Coming in as a preseason favorite to win the Pac-12 and make the College Football Playoff, the USC Trojans football team now finds themselves on the outside looking in, with their former Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams, likewise out of the running for the coveted individual award (currently tenth best odds, according to FanDuel). This is certainly not how anyone in the Southern California area envisioned this season unfolding.
Over the past three weekends, USC football has nearly gone into a tailspin, suffering two consecutive losses to No. 21 Notre Dame in South Bend and then to No. 14 Utah the following week at home in the LA Coliseum. They squeaked out a 50-49 win over Cal, but it didn't feel much like one.
USC football, Caleb Williams struggles with latest opponents
USC was completely overmatched in their loss to the Fighting Irish, where Williams resembled nothing like his Superman-like self who had previously rescued the Trojans from multiple defensive collapses. Instead, he couldn't escape Notre Dame defenders who sacked him a season-high six times, limiting him to throw for 199 yards and one touchdown, along with three interceptions. USC lost by 28 points.
The Utah game was different. It was yet another defensive catastrophe that has been a recurring theme for USC football going back to last season, a problem that has followed Lincoln Riley from his time at Oklahoma. The Trojans lost by only two points after Utah's quarterback, Bryson Barnes, skillfully maneuvered downfield inside the USC 20-yard-line with just five seconds left, allowing Utah to secure a game-winning field goal.
Williams, who initially gave the Trojans a late lead by calling his own number and rushing for an 11-yard touchdown with 1:46 left in the game, should have secured the win. However, it wasn't to be. It marked the second consecutive loss for USC, and an even more unusual day for Williams, who didn't throw a single touchdown for the first time in 21 games.
Last week was the Cal game, a team with only three wins, seemingly one of the weakest teams in the Pac-12 conference. Yet, poor play from USC's defense made it a close contest. Williams, on the other hand, had to fight for his life once again due to USC's struggling offensive line play. He suffered his second-highest number of sacks in a game this season (4) against a defense that had only seven sacks in total prior to that game. Other than that, things were back to normal for Williams, as he threw for 369 yards and accounted for four total scores.
Is Caleb Williams still the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Heading into this season, most believed that if Williams could, he would have been in the NFL this season, possibly even as the No. 1 pick. He already had all the accolades, just not the college experience to do so. So, with his recent struggles, does that hurt his draft stock? Has he not only fallen out of the Heisman Trophy race but also the NFL Draft's No. 1 pick contention?
Believe it or not, Williams's current struggles could actually work in his favor, as long as he can avoid injury. The problem with most high draft picks coming out of college is that they suffer from the lack of talent around them. Some of their problems are masked by everything from their wide receivers to, especially, their offensive lines.
Most teams that have high draft pick quarterbacks face a number of issues, and offensive line problems are common. Just look at Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young currently, who has nothing noteworthy surrounding him offensively. When franchises are in a slump, they first seek their quarterback and then build around them, meaning that the first few seasons can be a bit challenging.
Maybe Williams, believe it or not, is in the imperfectly perfect situation with this USC football team currently. Bloated stat sheets and impressive throws are one thing, and by no means should they go unnoticed. But the ability to mask problems, and in Williams's case, evade tacklers coming at will due to shoddy offensive line play, is necessary and a part of the unwritten job description for NFL quarterbacks. If there's one thing that Williams has done while at USC, it's masked a litany of problems.
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