University Southern California Trojans
Final Thoughts: USC QB Caleb Williams' Record Night Leads Trojans to Seventh Win
October 30, 2022 | Football
Final Thoughts: USC defeats Arizona, 45-37
Caleb Continues to Roll:
Quarterback Caleb Williams continued where he left off before the bye and had another career night on Saturday. He finished 31 of 45 for 411 yards and five touchdowns. His 411 passing yards are the most he's put up in a single game in his career. And it came on a night when USC was down two of its key receiving targets in Jordan Addison and Mario Williams. Williams has also surpassed his career high for starts at the college level with eight under his belt this year. The Trojans' finished with its highest yardage total of the season Saturday with 621 on the night. USC's previous high was 556 yards which came against Utah.
"Awesome, gutsy win," head coach Lincoln Riley said following the game. "With the way the last few weeks have gone, for our guys to come in here and overcome a lot of things out of our control. I was proud of this win as any of the seven this year. Without a doubt."
Playing through Adversity:
Despite coming off their bye, the Trojans were down many key contributors against Arizona. Offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees, inside linebackers Eric Gentry and Ralen Goforth, rush end Korey Foreman, and wide receivers Jordan Addison and Mario Williams all did not suit up Saturday. Riley praised the many faces that contributed in light of USC's injuries and credited them for stepping up to the occasion.
"Mario physically wasn't ready," Riley explained. "He had a little tweak come up. We expected him to be available and then pregame, gave it a go and just wasn't ready. Our other other guys really stepped up. Guys made some big plays."
"Everybody that didn't play today was a physical issue," Riley added later.
More Trojans Step Up:
Due to USC's injuries at wide receiver, many Trojans got involved on offense Saturday. Ten different receivers had receptions. Redshirt junior Kyle Ford scored his first touchdown on the season and recorded his first 100-plus game receiving. Tahj Washington led USC's receivers tonight with seven receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
"I mean so many guys stepping up," Riley said. "You kind of lose count if we were to name them all, honestly, right now."
"Sometimes when you don't have your top two guys, you get to spread the ball around a little bit more," Williams said following the game. "Those guys stepped up. I put the ball where I thought was best and those guys went and made some good catches."
Bryson gets the Ball:
USC's turnover margin stayed positive tonight thanks to an interception by safety Bryson Shaw. It was his first as a Trojan and had a key role in shifting the momentum in Saturday's game. Overall, USC's defense played in many new formations with new personnel in order to combat Arizona's powerful passing attack. Head coach Lincoln Riley credited USC's defense for playing through multiple injuries and embracing the "next man up" mentality.
"Coach [Alex] Grinch does an awesome job getting us ready to gameplan," Shaw said Saturday night. "He told me that play was coming all night…I saw the formation, remembered what Coach Grinch told me and I made a play."
Add another 'W':
Overall, Riley credited USC for fighting through many challenges and earning a gritty win. He has often preached that conference games on the road are like "gold," due to the experience gained from the challenge. The Trojans successfully exited the desert Saturday night with a "golden" win and now sit at 7-1 on the season.
"The number of things that didn't go our way was a long list," Riley said. "I don't know many teams that would have responded like this. So I just think the mindset of this team was in a really, really good place tonight. There's going to be plays that we're going to want back and things that we got to do better. But if our mindset stays that way, we're gonna keep making progress."
