On a day when highly ranked teams like No. 2 Ohio State and No. 8 Clemson were upset at home, No. 6 USC avoided a similar fate and kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive with a 38-27 win over No. 15 Notre Dame. Caleb Williams led the Trojans to victory with several highlight plays and four total touchdowns, as the sophomore quarterback staked his claim for the Heisman Trophy against a strong Fighting Irish defence.
Takeaways from the Notre Dame-USC game: No. 6 Caleb Williams steals the Heisman Trophy as the Trojans cruise.
Senior running back Austin Jones also contributed significantly, surpassing the 100-yard mark in his second game as the Trojans’ featured back after star back Travis Dye suffered a season-ending injury. The Trojans gave up some big plays on defence.
With 6:03 remaining, the Fighting Irish forced a punt and took possession down 31-21, but USC defensive back Caleb Bullock jumped in front of a Drew Pyne pass intended for star Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer and intercepted it. On the following possession, facing a fourth-and-2, Williams kept the ball for a 16-yard touchdown run to seal the game.
Takeaways from the Notre Dame-USC game: No. 6 Caleb Williams steals the Heisman Trophy as the Trojans cruise.
Under first-year coach Lincoln Riley, USC enters next week’s Pac-12 Championship Game with an 11-1 record. Meanwhile, Notre Dame finishes its first regular season under coach Marcus Freeman with an 8-4 record.Caleb Williams steals the spotlight.
A quick glance at the box score is insufficient for evaluating Williams’ performance against the Fighting Irish. His 232 yards passing were his third-lowest of the season, but that number does not tell the story of how well he controlled the game. On a second-and-13 play late in the third quarter, Williams ran backwards, evaded multiple defenders, and converted a potential sack into a 19-yard gain that moved the Trojans into Notre Dame territory.
Takeaways from the Notre Dame-USC game: No. 6 Caleb Williams steals the Heisman Trophy as the Trojans cruise.
A few plays later, he avoided another sack and taunted Notre Dame’s defence on his way to a 3-yard touchdown that put USC up 31-14 early in the fourth quarter. The Oklahoma transfer repeatedly avoided potential sacks to buy time for his receivers to get open. Though his numbers from the game don’t jump out at you, that’s partly because USC only had nine possessions… well, eight if you don’t count the Trojans’ final possession, when they kneeled the football.