Williams' Heisman showcase carries USC to win

LOS ANGELES, CA. -- Caleb Williams has had amended nights statistically. He's scored much touchdowns, passed for much yards, and completed much passes successful different contests. But connected Saturday nighttime against a stout Notre Dame defence successful primetime, Williams showed wherefore the communicative of his play requires a three-dimensional explanation.

Despite the information that his numbers are breaking USC single-season records, during a important 37-28 triumph implicit Notre Dame Saturday that kept USC successful the playoff hunt, Williams solidified his presumption arsenic a Heisman frontrunner by showing, not telling.

On his biggest signifier to this point, the sophomore backmost danced, spun, skirted and evaded everything the Irish defence threw his way. Williams turned adjacent sacks into explosive, downfield plays and imaginable disasters into highlights. The effect was a dazzling show that had the Coliseum gawking astatine each play earlier fans broke into chants of "Heisman" successful unison.

"That's what happens erstwhile you person a Heisman quarterback," moving backmost Austin Jones said. "I mean, it was unreal."

Williams finished with 4 touchdowns connected the nighttime -- 3 of them rushing -- with 232 passing yards and a QBR of 97.6, his highest of the season.

At antithetic points this season, Williams has shown however effectual and explosive helium tin beryllium with his arm, but the communicative connected Saturday was however elusive helium tin besides beryllium with his legs. The Irish's antiaircraft enactment made their mode into the backfield plentifulness of times, but speech from 1 sack, Williams was capable to enactment upright and debar immoderate miscues. The erstwhile Oklahoma backmost didn't truly propulsion it distant either -- helium lone had 4 incompletions.

Instead, helium ever recovered a mode to springiness a receiver a accidental to drawback one, oregon enactment his caput down and bash it connected his own.

"I've evidently seen him bash this a lot," Lincoln Riley said postgame, earlier joking that helium lone disliked 1 determination helium made: the sack. "I deliberation there's conscionable a spot due to the fact that a precocious percent of the clip helium makes the close play connected it."

The spot Riley and Williams person betwixt each different has helped nutrient a dream-like play that has USC astatine 11-1 with a accidental to triumph a league rubric and gain a playoff berth. It's a striking turnaround from what was a 4-8 play for the Trojans past year. Having a Heisman contender successful Williams has been a important portion of it all, but Williams has tried to not thin into the chatter. This week, however, it's been unavoidable.

"It's benignant of like, everybody lets everybody other speech astir it," Jones said. "We don't truly speech astir it, but we each know. I mean I'll speech astir it close now, I deliberation he's the champion subordinate successful the country."

Earlier this week, USC released a video run online portion Williams' teammates waxed poetic astir him astatine practice. On Saturday, USC played the video connected the jumbotron earlier the game, urging fans to get retired the instrumentality ballot for Williams, who showed astatine slightest immoderate acknowledgment of the grant during the game. On his 2 touchdown runs of the night, Williams struck the Heisman airs not once, but 3 times.

When asked postgame astir the pose, Williams deflected, saying his teammates urged them to bash it truthful helium obliged. At 1 point, wide receiver Jordan Addison mimicked placing a crown connected Williams' caput connected the sidelines.

"He's the one, truthful I had to crown him myself," Addison said. "The bigger the signifier is, the bigger he's going to play."

Addison has mentioned antecedently however overmuch USC's discourtesy practices those scrambling plays successful practice. The mentality that each accomplishment subordinate and violative lineman has had to follow is simple: you ne'er cognize wherever Williams is going to go, but you cognize the play is ne'er implicit erstwhile the shot is successful hands. On Saturday, each 3rd play seemed to person a scramble. At 1 constituent during 1 play, Williams' backmost was facing the remainder of his squad arsenic helium was astir brought down by a Notre Dame defender earlier turning the play into a 20-yard gain.

"It's tiring," Jones said with a grin of the scrambling. "I'm similar 'bro, wherever are you going to go?'"

It's not conscionable the flight that Williams makes look easy. It's the ensuing propulsion -- which often has to beryllium connected the tally and crossed his assemblage -- oregon ensuing tally wherever helium turns a atrocious play into a large one.

"Extended plays are portion of football," Williams said. "My dada ever talks astir it, 'take off, instrumentality off, instrumentality off.'"

It's those instincts that person kept drives and games live for USC each play and present person them connected the precipice of accomplishing not conscionable idiosyncratic awards but squad occurrence too. Williams, much than astir of the players connected his team, is keenly alert of that.

"Last twelvemonth I came from a squad that we got to parts of the play and we finished beauteous well," Williams said. "But astir of the guys present didn't cognize what this feeling was, getting to the second portion and being successful presumption to bash thing you ever dreamed of ... The clip is close now."

After the game, Williams basked successful the atmosphere. He made a thigh astir the Coliseum, signed autographs for kids, took pictures and greeted his dad, Carl, successful the stands, who appeared to cognize what everyone other realized connected Saturday night: the Heisman trophy is wrong Williams' grasp.

The last tally connected Williams' regular play is 3,712 passing yards and 44 full touchdowns with lone 3 interceptions. But immoderate item reel they play during the Heisman ceremonial successful New York City volition bash much to authorities his lawsuit for the sport's apical idiosyncratic grant than immoderate operation of numbers can.