Caleb Williams stuns Folsom Field crowd with six touchdown tosses

BOULDER, Colo. — It’s no secret that the reigning Heisman Trophy winner embraces his matchups on the road.

There’s something about the noise levels, and vulgarity from the fans, that brings out the best in Caleb Williams. After all, he guided USC to 48-41 victory over Colorado, and silenced the hostile crowd of 54,032 at Folsom Field with another stellar performance.

Williams came out on fire, and led the Trojans on five touchdown drives in the first half. He shredded the Buffaloes’ secondary with his arm and vision downfield. Not to mention he completed 30 of his 40 passes for 403 yards. Although he made a rare mistake and threw the first interception of his junior campaign, Williams’ six touchdown tosses were a season-high.

Everyone was anticipating an offensive shootout between the Trojans and Buffaloes, especially with high-caliber quarterback play from both teams. Williams felt he answered the bell each time, and enjoyed the rhythm of USC’s offense. In his mind, there’s nothing like watching all of USC’s hard work pay off on the gridiron.

“We work throughout the week, each week for those moments, rather it’s a third and long, rather the crowd is loud, they score and then we have to go score and answer, or whatever the case may be,” Williams said. “We practiced for all of those moments over and over throughout the week, even before the season started.”

As gratifying as the win was for the Trojans, Williams understands there’s plenty of room for improvement. USC (5-0) finished the game with a season-low, 498 yards of total offense. On top of that Colorado led USC in plays, yards, first downs and time of possession. In Williams’ eyes that’s unacceptable, but what matters to him the most is the win.

The Pac-12 is loaded this season from top to bottom, and there’s plenty of parity. Williams expects to get the best from every opponent, so he always has to match the intensity. It’s a non-stop grind for the Washington D.C. native, but he’s a quarterback that makes others around him better.

“Things have been working and you got to keep working hard, it’s the only way things keep being smooth and feeling that way,” he said.”

Williams knows it’s a team game, so he never wants to take full credit for anything. Quarterbacks receive the most credit for victories, and take the shoulder of the blame for losses. It all comes with the territory of being the big man on campus. USC’s offense has been a well-oiled machine throughout the year because everyone is doing their part on the field. That’s why Williams loves his teammates, and expects the success to continue.

“A lot of credit goes to the offensive line, you can’t have that many passing yards and touchdowns like I had without the wide receivers catching the balls, doing their jobs, and running backs carrying out fakes,” the 21-year old said. “So it’s a team effort for me to go out there and put up those numbers.”

Williams currently leads the entire FBS in passing efficiency and touchdown tosses. USC is averaging 53.6 points per game, which ranks first nationally. He’s also the third quarterback in the Pac-12 era to throw for six touchdowns in a single game. There’s no denying Williams is the favorite for this year’s Heisman after his magnificent outing against the Buffaloes. He clearly took advantage of the spotlight, and snatched the red carpet from under Coach Prime.

Williams is digging the energy Coach Prime is bringing to Colorado, and the Pac-12 overall. His experience in Boulder will be memorable for many reasons, and Williams is going to make sure he builds off that momentum.

“It’s something about going on the road, it gets you up in the morning, you can’t sleep at night, it’s fun, it’s enjoyable, they did a great job, but we came out with a win, which is most important.”