you, if we lose, even by one point (again), we are not in the big show. Ohio State will jump us. That is just reality. We’re being delusional if we think we can lose this game and hold the 4th spot without dropping.
As I am going room to room doing chores today I have had ESPN College football shows on (over last 2 hours) and I am noticing …..Say ….2-out-of-5 predictions (or Predictors) have Utah beating USC .
It’s espn, the clown network. You have disregard anything they say.
You should try watching Inside College Football (CBS Sports) with Aaron Taylor, Rick Neuheisel, Randy Cross and Brian Jones. It’s definitely one of my favorite weekly CFB shows. They’re all in on USC to wipe out the Utes.
No matter what happens Friday night, this season has exceeded most reasonable people’s expectations. The future for SC football is bright. I am so thankful that Bohn, Sosna, Folt, Caruso, etc, reached for the moon and got Riley.
Hard to believe we have gone from one of the worst teams in school history to the precipice of a playoff spot in one year.
Riley on UTAH LAT — “This is not a revenge game,” Lincoln Riley said. “That’s not what this is. We played a really good football game, as did Utah up in Salt Lake. It was an elite college football game. It came down to one play here or there. They got us that time. But this is not about that game. This is a new game, a new challenge, a new setting, teams have evolved. Both teams have changed certainly throughout the year.” “Those adjustments have only ever worked in Riley’s favor. Twice before at Oklahoma, in 2018 and 2020,… Read more »
It turns out this is such an amazing photo, which will become more and more famous as a part of trojan football lore, don’t you think? Love the scrambled-looking photographer.
Where is Norman Rockwell when you need him?
Sure would be great to win another Pac-12 football championship on the way out to the B1G.
Still seems hard to believe these Trojans radically changed and improved so much in such a short time. What a story.
Can’t wait for Friday, I will be at the game with my two daughters that attend the U.
Lucky dog! Have fun!
Hope the split allegiances don’t tear your family apart.
They know who is paying the bill.
The landslide favoring spectacular Caleb Williams for the Heisman seems to be growing by the hour. CFB talking heads are even suggesting he would be their first, second and third vote, or that he should be the only player invited to New York. It doesn’t seem possible Caleb could lose the award after what he’s already done this year, especially to both well-regarded UCLA and ND in the last couple of weeks. No one else has really stepped up to compete with him, and he still has the Pac-12 championship to wow us all again. Even a mediocre/bad performance wouldn’t… Read more »
My initial reaction to pinning all our hopes on one player was that it was foolish. There games early on this season where I would have sat Caleb down and put in his backup. He was hanging on to the ball too long and throwing ill advised passes.Someone even called me stupid for mentioning this. On top of all that Caleb has been coaching up his backup. Maybe I’m stupid, but I can stand by what I said when I said it. Caleb is probably the most valuable player on the team, and he has a great backup. I’m happy… Read more »
For sure Rialto, in the first half of the season, CW was making the sophomore mistakes. But he has righted himself and is playing amazingly.
Well one person is sold and totally feels that if SC Beats Utah SC belongs in the Nat’l Champ Playoff (and he is an Ohio State Grad ) >>>>> Kirk Herbstreit …..FightOn !!!!!
You will hear more of Herbstreit’ positive comments the closer it gets to SC becoming a BiG member…Imagine three of CFB great Legacy programs in one conference… TOSU, MICHIGAN and USC. Perhaps, someday Notre Dame as well. When the Saban era ends,I fully expect the BiG to eclipse the SEC. The SEC media footprint is regional, BiG with the inclusion of SC and the Bruins…and perhaps Oregon or Washington, it’s media footprint will be National, from New Jersey to the West Coast, far, far larger and with that…More Money, more interest.
Transfer portal is filling up fast. So many names will be in there. Who is better positioned to pull in the top guys than us? Riley is going to pick and choose. Fight on!
I’m sure Chip and Dan Lanning will be looking for replacement QB’s in the portal.I saw that Texas QB Hudson Card is joining Rattler so far in the portal. The portal is the best thing to happen for lazy recruiters like Chip, who doesn’t have to put in the effort as much anymore
The advantage this year is with the improvement of the team there will be even more interest than last year. He should be able to pick and choose.
College Football Playoff Rankings, Nov. 29
1. Georgia (12-0)
2. Michigan (12-0)
3. TCU (12-0)
4. USC (11-1)
5. Ohio State (11-1)
6. Alabama (10-2)
7. Tennessee (10-2)
8. Penn State (10-2)
9. Clemson (10-2)
10. Kansas State (9-3)
11. Utah (9-3)
12. Washington (10-2)
13. Florida State (9-3)
14. LSU (9-3)
15. Oregon State (9-3)
16. Oregon (9-3)
17. UCLA (9-3)
18. Tulane (10-2)
19. South Carolina (8-4)
20. Texas (8-4)
21. Notre Dame (8-4)
22. UCF (9-3)
23. North Carolina (9-3)
24. Mississippi State (8-4)
25. NC State (8-4)
Best late season showing by the conference that I can remember. It’s too bad that Larry Scott screwed things up so bad, because there are many good coaches and players, who can play with anyone this year. Too little too late for a comparative TV deal that maybe could have kept the conference together
So I see Ohio St lurking around waiting for somebody to fall. Will they squeak in with a loss by one of the top 4 while sitting on the couch this weekend?
I don’t think any of the Top Four are losing, but if USC slips, and loses to UTAH twice in the same season, the Trojans will be kicked out.
So if things play out like we think they will, USC gets Georgia in the Peach Bowl? Will Ohio St play Utah again in the Rose Bowl?
I think UTAH goes to the Rose Bowl only if they beat USC, as Pac-12 champs. If UTAH loses to USC, I’m thinking UW gets to the Rose Bowl, but I could be overly confused here about how it all shakes out in the end, especially if anyone else in the Top 4 gets knocked off. Messiness could prevail. All I know is right now, USC is sitting pretty for a Peach Bowl shot against the dreaded GA Bulldogs, in Atlanta, no less. Ugh. At least we have the better QB, a generational guy who will be USC’s eighth Heisman… Read more »
I believe you are right Allen. The way the current PAC standing are lined up if USC wins then Washington is in 2nd place and would go to the Rose Bowl. Unless the Rose Bowl committee chooses the Utes.
Bowls generally don’t like rematches from the previous year. Next Sunday will fun as things sort themselves out. I like our chances with Georgia. Could be they have too much depth but I think SC will give them a game.
Golden, I have been thinking the same thing. I don’t think Georgia has faced an offense like USC presents. If the D line could get pressure on their Qb they would expose him and turn the tide of the game toward a USC victory.
The higher USC soars this year, the larger the travesty of the lost Cat years becomes. If his destruction of my beloved football program weren’t so devastating, I’d almost admire the guy for his amazing ability to fail. Clearly, it takes special talent to be so devoid of talent.
But baby we’re back! Beat the Utes Friday and we’ll get to measure ourselves against the big boys. What a great season to behold!
It is truly amazing what we Trojan fans have witnessed in hardly any time at all.
Just last season, with Helton finally fired after his candy cane tenure, this is what USC’s overlooked Homecoming vs ARIZ on Oct. 29 looked like, an ESPNU game with remote commentary.
And now, utterly miraculously, the Trojans are the clear toast of college football with USC enthusiasm rampantly spreading like wildfire. I’ve never seen anything quite like the resurgent powder keg of USC football this year, and all at the expense of teams like UCLA and ND.
Volunteer, The travesty lies completely at the foot of the Nikias/Haden/Swann administration. What we are witnessing is the level of pure incompetence in the last administration. Whatever I think of Folt, she is clearly competent. And, she hired an elite AD who brought in elite staff, who in turn hired an elite HC. And, the change has been remarkable. Utterly remarkable. Look at the record of Nikias/Haden/Swann. They totally botched the NCAA sanctions, then compounded the problem with three straight bad coaching hires with each one being much worse than the prior. Lane Kiffin was a bad hire not because… Read more »
The Cat cleaned up on USC. But in a strange, roundabout way, he did USC a massive favor by exposing the incompetent underbelly of USC leadership across the board. Caruso and Folt (however unlikely) saved the football program by hiring Bohn, a very ambitious dude who smashed his way into Trojan lore by somehow figuring out how to hire Lincoln Riley.
Magically, USC has already returned to power with a heavily flawed, but miraculously entertaining team led by USC’s soon-to-be-8th Heisman winner. It just all proves that truth can be stranger than fiction.
