Lincoln Riley says Caleb Williams is 'playing like a baller' after first half vs. Notre Dame

Caleb Williams didn’t have the most explosive or prolific first half against Notre Dame, but he was certainly the difference for USC as the Trojans took a 17-7 lead into the half. And it was enough for USC head coach Lincoln Riley to hype up his quarterback going into half.

Williams was 10-for-13 passing for 146 yards and a touchdown plus a slick rushing touchdown on a read option with less than a minute remaining in the half. So good was the handoff fake that ABC play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler didn’t initially realize that Williams still had the ball.

“It was a good read by Caleb,” Riley said of the play. “His running skills obviously show, and did big there for us.”

Throughout the first half, Williams was scrambling around and evading pressure from Notre Dame as the Irish sought to disrupt the quarterback. Riley, who coached Williams last season at Oklahoma before the pair went to USC, is used to it by now.

“I’m used to it. I’m kind of used to seeing him run around. He’s had a couple that he should’ve gotten rid of but he’s playing like a baller,” Riley said.

So much of a baller that Williams struck a little Heisman pose when coming to the bench after his rushing score.

Riley had praise for his whole team, and Williams, after a win

Speaking with ABC sideline reporter Holly Rowe after the game, Riley said that there was a lot more going on that just a few transfers coming in. The outside noise was just that, and he’s seeing some really cool stuff happening behind close doors that’s helping USC win football games.

“It’s been our players. It’s been our staff. We’ve come together in a really unique way. Everybody on the outside thinks we just brought in a couple of guys and made that happen. That could not be further from the truth. We’ve — the culture in this team is awesome. You don’t just add a couple players and something changes like this. There are really special things going on on this team,” Riley said. “We just gotta continue to find out how good we are. I mean, look at this Coliseum right now? Are you kidding me, this is awesome.”

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Riley had left the field for the first half bullish on what Williams was doing.

Not much happened in the second half to change that assessment.

“He was awesome tonight. He really was. His escapability. His playmaking ability. He can beat you in so many ways. Boy he’s special,” Riley said. “I’m glad he’s our quarterback.”