Column: A genius loses his mind, a star is hobbled and USC goes bust in unthinkable fashion
Bill Plaschke (LA Times) — LAS VEGAS — The invincible quarterback was hobbled. First, the invincible quarterback lost his mobility.
Then, the genius coach lost his mind.
Eventually, the streaking USC Trojans limped and stumbled and went splat, their loveliest of dreams dying an ugly death in the desert.
Utah 47, USC 24, and who would have thought?
This Pac-12 championship game Friday night at Allegiant Stadium was supposed to be a coronation for the No. 4-ranked Trojans, the stunningly brilliant debut season for coach Lincoln Riley and quarterback Caleb Williams scheduled to culminate in the team’s first conference title in five years and its first College Football Playoff berth.
Then Williams suffered a first-quarter hamstring injury. And Riley suffered several second-quarter brain cramps. And the Trojans eventually lost their resilience against a relentless Utah team that rebounded from a 17-3 deficit to run over tacklers, rush past linemen and eventually crush the Trojans’ hopes with the brutality of an angry craps table.
USC went bust. And now, instead of competing for a national championship in the CFP final four, the Trojans must settle for the consolation prize of a secondary New Year’s Six bowl. They were the best Pac-12 team during the regular season and yet they don’t even get to play in the Rose Bowl, that honor going to Utah for a second straight year.
Caleb Williams slowly gets up with a bloodied right hand after being sacked late in the fourth quarter Friday. (Gina Ferazzi / LAT)
“You come as far as this team and this program has come in the last 12 months, to get that close to winning a championship and more, obviously not getting it done, it’s a tough pill to swallow,” Riley said afterward.
It still has been a delightful surprise of a season, USC rebounding from a 4-8 debacle to go 11-2 and return to national prominence. But it could have been so much more. And after taking that two-touchdown lead early in the second quarter, it should have been so much more.
But when presented the chance to drive a stake through Utah’s heart, Riley became conservative, then just silly. The Trojans allowed the Utes to climb back into the game with two late first-half touchdowns to tie it. Then, in the second half, Utah took advantage of Williams’ limping and the usual poor USC defense to send thousands of Trojans fans trudging back to the Strip, their team suffering the night’s biggest loss in a city built by losers.
The Trojans essentially lost it when Williams lost it and Riley lost it.
It started with Williams, who injured the hamstring on a thrilling 59-yard, first-quarter run yet continued to play in obvious pain.
“The rest of the game I felt it, but I had something that I always go by,” Williams said. “Kobe [Bryant] always said the game is bigger than what you’re feeling.”
Throughout the night, Williams was the epitome of toughness. But he lost his ability to scramble and his ability to throw consistent pinpoint passes.
“He was not even close to 50% … in terms of guys I’ve coached at that position, maybe the gutsiest performance I’ve ever seen,” Riley said.
Williams was 28-for-41 passing for 363 yards and three touchdowns, and, no, this should not affect his place atop the Heisman Trophy race. But his lack of mobility allowed him to be sacked seven times while turning him into a statue who rushed for only 21 yards on a dozen carries.
Even after Williams’ injury, the Trojans had the momentum. Then a couple of Riley decisions gave it away.
Caleb Williams covers his helmet with a towel during the final moments of a 47-24 loss to Utah in the Pac-12 title game Friday. (Wally Skalij / LAT)
The Trojans scored touchdowns on their first two possessions, took a 14-3 lead, and seemed unstoppable. Then the coach basically stopped them.
On their third possession, Williams led USC downfield to a first and goal from the Utah three-yard line. After a stuffed run and two incompletions, the Trojans were faced with a fourth and goal.
If you’re USC, of course you go for the touchdown, right? Especially if you’ve been dominating the game on both sides of the ball? Especially since that touchdown could give you the feeling of an insurmountable lead?
Not this time. USC settled for a 20-yard field goal from Denis Lynch, and it felt like an opportunity missed.
Moments later, after Bryson Shaw recovered a fumble forced by Max Williams on the Utah 39-yard line, the Trojans had another chance to squelch the spirit of the Utes.
