Caleb Williams shows rare ability and improvement in Week 0 performance

If USC quarterback Caleb Williams is looking to become just the second player to repeat as a Heisman Trophy winner, he surely got his campaign started right this weekend.

Williams threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns in USC’s 56-28 win over San Jose State in Week 0, including a miraculous fumbled turned 76-yard touchdown pass. Leading On3’s Andy Staples to ask Pac-12 analyst, who was on the call for the game, Yogi Roth if anyone else in the country is capable of what Williams displayed.

“Not many that would have the guts to do it,” Roth said. “In coaching around quarterbacks, when that happens you say just don’t make a bad situation a catastrophe, just fall on it. But I think his confidence in his athleticism in terms of, hey I see the way the ball is bouncing, I can see in which it’s gonna come up to me, and then his eyes remaining downfield.”

Caleb Williams is ridiculous!

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— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 27, 2023

Roth also gave credit where it was due, shouting out wideout Tahj Washington who was on the receiving end of the touchdown and the Trojans’ staff for preparing for those kind of situations.

“And then how about Tahj Washington, he just kept running. Usually a receiver if you’re gonna run that type of route and you feel the defensive backs driving towards the line of scrimmage you’re thinking maybe it’s a scramble,” Roth explained. “But they do that scramble drill so often at practice where they know that a play is never dead. And he just kept running his route and of course ran right by the defensive backs going the opposite direction.”

“And you’re right, Caleb with his confidence to pick it up, eyes downfield, knew exactly what to look at, saw it, launched it, and gave Tahj Washington an opportunity. It wasn’t surprising, but you’re right, not many guys I think would even attempt to do that.”

Williams improving upon his Heisman-level season from last year seems nearly impossible after leading the country with 42 touchdown passes and adding 10 touchdowns on the ground to his stat line. But Roth saw new elements to Williams’ game versus San Jose State that could make him even more of a nightmare for Pac-12 defenses in 2023.

“My biggest takeaway for his game last night, and we said it towards the end I don’t know how many people tuned out by then, but really about him playing in the pocket. And his number one goal this offseason was situational football and the awareness of that. You saw it in the second quarter, he goes from right to left all the way across the field and throws it to a check down on a swing route,” Roth said. “To me, compared to last year, got through his progressions with more confidence and at a different clip. Sat in the pocket, maybe even to his own chagrin sometimes, because he did take a couple sacks.”

Williams was sacked twice on Saturday, but showing an improved ability to stay in the pocket and complete his progression is not only a great sign for the Trojans’ offense, but Williams’ future as he’ll look to transfer that skillset to the NFL in the near future.

“But the discipline to play within it and allowing the plays to develop, last year we saw his back foot in the ground and if one wasn’t there, especially his first half of the season, he took off. Go to the Oregon State game, go to the Washington State game, at times even the Arizona game last year, we called a bunch of those. And I think now you’re just seeing a guy who really attacked the offseason at the position and I can’t wait to watch it again next week,” Roth said. “Because every DC we talked to it’s a different scheme, different way, different picture. Changing it up every other snap and for Caleb to trust his eyes in their pure progression system in the pocket is something that I’m gonna take away to build into the show next week.”

There’s no question that the Trojans’ star quarterback will have a target on his back this season, as the masses and NFL evaluators will keep a close eye on whether the quarterback already drawing comparisons to Patrick Mahomes can build even more on his already impressive play style.