Lincoln Riley’s update on Caleb Williams injury speaks to QB’s warrior mentality

Lincoln Riley provided an injury update on the health of USC star quarterback Caleb Williams.

The only thing tougher than Caleb Williams is Lincoln Riley’s Norman Easter Sunday brisket.

Although USC’s defense is what let the Trojans down in the Pac-12 Championship Game vs. Utah in Las Vegas on Friday night, it was abundantly clear that Williams was not healthy throughout much of the game. He walked with an obvious limp for the better part of the evening. While he battled through an obvious injury as best as he could, he could not hold up vs. the Utah pass rush.

Apparently, Williams played through a hamstring injury after popping it out during a long run on one of USC’s early offensive possessions.

"“Definitely. He popped his hamstring on the long run that was on a second or third drive of the game,” said Riley on Williams’ injury. “I asked him at one point, ‘Are you 50 percent?’ He was not even close to 50 percent. I definitely thought about taking him out. He wouldn’t have let me, and he didn’t let me. He wouldn’t even let me take him out at the end.”"

Williams deserves a lot of credit for trying to fight on anyway, but Riley probably should have subbed in Miller Moss once it became clear Williams had virtually no mobility left to scramble out of one collapsing pocket after another. The Utah defense kept pinning its ears back on one obvious USC passing attempt after another, enough to the point where it was goodnight Trojans in Sin City.

While Utah is heading back to the Rose Bowl for the second straight season, where the Utes will probably face the Penn State Nittany Lions out of the Big Ten, USC is likely heading to the Cotton Bowl, where the Trojans will take on the Group of Five winner between the Tulane Green Wave and the UCF Knights out of The American. It is still a New Year’s Six bowl, but not the one they wanted.

Caleb Williams played through hamstring injury for much of Pac-12 title bout

Admittedly, it is understandable why Williams did not want to be taken out of the game. He was, and still might be, the favorite to win the 2022 Heisman Trophy. USC had its best chance to date to make the College Football Playoff. All the Trojans had to do was beat the rival Utes by one point in Las Vegas to secure their spot in. USC would fall apart at the seams and to lose by multiple scores.

Since Williams is only a true sophomore, he is not yet eligible for the NFL Draft. Should he play up to this standard throughout much of next season, he will be the runaway favorite to be the first player coming off the board in 2024. Williams is every bit the franchise quarterback, offering many college fans a glimpse into what it may have been like if Patrick Mahomes played at a big program.

Ultimately, we have to wonder if Williams will even be healthy enough to play in presumably the Cotton Bowl vs. the Group of Five champion. This New Year’s Six Bowl will not be until much later in the month, but hamstring injuries tend to linger. If he popped it, he may have time on his side to get back out there. Sadly, USC will have to wait another year to make the College Football Playoff.

Even in defeat, Williams earned a ton of respect by battling through adversity as best as he could.

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