Allen, I still think Bosna was the brains behind getting the Linc-dog. Bohn and the others just got to take the bow. imho
Bohn hired Sosna, so the buck stops on Bohn’s desk IMO. Bohn made USC athletics a full-team-ahead effort again, which I admire greatly. One of the reasons I like LR (and his Rolodex) so much is because of the high-quality people he managed to either bring along or hire from the outside, and at the drop of a hat. That’s a real skill in and of itself. Obviously, I’ll always like Bohn a lot more than you do, especially compared to the extremely low level of competence that football heroes Haden and especially lame Lynn Swann brought to the job.… Read more »
RJJ, I get it, it was a collective fail. But had The Cat been competent, he could have had much more success with his luck as the “next man up” when he took over. So, in spite of the upper management failure and desire for “continuity, stability and a nice guy”, “Clipboard Clay” could have been a diamond in the rough” waiting for his chance to be discovered. At the end of the day, he had the opportunity to succeed, all he had to have was head coaching competence. So, in the collective fail equation, it sounds like I assign… Read more »
volunteer, while I could be wrong, my experience has lead me to conclude the opposite. It is a very rare person who can evaluate him/herself. SC hired him as its HC and then renewed him. He had won both a Rose Bowl and the Pac 12 and was for his first two years the most successful HC in SC history. I do not know if I would have doubted myself in those circumstances. I was a CEO of my own midsize company and I learned never to expect my staff to evaluate themselves; I tried it early on and it… Read more »
Fair enough, I see your viewpoint. I would add though, from my personal experience, that great leaders are never satisfied with what they know or how they do things. Rather, they seek outside perspectives from other successful leaders. For example, I know for a fact that Steve Jobs hired a professional “coach” to expose his blind spots and help him improve, and this happened within two years of his passing, so he was already one of the most successful leaders in the business world. Yet he strove to get better, reaching out to external sources. My point? Do we have… Read more »
Great response. We both agree as I think our difference is semantic. Clay never had the ability to be an elite coach (or an elite anything). What you are describing is a characteristic of the elite. Very few are capable of the transition from mediocre to elite. I think this is expressed in Pareto’s Principle. 80% of the productivity in any field is produced by 20% of the participants. And, I am willing to bet of that 20% the top 2% produce 80% of that. So, my take is the bottom 80% produce 20%; the next 18% produce 16% and… Read more »
Agree 100%, and give you triple thumbs up for your usage of the “Pareto Principle”. 👍👍👍
Richard G. West @RGW_News
News out of Columbia: South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler will be entering the Transfer Portal.
Rattler is believed to be headed to Nebraska with former Gamecock OC Marcus Satterfield who just joined Matt Ruhle’s staff.
This is the downside to the transfer portal. Shane Beamer has rejuvenated that South Carolina program with some big late season wins, and in turn help raise Rattler’s profile in doing so. It takes the wind out of the fans and alumni sails. There should be restrictions as to how many times you can enter the portal. I don’t like that you can change allegiances every year if you want, because there is always that threat hanging over a program if a kid doesn’t get what he wants all of the time. He was already starting. Good riddance to him
I can’t imagine being a CFB HC now. What a landmine of issues.
Agree. It’s a good thing the dollars are there for coaches now.
There is already a limit on the rule allowing players to immediately play once they transfer. The rule allows to transfer once “for free”, then for subsequent transfers, a player must sit out a year.
So Rattler has to sit out a year? If true, wonder why he wouldn’t just stay where he was at, then hope to get drafted the following? I’m glad that stipulation is in the guidelines
To play next year, Rattler will either need to get a waiver approval to transfer or graduate from South Carolina this summer to play at NE. Or, he can apply for a waiver, have it denied, and then sue the NCAA for an anti-trust violation (I think his chances on that are no better than 50/50).
What would be the grounds for his waiver request? He loves Satterfield? Sounds like a weak case, but I’m sure his lawyers will come up with something good.
Rattler was at OU when LR left. Because of the coaching change I don’t think Rattlers move to S Carolina counts as his “free” move. I might be wrong. But based on all the talk shows I have listened to & articles I have read this is the conclusion I have reached.
Trojan 5 and Allen, Rattler’s 4th year in college is this year. He has only one year left. I assume he will graduate from SC in June and then be able to play immediately. If he cannot graduate, he needs to return to So. Car. He does not want to be a test case. As I recall Anti-Trust law, reasonable restraints are allowed. I think allowing one free year and one year to “sit” stands a good chance of being upheld as “reasonable”.
SPENCER RATTLER’S DAD RESPONDS TO TRANSFER RUMORS
Michael Rattler has called the report “FAKE” and says Spencer is sticking with the Gamecocks.
https://www.outkick.com/spencer-rattler-not-transferring-south-carolina-rumor-false/
Smart man. His son may have said something like he was thinking of transferring. Dad checked it out and ended the discussion.
The transfer portal is a wild ride. I heard an estimate that 1500-2000 kids from FBS schools could enter the portal when the transfer window opens on 12/5. No wonder schools are hiring a CEO of football operations.
CW is just the perfect teammate. Knows he is the straw that stirs the drink, but quick to understand he needs good ingredients around him to make a great cocktail. And he brings out the best of everyone on the roster. His parents and mentors have done an excellent job on Caleb’s development as a person and a player.✌
And he plays for the TROJANS! Life is good!
I like his Karate Kid pose above.
Very good, Allen-san.