Caleb Williams: 'We're trying to make everyone feel our pain'

Caleb Williams made his message loud and clear following USC’s 56-10 win over Stanford to improve to 3-0 on the season.

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner was flawless again, for what it’s worth. Stanford really had not shot to stop Williams on this night.

And if this is the type of performance on a weekly basis, give the Heisman right back to Williams and put USC in the College Football Playoff. 

“I prepare each week for each team the same,” Williams said postgame after playing just the first half. “I prepare to play four quarters plus, for whatever goes on within games. It’s hard to win football games. Sometimes it looks easy, but it is hard. You go through weeks and summers and springs of training and things like that just to get to this point. So you treat everything the same. You treat everyone the same.”

That’s where Williams made it clear about what he’s trying to do to opposing teams on the football field.

“I’m not pacing myself at all,” Williams said. “I’m going out there trying to kill. It’;s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to make everybody feel our pain and put it on our own terms, like coach said. To take that identity of ourselves and figure that out. 

“We’re on that path to figuring out ourselves and not worrying about whatever everybody on the outside has to say. There’s no page, there’s not anything like that, we’re just trying to get better and focus on that day, that week and keep chugging along.”

Lincoln Riley said the same thing. It’s a killer instinct.

“A team has to have a killer instinct to reach its potential,” Riley said postgame. “We’re getting ready to go on the road a lot here in the next several weeks. To go on the road you’ve got to be a killer, that’s just part of it. New challenges are coming up for us. 

“I’m excited about how we’re progressing. But we have to keep doing it and keep getting ready for these challenges. But I believe in this group and I believe we will be.”

Williams went 19-of-22 passing for 281 yards, three touchdowns and ran just one for 21 yards and a touchdown. On the season, Williams already has 878 yards, 12 touchdowns, zero interceptions, a 78.6% completion percentage, 61 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

USC hits the road in two weeks after an open week and will take on Arizona State September 23 the next time out.