Caleb Williams felt something clearly wrong with his hamstring at the conclusion of a 59-yard rush on USC's ninth offensive play of Saturday's Pac-12 championship game—a swerving, tackle-breaking gallop that should have dispelled any remaining doubts about the rightful recipient of the Heisman Trophy.
Have you ever had a worn-out rubber band? Williams remarked while grinning sarcastically. "That's sort of how it felt,"
I hear an old rubber band crack. The move caused his quarterback to "pop a hamstring," according to USC coach Lincoln Riley. It was the start of a chain of misfortunes that would ultimately cost the Trojans the Pac-12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. USC led 47-24 over Utah after scoring on its first three drives for a 17-3 advantage, a collapse that was loudly cheered on by Ohio State supporters everywhere. By virtue of this outcome, the Buckeyes seem to have fallen out of the CFP.
Williams claimed he tried to remember what Kobe Bryant had said: "The game is larger than what you're experiencing" as he limped through the remainder of the game. Williams persisted and continued his business. At one point, Riley questioned if he was even 50% healthy and whether Miller Moss, the backup, should enter the contest. Riley remarked, "He wasn't even close to 50%." He refused to allow me to take him out. Even after the game got out of hand, he refused to let me pull him out. … One of the most courageous performances you'll ever watch, s—-.
USC QB Caleb Williams was injured early in Saturday’s game but continued to play.
Williams only showed courage; USC received no praise. And no protection. Don't tackle. No competing. No bringing down-the-ground runners. No chance of winning a national title until the defense is improved.
Under Riley and his outstanding group of transfers, USC made rapid strides, going from 4-8 to 11-1 and a No. 4 rating going into this game. The Trojans, however, ultimately resembled Riley's Oklahoma teams in that they were run through and outplayed defensively because they lacked the physical tenacity required to win national championships. Utah, on the other hand, had a startling average of 9.4 yards per play.
Riley will have to give Alex Grinch, who served as his defensive coordinator for Oklahoma's past three seasons, a lot of thought before deciding whether or not to stay on. Throughout the whole season, this unit was fragile, and once the Utes' hard-charging offense took over, it utterly disintegrated. The Utes scored on five of their final six possessions, just as they did in October when Utah defeated USC 43-42 in Salt Lake City. The Trojans were simply pummelling until they stopped wanting to engage in tackles.
We discussed imposing our will, according to Utah quarterback Cameron Rising. "And we did just that."
On Saturday, both quarterbacks performed admirably. Williams struggled for a large portion of the game while throwing for 363 yards and three touchdowns. Rising passed for 310 yards and three touchdowns while also demonstrating his resilience by just missing one play following a brutal (but clean) hit that caused his helmet to fly off in the third quarter. Williams, though, was the one who had a message written under his fingernails that ultimately came back to haunt him. He painted "F—- Utah" on his fingers, which Rising claimed he was unaware of when questioned about it afterward.
Rising responded, "I don't give an s—-. He is free to add anything he pleases; it is what it is. I hope he enjoyed it.
USC ultimately paid a price for participating in this game. This year's conference championship games only put the regular-season champions of the SEC (Georgia), Big Ten (Michigan), Big 12 (TCU), and here in the Pac-12, USC, in double jeopardy. While the teams who were closest to them in the College Football Playoff rankings—No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Alabama—had already played their last games last weekend, they made up the top four. The top teams could only work their way down the rankings, giving someone who didn't qualify for the championship game a chance to enter.
And now it appears like Ohio State will gain from USC's setback. During the postgame interview on national television, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham stated to the head coach of the Buckeyes, "Coach [Ryan] Day, you're welcome." Ohio State sneaks into the Playoff after losing to Michigan by a score of 22 at home in its last contest.
Even still, it's difficult to feel too badly for USC after Utah, a three-loss team, totally trucked it. If Williams had limped about for three quarters and the Trojans had won by a score, that would have been unfair. When you concede 47 in a game that you know you must win, the issue is with you, not with the system. All the playoff buzz surrounding USC and the fact that the Trojans were still considered favorites after their defeat in Salt Lake City provided Whittingham with exactly the type of inspiration he's always desired for a team that has always pulled itself up by its bootstraps.
For the second straight season, Utah will play in the Rose Bowl as Pac-12 champions.
Whittingham recalled, "We held a team meeting and decided whether or not we should even show up for kickoff because they were already headed to the playoffs." "We held a small grudge against one other."
The Utes are Pac-12 champions and will compete in the Rose Bowl for the second consecutive season. They have defeated a school that is slated to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in 2024, making them a well-liked champion around the conference.
Despite all the advancements USC has made under Riley, there is still a long way to go. His three Oklahoma playoff teams all fell in the semifinals after giving up 63 points to LSU in 2019 against LSU, 45 to Alabama in 2018, and 54 (in overtime) to Georgia in 2017. Riley is the best quarterback development in the sport and an offensive genius, but winning at the latter end of the season requires more than flashy plays and scores.
Stopping the competition also counts.
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