The USC Trojans had plenty of what-ifs in their 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game defeat to the Utah Utes. For one, USC quarterback Caleb Williams dealt with a nagging hamstring injury in the contest.
Williams suffered the ailment after completing a 59-yard run in the first quarter. As USC needed a win to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive, Williams stayed in the game, and he willed himself to lead the Trojans offense the rest of the way. The versatile quarterback finished with 363 passing yards and three touchdown passes against Utah, but the Utes had the last laugh in the conference matchup via a 47-24 victory, as they clinched a spot in the 2023 Rose Bowl Game.
Williams believes that had he been healthy in the Pac-12 title game, USC’s 2022 campaign could have had a different ending.
“Myself would be, mainly, make sure that I keep my body healthy,” Williams said during a recent appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” program. “The outcome could have been a little different if I was healthy that last game (Pac-12 Championship Game) and I truly believe that.
“But that’s not the situation that went down. Make sure my body’s healthy. Also, a lot of it’s just going to be mental. A lot of it’s going to be mental, progressing mentally throughout football.”
Williams did what he could against Utah, but in the end, the Trojans failed to contain the Utes' high-octane rushing attack. USC head coach Lincoln Riley later called Williams a “warrior” for the resilience that he showed in the game.
“Hamstrings are different for everybody, but the nature of his is pretty severe,” Riley said on Dec. 4. “If we played in the next couple of weeks, he would most likely not be available. … He’s a warrior. He fought through it the other night when a lot of guys really wouldn’t. But he’s pretty sore, as you would expect.”
Williams received the green light to play in USC’s 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic clash against Tulane, where he logged 462 passing yards and five touchdown passes. The 2022 Heisman Trophy award winner capped off his sophomore season with 42 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing scores.
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