(Steve Marcus / AP)
But once again, Riley whiffed, calling two running plays for Austin Jones even though he had been completely ineffective. The runs were stuffed, and USC faced a fourth-and-eight situation, and it seemed like the right time for a punt, maybe one of Williams’ trademark pooch kicks.
But no. This time, the Trojans decided to go for it, Williams’ pass was broken up, and a rejuvenated Utah team owned the ball, the momentum and the rest of the first half.
At the time, USC had outgained Utah 228-89.
But then, for the rest of the game, Utah outgained USC 444-191.
“I think tonight defensively we obviously played really well early, had a lot of momentum,” Riley said. “They seized it there in the second quarter.”
Did they ever. Check out the last two Utah drives of the half.
Eleven plays, 63 yards, and a touchdown on an eight-run bulldozing run by Ja’Quinden Jackson.
USC punted and …
Fourteen plays, 81 yards, touchdown with two seconds left in the half on a four-yard pass from Cameron Rising to Jaylen Dixon.
The half ended in a 17-17 tie with Utah dancing off the field to a deafening roar while the Trojans quietly slinked away.
“We had some chances to surge, we had a chance to really separate in the game early,” Riley said. “We didn’t do it.”
The Utes took the lead for the first time — and for good — early in the third quarter when Rising hit Money Parks on a pass across the middle just as Trojans defenders Latrell McCutchin and Eric Gentry were colliding behind him in a play symbolic of USC’s evening.
It was messy. It was painful. And in the most unthinkable fashion, was over.
latimes.com
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Why did USC lose Friday? Quite simply, scheduling. USC played 3 hard teams in 14 days. No body else in Power 5 football does that. Not even Utah who had Colorado the week before. The Trojans were gassed. That’s why Vorhees couldn’t go, Neilon went out and Williams should have gone out (more on that later). The defense had nothing in the tank in the second half. USC needs to schedule ND in October every year, who cares what Knute Rokne’s wife wanted. This is 2022 and it is a new world for college football. Put ND in October and… Read more »
I can’t disagree with this, although I think the fact that Alabama played something called “Austin Peay” a few games ago is not helping Saban’s argument to get in the playoff. With a 12-team playoff, unfortunately, we can look forward to more “Austin Peay” games from teams as strength of schedule haggling becomes a little less important. You just need a good win-loss record to be in the neighborhood. Let the fraud games begin!!!
Primetime has informed his players he is leaving to be the HC at CU, reportedly for more than $5 mil.
He is gonna have a lot a work ahead of him taking on that job.
Will his son be jumping in the portal, before or after the FCS playoffs are concluded for JaxSt?
Now if Deon Sanders advises his son to enter the portal and come to CU, is that tampering? So a college athlete has to make one of the biggest decisions of his career, and he can’t talk to his football coach/father?
I hope he is good at CO. Lord knows they need something. He is going to be a recruiting force to deal with and USC is going to need to keep pace or else. He could be what helps save the Pac12 after the two schools leave. He will have a presence in the midwest, west, and the south for recruiting. Deion is everywhere. Now, can he coach, recruit, and manage a team at the power 5 level.
Saban on live TV pleading to get into the playoffs. How pathetic.
Will they let Riley come on and plead the USC case? At least they didn’t have 4 cupcake games.
Nickie, first win your division, then win your conference, you loser! Same for Ohio St.
Well Purdue still in the game at the half .
Not for long, I bet. PUR will probably get totally gobsmacked in the 2nd half. That is what history (like just last night) tells us about these matters. The stronger team generally takes over. But I would love to see a Boilers upset, just to see full chaos reign amidst CFB’s laughable PO system now.
The OSU game may have taken something out of Michigan, emotionally and physically. Much like the gauntlet USC went through, UCLA, ND and then CCG with Utah was 3 big games too many in a row. Nobody else does that in college football. Look at the SEC schedule in November.
CCG are complete BS … these teams have done enough. SC played 3 games vs two rivals, both good teams and another good team in 15 days! F ing OhioSt played two good teams a year.
