USC-Louisville notebook: Caleb Williams sits, along with a slew of Trojans

SAN DIEGO — It was as if they were seeing a long-lost friend who had been marooned at sea, a swarm of USC players grinning ear to ear as quarterback Caleb Williams bounced up to them pregame.

Freshman Ja’Kobi Lane, Williams’ young pass-catching protege, gave him an emphatic chest bump and a vigorous hand slap. Stalwart left tackle Jonah Monheim exchanged a handshake and a mock bow. Senior running back Austin Jones gave him a brisk two-finger salute, and wide receiver Tahj Washington, Williams’ top pass-catcher just a month ago, broke into a gleeful stir-the-pot shimmy.

It was perhaps the final reminder of Williams’ impact at USC, the arm that followed Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma and transformed the Trojans into must-see television, the straw that has stirred the drink around Troy for two seasons. And perhaps, in a different world and a better bowl, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner would be slapping hands and doling out chest bumps in helmet and pads one final time.

Except he wore a white T-shirt and baggy designer jeans, and reactions to his presence appeared – in the six weeks since Williams or USC had last played a football game – almost more like he was a beloved program alumnus who had returned, rather than an actual member of the current program.

It was another hint in a long string of hints that Williams won’t return to USC next season, despite no official public updates since telling the Southern California News Group he was feeling a “tug-of-war” between coming back for another year or testing the NFL draft waters. There was his triumphant goodbye wave to the crowd at the Coliseum, after a regular-season-ending loss to UCLA. There were Coach Riley’s frequent public proclamations that USC intends to target as many as two quarterbacks in the transfer portal, a clear insurance policy for Williams’ departure. And there was the reaction to his simple presence before the Holiday Bowl kicked off Wednesday night – not exactly the reaction of a group that had seen him daily.

It gave a prime opportunity to backup Miller Moss, who took it and ran with it, making a number of gutsy throws during a four-touchdown first half. And Williams was far from the only starter sitting for USC, a program that trotted out a remarkably thin roster in San Diego.

ABSENCES LEFT AND RIGHT

Of 60 players listed on their 2023 depth chart – a general measure of the contributors to USC this season – 20 didn’t play in the Holiday Bowl due to injury, transfer status or a declaration for the NFL draft.

Gone was Williams. Gone was starting running back MarShawn Lloyd. Gone were top receiver Brenden Rice and safety Calen Bullock and cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace. USC’s group was gutted, a collection of youngsters and untested vets. The linebacker group and secondary, in particular, was razor-thin, with little experience behind stalwart inside linebackers Mason Cobb and Eric Gentry and a collection of untested defensive backs – corners Prophet Brown and Jacobe Covington, nickelback Tre’Quon Fegans, and safety Anthony Beavers Jr. earning a start.

WASHINGTON HITS 1,000

Quietly, Washington has been as important a fixture to USC’s turnaround as anyone.

For three seasons, from the doldrums of 2021 to the highs of ’22 and lows of ’23, the senior’s game has expanded every season. He became USC’s unquestioned top target this past year – and even as a number of other offensive fixtures headed to the draft and skipped their day in the Holiday Bowl, Washington elected to play and delivered an immediate and resounding impact.

In the second quarter, Washington hauled in a 29-yard bomb from Moss for a remarkable milestone: crossing the 1,000-yard threshold for the season, finishing the first half at 1,016.

“It means everything to him it was his goal/dream and for his humbleness & sacrifice … it’s his time!” Washington’s mother, Shanon Kuykendall, wrote in a text after her son’s touchdown catch.