Lincoln Riley compares Caleb Williams, Dorian Thompson-Robinson entering rivalry matchup

In a matchup of two excellent quarterbacks, Lincoln Riley is still riding with his guy, USC quarterback Caleb Williams. No disrespect to UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson intended.

Ahead of the Los Angeles rivalry showdown, Riley got asked about the quarterback matchup and the value of Thompson-Robinson’s experience versus Williams’s fearless newness. Riley, with an almost bemused look on his face, said he doesn’t think the atmosphere on Saturday will be too much for either quarterback.

“They’ve both played in pretty big games,” Riley said. “Dorian’s obviously been playing for a long time. Caleb’s played in a lot of, not only rivalry games but games with title implications. And those are getting different this time of year. I mean I think both guys are obviously very good players. But I like where our guy’s been, some of the battles he’s been in. And they will help him play well.”

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Williams has been dynamic for the Trojans this season, passing for 3010 yards in 10 games to go with another 283 on the ground. He has 37 total touchdowns — 31 passing and six on the ground. Williams has thrown two interceptions this season.

Thompson-Robinson has been producing at only a slightly lower rate. He’s got 2385 passing yards in the Bruins run-heavy scheme, while adding 462 rushing yards to date. He’s got 27 total touchdowns, including seven on the ground. He’s only got four interceptions.

Most teams would be plenty happy to have either at quarterback, and Riley is confidently riding with Williams.

Riley recently made a case for Williams to win the Heisman

Williams currently holds +787 odds to win the Heisman Trophy. That ranks fourth among all candidates, and Riley discussed exactly why his QB1 deserves to win college football’s most prestigious award.

“He’s playing at a really high level. He’s had one turnover, a lot of touchdowns. His team has won a lot of games. He’s done it different ways; here as of late he’s done it without some really impactful players both on the line and obviously at the skill positions,” Riley said of his quarterback. “He’s been as valuable as any player in the country and I think it’s pretty simple.

“This stuff always plays out. A lot of that stuff, just like conference races will be decided here as time goes, but up to this point, I don’t think there has been a better, more valuable player in college football than him.”