Rather than celebrating our wins vs UCLA and ND and another Heisman, we had 4 days to get ready to play again. F ing joke.
Lucky to win 2/3 most teams wouldn’t.
Man, that Purdue passer is 19 out of 22. Not to shabby.
Whittingham’s legacy grows with second straight Pac-12 title
LAS VEGAS (AP) — “Utah’s Kyle Whittingham doesn’t care what conversation he’s involved in when it comes to the chatter of today’s top college football coaches.
But after his Utes dismantled College Football Playoff-hopeful USC 47-24 on Friday night in the Pac-12 championship game, it may be time to place his name alongside those considered today’s greats…”
yahoosports.com
He has a very high floor, his teams are always tough and compete but his ceiling is too low to be a great coach. He’s had one great year and a bunch of just good ones.
Anyone who searches back on this site will see that I have consistently been bullish on Wittingham and I would have been fine with him as a replacement for Sark. When Helton was finally canned, our problems were too big for someone like Wittingham to solve, and until Urban Meyer flamed himself out, I was all for him. But I never even thought LR was an option for a second, and was blown away with that hire. That said, I think Wittingham is an excellent coach, but I also think he fits perfectly at Utah and has been smart to… Read more »
Indeed, Kyle is perfect for UTAH. I don’t think he’ll ever leave. He’s part of the place to such an extent that he literally defines the program.
LR is perfect for USC as well. I’m very interested to see what USC looks like against TULANE in the Cotton Bowl, which doesn’t seem to be exciting for many Trojan fans. I’m presuming Caleb will be recovered from his hamstring problem.
Next up is USC’s early signing period effort. Right now USC is ranked #14 by 247Sports. I’m thinking some more big nuggets should likely come USC’s way.
Tulane. Ugh. What is this, Week 1?
For TULANE, it’ll be their Super Bowl. That’s the problem.
Thinking about the portal and recruiting, as USC’s roster gets back up to strength, the portal will become less important. The cupboard was so bare that the portal allowed us to make a quick turnaround to plug huge talent gaps. Presumably, very soon there will far fewer and less significant gaps. Conversely, recruiting will continue to be important to get the talent committed in the first place. And I think B1G membership will actually help recruiting because west coast blue chip kids who want to play in a big time league need go no further than USC. And I have… Read more »
I can’t even begin to understand folks who are unhappy with SC right now. This team was 4-8 last year and was a complete dumpster fire.
Lincoln Riley came in and brought in new players, change the players’ attitudes, fixed a broken culture, restored stability to the program, and took us to an 11-2 record.
This was over and above my expectations.
The program has a bright future and will only get better.
To those people who are unhappy, I say find a new team to root for.
USC has had a phenomenal 1st year under LR. I’ll leave it at that.
Yeah, I’m with you on that. It was great to actually still be in the national conversation after Thanksgiving. I think a lot of the negative sentiment expressed on the board in the last 24 hours was the result of such a brilliant 1st quarter, causing hopes to soar, only to see it come crashing down in short order. At least much of mine was. Are we there yet? No, we still have major needs and flaws. But I fully trust this staff will address them as rapidly as possible. Nobody wants to win more than they do, and for… Read more »
I am very sadden and crushed if the truth be told how this game got so turned around and became a disaster. i cannot blame LR for all this as he brought this program bak to life as anyone could. But there wasn’t enough or the right “defensive players” left on the team nor on the Portal to overcome what was eventually about to happen. Run up against a team with a very good defense and enough offense to beat LR twice in one season. Whittingham is to be congratulated. He will never win a Nattie but he will beat… Read more »
Hansen tweeting fight on emoji. The day after a big loss and he is grinding to get us help. This time of year it could be a high school or portal guy. Excited tom find out. Don’t tell me this team and staff isn’t different. I believe in them and excited for the bowl game and the off season.
This staff makes it fun year round. Never know what is coming up next.
Did a tiny little door maybe open for us to squeeze through with the TCU loss?
I don’t think so. I think TCU will remain a top 4 playoff team. USC lost too badly to justify inclusion. I’d actually rather see USC in the Cotton Bowl than the Peach Bowl vs GA, though I’m sure many disagree.
