Caleb Williams’ repeat Heisman bid ends in brutal performance vs Notre Dame

Wait a minute, you might say. There’s still half a season left to play. Caleb Williams’ repeat Heisman Trophy candidacy is not over. Right?

Wrong.

It’s over. Maybe not in a narrowly technical sense, but it’s over in a larger and more realistic sense.

This was not one of the special USC-Notre Dame games ever played. This was not an especially great Notre Dame team. The Irish have a terrific defense, and that won the game for them, but their offense — as you could see — struggled to move the ball consistently against Alex Grinch’s defense. Notre Dame’s offense didn’t have to do much work at all.

Caleb Williams did most of the work for the Irish offense. He relieved them of the burden of having to drive the ball 70, 80 or 90 yards down the field.

Why did Caleb Williams’ Heisman bid end on Saturday night in South Bend? The loss speaks for itself, but the details were also ugly, and there are other points to be made about the 2023 Heisman race:

BAD START

One of the big things Caleb Williams has done is avoid turnovers. Couldn’t have a worse mistake with a terrible throw and interception to start the game against Notre Dame.

— Alicia de Artola Castillo (@PenguinOfTroy) October 14, 2023

THIS DIDN’T HELP

Michael Tarquin got beaten immediately on that INT, which put pressure immediately in Caleb’s face, thus the rushed/inaccurate throw.

— RichSC (@OriginalRichSC) October 14, 2023

BUT THE THROW SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE

Disastrous start. Caleb had McRee open and overfloated it. No reason to miss that badly there.

— Reign of Troy (@ReignofTroy) October 14, 2023

ACCURATE ANALYSIS

The OL isn’t playing great yet but they’re playing a little better after that last drive. That unit has to assert itself tonight, Notre Dame’s front seven is tougher than our guys so far. Need to rectify that.

— RichSC (@OriginalRichSC) October 15, 2023

NEEDS TO IMPROVE

Justin Dedich collecting a lot of penalties this season at center. He’s a veteran, that shouldn’t happen.

— RichSC (@OriginalRichSC) October 14, 2023

NO JUICE

USC at the half

Methodical Drive %: 28.6%Big Play % (12+ yards): 8.5%Negative Play %: 19.1%

— USC Analytics (@USCanalytics) October 15, 2023

BECAUSE IT ISN’T SETTING UP THE BIG PLAY

#USC has run more designed runs in this first half than it has in the last few games it seems.

But it hasn’t been working.

— Ryan Abraham (@insidetroy) October 15, 2023

POINT BLANK

Our o line is bad. Right side is horrendous

— James Carson (@scottm2032) October 15, 2023

BLUNT TRUTH

The Wide Receivers have been bad this season

— MANOLO (@rulerofgap) October 15, 2023

UNEXPECTED

Kyle McCord of Ohio State played better against Notre Dame’s defense than Caleb Williams did.

A sentence I never expected to write.

— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 15, 2023

WE WERE WRONG

“In 2023, we’re not going to see a clunker on par with Oregon State 2022.” — Matt Zemek

Taking a lot of Ls tonight.

— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 15, 2023

WE WERE WRONG, PART TWO

“Surely, Caleb Williams won’t be average or worse for two consecutive weeks.” — Trojans Wire editor Matt Zemek

Like USC, it seems I will have to take the L here.

— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) October 15, 2023

WHY THE HEISMAN IS ESSENTIALLY OVER FOR CALEB WILLIAMS

Oct 7, 2023; Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Williams did not play especially well against either Arizona State or Arizona. It’s not as though he was in peak form entering this game, even though he was carrying this team and doing what USC needed him to do. Heisman campaigns, for repeat winners or first-time winners, can’t have too many ordinary games. Caleb has had a lot of ordinary games over the past four weeks, but this one came against Notre Dame on national television. Too many Heisman voters were watching this game and will find this clunker impossible to ignore. A mediocre game against Arizona late at night in a win? Not too many will care. This? In South Bend in prime time? Different story.

THE REPEAT FACTOR

Jan 1, 1976; Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Archie Griffin of Ohio State is the only two-time Heisman winner. If anyone does repeat, that player has to clearly be head and shoulders above everyone else. If a defending Heisman champion doesn’t separate from the field, someone else will win. That’s reality. Caleb Williams has already dug too big a hole.

USC’S SEASON

Oct 14, 2023; Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

USC is almost certain to lose at least two games this season and miss the College Football Playoff. USC lost two games in the 2022 regular season (including the Pac-12 title game) and missed the playoff. Caleb still won the Heisman because he clearly did transcend the rest of the field. Frequently, the Heisman — in the 21st century — has gone to a player who was in the national championship conversation to some degree in late November. Caleb was in the conversation last year. Not being in the conversation this year (assuming USC loses one more game before Thanksgiving) will undeniably hurt. USC probably did need to make the playoff in 2023 for a Caleb repeat to be a strong possibility.

MICHAEL PENIX

Sep 23, 2023; Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Penix made big-boy throws late in a big and important game Washington won against Oregon. That game received national attention and represented the kind of stage on which a Heisman candidacy could blossom. Penix seized the moment and is obviously way ahead of Caleb Williams. Oregon’s Bo Nix lost to Penix but didn’t play poorly. He can play his way into the conversation. Dillon Gabriel of Oklahoma and Jordan Travis of Florida State could be in the playoff. There’s just too much traffic in front of Williams.

THE USC ROSTER

Oct 14, 2023; Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Zachariah Branch (shown above) is a special player, but he’s a freshman and is still learning how to play. The veterans on the USC offense just didn’t help Caleb enough, and it’s hard to see how they will be able to help Caleb reach supreme heights over the remaining month and a half.

Nov 26, 2022; Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

We can all appreciate what Jordan Addison brought to USC in 2022. His speed and route running were so lethally effective that the Trojans were able to spread out opposing defenses with great consistency. No USC receiver has been able to get open in 2023 the way Addison did one year ago. This is a key reason USC’s offense won’t be good enough to help Caleb Williams repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner.

ANDREW VORHEES AND BRETT NEILON

Nov 5, 2022; Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

What Vorhees and Neilon gave to this offensive line one year ago also looks so much bigger and better and more important today, in 2023. The USC offensive line is so much worse without these two Trojan warriors.

Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire