USC quarterback Caleb Williams may have put the Trojans into the College Football Playoff and won the Heisman Trophy on one Saturday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that he will never forget.
Williams gained more total yards than any player in the history of the USC-UCLA series that started in 1929 with 502 in leading the No. 7 Trojans over the No. 16 Bruins, 48-45, after trailing 14-0 in the first quarter. He completed 32 of 43 for a career-high 470 yards and two touchdowns and rushed eight times for 32 yards and another touchdown.
“I don’t really care about that,” he said on FOX when asked about the Heisman Trophy, for which he and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud are the front runners. “I love this team. I love these guys.”
The Trojans (10-1, 8-1 Pac-12) will move up in the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday since unranked and three-touchdown underdog South Carolina destroyed No. 5 Tennessee, 63-38, in a stunning upset earlier Saturday night.
A top three team will then fall this Saturday as No. 2 Ohio State (11-0) hosts No. 3 Michigan (11-0) at noon on FOX.
With the win, USC clinched a spot in the Pac-12 championship game on Dec. 2 in Las Vegas (2 p.m. FOX) against an opponent still to be determined. The Trojans play Notre Dame Saturday to finish the regular season. UCLA (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) plays California Saturday.
USC Trailed Until The Third Quarter
Williams’ 35-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison midway through the third quarter gave USC its first lead of the game at 27-24. His 16-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Ford put the Trojans ahead 41-31 early in the fourth quarter.
“We fought. We kept fighting,” Williams said. “We were down. We kept fighting. And that’s all it comes down to.”
UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson played as spectacularly as Williams, completing 23 of 38 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns, but with three interceptions. He rushed for another 75 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns. His 30-yard TD pass to Michael Ezeike put the Bruins up 14-0 late in the first quarter.
Thompson-Robinson’s 55-yard touchdown pass to Kazmeier Allen cut USC’s lead to 41-38 early in the fourth quarter.
The Classic Offensive Showcase Came Down To Defensive Play
The 1,162 yards of offense and 93 points finally stopped with a defensive play. USC defensive back Korey Foreman sealed the game with an interception near midfield on a third-and-five pass from Thompson-Robinson with 1:26 to go.
“I’m going to be honest, they had a lot ot say all week,” Williams said. “We blocked it out. They had a lot to say today. We blocked it out. We did our job. We kept fighting. We kept on punching.”