Just asking the question. Many think a team should not be punished for losing an extra championship game while other teams sit idle. In fact, that’s the argument now for not dropping TCU out. Our problem is we would be the first two-loss non-conference champion to make the playoff, and firsts are not a thing to count on.
You could say the way we lost will keep us out, but I think Ohio State is coming back in despite getting hammered as bad by Michigan — and they were at home!
But as you say, USC lost twice and W/L records should count for something. In the end, I just don’t think USC’s a top-four team. Since UTAH killed us once, and beat us twice, I’d say 3-loss UTAH is more deserving of a top 4 spot than USC, for sure. USC’s deserving of its projected #8 rank and I’d be more than happy with that spot based on what I saw of USC last night. USC is almost inordinately and totally dependent on a healthy Caleb Williams, who will win the Heisman. Without him, USC isn’t even a top-20 team… Read more »
I would opt for Utah over USC, they are the conference champs.Regardless of record the top 4 ranked conference champs should be in, IMO. That’s how it will be in 2 years, lets start now.
final 4 should be
Utah vs Georgia
Kst Vs Michigan
OhioSt doesn’t deserve shit. TCU no. Bama close. SC not quite there.
Don’t think with Utah’s loses that they belong in the top 4 either just because they beat USC and are PAC champs.
Cotton Bowl swag. Here’s what the contestants got last year.
A $500 Mastercard gift card, a Mercury duffle bag, and an autographed football.
I can’t blame Caleb he did his best. I was not happy with the outcome, but while Caleb was 100% we had the Utes on the ropes. I can’t blame Riley, he had a high caliber player who wanted to play. Even though he, Riley knew better, he took a chance. If it had worked, we’d be celebrating instead of trying to understand things. “Wait til next year” has a better look than it has in a while. It’s like playing a video game. You play to the end of a level but lose to the final boss, but you… Read more »
I don’t know how I am going to get through a year of chomping at the bit to get Utah into the Coliseum. And if every single seat in that place is not filled with drunk rowdy, jacked-up fans ready to shout Utah into the turf, something is really wrong with this town.
As long as Rising is gone … is he 30 yet ?
Question- Yesterday I wore new gear. I like it but still…. Yesterday happened. Should I burn it, keep it, donate it?
Wash and wear it again while watching the Cotton Bowl. Just a suggestion for the sake of no jinxes allowed.
Best idea, thats what I will do. I hope LR goes back to the white shirt.
10-2 #18 TULANE leads tired-looking UCF, 17-7 just before the half. USC plays the winner in the Cotton Bowl, apparently.
Everyone thinks USC’s porous D is absolutely horrible (what’s new, eh?) based on what I’ve heard and read today. That story seems to dominate as much as Caleb’s injury.
I see Caleb not playing in the Cotton Bowl along with Addison sitting out.
This might be crazy talk, but if Miller Moss enters the portal he could leave the team before the bowl game. And he wouldn’t be alone. Lots of players will enter the portal and a bunch of draft eligible players will opt out of their bowl game. In todays college football it seems that anything is possible.
That’s why it’s so important to have a coach like Lincoln Riley, who kids seem to like to play for. He’ll help organize USC through all the madness better than some others would.
I haven’t found any mention of the turf in Vegas. I wonder if Caleb pops a hammy if they had rolled in the Raiders’ grass.
Do you think things would have went differently if the game was played on a Saturday instead of Friday night?
No. Without Caleb Williams, it doesn’t matter what day of the week USC plays. He got hurt, USC got brutally dumped. No excuses though. That was what always went on at USC under Helton. No more.
When are the College Football Playoff rankings released?
Sunday. Dec. 4, 9:00 am PT (ESPN)
A quarter to remember:
USC was credited with one yd in the 3rd Q last night, when UTAH took over.
Perhaps a quarter to forget instead.
College Football Playoff Rankings Top 25 Final Prediction Pete Fiutak (teams in italics haven’t played yet and are in the projected final spot.) 25. North Carolina Tar Heels 9-3 (23) 24. UTSA Roadrunners 11-2 (NR) 23. NC State Wolfpack 8-4 (25) 22. Mississippi State Bulldogs 8-4 (24) 21. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9-3 (21) 20. Texas Longhorns 8-4 (20) 19. South Carolina Gamecocks 8-4 (19) 18. UCLA Bruins 9-3 (17) 17. Oregon Ducks 9-3 (16) 16. Oregon State Beavers 9-3 (15) 15. LSU Tigers 9-3 (14) 14. Kansas State Wildcats 9-3 (10) 13. Tulane Green Wave 10-2 (18) 12. Florida State Seminoles 9-3… Read more »
In two years there will be a 12 team playoff with the top 4 conference champs get a bye. This year that would be Georgia, Michigan Clemson and….UTAH! Just make it that way this year already for the top 4. That’s how I would vote if I was on the playoff committee. Still a lot of football to play today but I would put Utah in the playoffs and not let OSU, Alabama and TCU lose their way in.
Wow. GA gets smart and returns a blocked LSU FG try, to go ahead 6-0 in the 1st Q.
One thing to watch is the portal will explode on Monday. I am sure LR is dialed in for it.
Just found this on the internet >>>>> Michael Mulvihill
@mulvihill79
Strategy & Analytics
@foxsports Captain America.
Overnight ratings for the Pac 12 championship game:
Salt Lake City – 16.0/50
Columbus(Ohio) – 10.0/27
Los Angeles – 6.0/19
QB Cameron Rising was predictably amazing for the Utes, even when under assault
Play of the game. I thought he wouldn’t get up from that, but he did.
Make “The Committee’s” job as hard as possible ? <<<<< Works for me !!!!!
I Love it when sports is MESSY so I am gonna ADD to the MESS ……….C’MON PURDUE !!!!!!!!!!
Now watch, they will put Alabama in the top 4 with tOHS at #3. What an interesting mess.
TCU was undefeated in the regular season;tied at end of regulation of the Championship game and lost by just a fg in overtime. Even the committee won’t deny TCU a spot in the CFP. We now have a reason to watch the CFP selection show. I didn’t know I was a TCU fan until today. Go Frogs!!!
You may be right 5, they may keep TCU in it.
Duggan loses also. That should ice the Heisman.
Down goes TCU (and Lincoln Riley’s bro Garrett, their OC)! It’s a fine Saturday indeed! I think, at least…✌
If K-State gets a 10 of 15 yard play then trot out the field goal team right away ?????
Stupid call by TCU not to go for the field goal.
If Duggan pulls the miracle finish does he rip away Heisman?
For one game heroics? I think they look at the whole seasons work.
He has had a great year and will be a finalist. Just wondering what an undefeated year will do for him.
No. The football gods would never be so cruel to us.
Duggan is a warrior and deserves to go to New York. Overall Caleb is indisputable.
He should definitely be invited to New York, IMO
KSU is now ahead of TCU 28-17 with 11:27 to play. Go Wildcats!
If we get into the Cotten Bowl I would prefer we play say …………………………Alabama .
Brett McMurphy of the Action Network and Jerry Palm CBS released updated New Year’s six bowl projections and has USC in the Cotton Bowl versus Tulane or UCF (the AAC Champs).
May be worth watching the AAC CCG, 1pm ABC.
Lincoln Riley: “We’re not going to walk around like this is some funeral. We made a lot of progress to get to this point.”
It is going to be interesting to see the debates on who should go to the CFP, especially if TCU losses today. The talking heads are going in circles right now and all we can hear about is tOHS, which is expected simply because of the bias and it will show.
They will put in OSU and Alabama. I just feel it, they really love Bama.
If that happens I for sure will lose all interest.
This KSU v TCU game is a good one nearing half. KSU leads 14-7, with TCU threatening.
USC Couldn’t Run, or Stop the Run LAT — “On defense, the Trojans proved to be exactly what skeptics thought they were. USC gave up 533 yds to UTAH, including scoring plays of 60, 53 and 23 yds in the fourth quarter. “UTAH exposed the Trojans for 223 rushing yds, including 105 from Ja’Quinden Jackson, who scored two TDs. Jackson’s 53-yd rushing score with 5:29 remaining essentially served as the knockout punch against the Trojans as he put UTAH up by 16. “Austin Jones was rolling. UTAH stopped him cold. “The running back, who had a career-high 154 rushing yds against… Read more »
Glad that he put a lot on Riley. I am glad we have him and don’t want any other coach. But there were a lot of head scratching decisions last night.
Can you imagine Saban saying the Qb would not let me take him out?
And as a final note, I don’t take seriously anything Plaschke writes.
I thought Plaschke correctly nailed USC down here. It was definitely messy and painful, that’s for sure. What a blowout. JMHO.
Thing was, the whole team got blown out on both sides of the ball.
I sure was lured into thinking USC was a charmed team. Well, they are, but only when Caleb Williams is 100%. He truly makes everyone play better IMO.
With Caleb a much-weakened soldier, the whole team played like it was let down and knew how much his injury would hurt any real chances to win.
Allen, Totally agree. LR has constructed his entire O around a mobile QB – both the run game and the pass game. Caleb is probably the best QB in SC history. LR recruits those type of QBs and develops them. We saw the weakness of this approach last night. When Caleb lost his legs (which took away both the pass and the run), the O just died. And, as our D was never that strong to being with, when the O collapsed, so did the D. This is simply the way LR has structured his program. Oregon has done the… Read more »
This USC team has been fantastic. Caleb finally got hurt and we saw exactly why he deserves this Heisman so much right now. I’m still banking on that, which is so fantastic for the USC program in all regards.
From what I see LR is building the offense based on the Qb mobility, even after Caleb is gone. Now if they can build some type of defense that can totally destroy the ghost of Clay Helton and make tackles when they make contact, USC will move on to the playoffs regularly.
Allen, when you consider the losses on the O line, the lack of depth there and then the D collapses and totally forgets how to tackle it means doom. It’s like USC ran into the perfect storm. I am still very proud of where they are right now and still glad we have a future to look forward to.
3 things really stand out:
2 and 1 pass attempt up 14-3 … sack, damn it this has happened like 4 times this year on 2nd and 1
Dropped pick by Blackmon at 17-17, followed by easy 3rd and 19 conversion, way too easy and a TD to boot.
27-24 … LR finding groove with again with quick pass game, CW hobbling to two 1st downs, TD to Williams. Right there.
Then atrocious 2 play 90 yd drive with 70 yd bomb to a 280 lb tight end. Awful.
No mention of 3 big games in 15 days … just a little factor.
Digesting that game was really tough, especially after starting so quickly. But now realizing that Williams blew his hammy very early( and no Voorhees) It became apparent SC had very little chance. That loss really hurt, but if someone told me in August we could be 11-1, wins over the gutties and Irish, playing in the CCG, and then a New Years 6, I would have said sign me up. The future of SC football is indeed quite bright.
The phrase I am seeing most College Football writers across the Country use this morning when they talk about USC is >>>>> “Doing a re-assessment of how good USC really is ” <<<<< I can understand them doing that .
This season kind of shows that you have to have a team built on a foundation you brought in and coached. The transfers can help but it is a real rarity to bring in from the portal the 1st string starters you need to take it all the way. I like what Riley did, but in the end they just did not have the strong foundation built up like Utah has.
We’ve always known that without Caleb Williams, this was a marginal USC team with big gaps, especially on D. If ever there was a straw that stirred the drink for USC football, it has been Caleb, who will still be USC’s #8th Heisman winner.
Tough break with his hamstring. Did he hurt it when he was intentionally sliding after his long run? I don’t know why he didn’t just run out of bounds.
The writer disregards the gains made by Austin Jones giving USC 2nd and 4 or 5. That is sound football. It wasn’t bad judgement to try to run, just bad luck or play call that got the run stuffed. That happened a lot to Utah also. I just cannot figure out what happened to the defense and will leave that to the experts.