Williams hopes Irish draw his `king vibes'
LOS ANGELES » The familiar shouts came back in July, the budding king of Los Angeles obliging a slew of Dodgers fans for autographs on the day he tossed out a first pitch, center Justin Dedich describing the scene after practice Wednesday.
And this had, of course, become commonplace for Caleb Williams, a public-savvy star who needs no reminder for humility. But Dedich, his affable fellow captain at USC, still chimed in anyway.
“I wouldn't want that signature,” Dedich recalled joking to fans.
The two have built a close bond, quarterback and center, close enough that Dedich can accidentally snap a ball directly into Williams' groin and joke it was on purpose. Close enough he assumed the PA mic at Dodger Stadium that day in July to fire off digs at his QB.
“I try to be the guy in his life that's a little bit of a (jerk) to him,” a grinning Dedich said Wednesday. “Everyone praises him, and stuff, and I just try to make little side remarks to keep him humble.”
In the past couple weeks, Williams has shed just a hint of that public humility. In a new custom, endorsed by LeBron James himself, Williams has placed hands over his head in a gesture after touchdowns against both Colorado and Arizona.
“It's just kind of an energy thing for me, kind of a persona that I'm taking on, I guess you could say,” Williams said of the celebration, on Wednesday. “Just kind of feeling that way.”
“Just, king vibes.”
The world first saw a sneak preview of King Vibes at this same inflection point almost a year ago, USC taking down Notre Dame 38-27 at a key place in the schedule, Williams throwing for four touchdowns as receiver Jordan Addison placed an invisible crown on his quarterback's head in the midst of a runaway Heisman race. And with USC not publicly favored for the first time all season amid a trip to South Bend, with his back-to-back Heisman odds slipping everso-slightly behind Washington's Michael Penix Jr., Williams has the chance to make a similar emphatic statement
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Saturday: USC at Notre Dame, 4:30 p.m., Ch. 4
against the Fighting Irish. But oh, it will not be easy. For a full first quarter against Arizona last week, Williams looked off, overthrowing a streaking Tahj Washington, smacking his hands together repeatedly in frustration afterward. He overthrew Brenden Rice. He fired too wide on a later drive, to Washington again.
He rebounded in dramatic and emphatic fashion, realizing Arizona's defense was packing coverage and beating the Wildcats with his legs. But Williams' final numbers through the air were tempered, if not efficient — 14 of 25 for 219 yards and a score. And a look at his final line against blitzes reveals why:. He was just 6 of 14 for 84 yards, per Pro Football Focus.
It's a major point of emphasis against Notre Dame, an elite and versatile defensive unit that features five players who have generated more than 10 pressures this year (by comparison, no Pac12 team has more than four).
“Their linebackers are super aggressive … those guys are so good, they like to blitz 'em,” offensive line coach Josh Henson said Wednesday. “We gotta be ready to pick up those blitzes.”
Williams, in turn, will need to be ready for them, operating with more early assertiveness against pressure.
“Not taking sacks on first and second down is huge, and that's something I didn't do as well last game,” Williams said. “In our last game, I had three first- and second-down sacks, and in the first couple games, I think I had zero total, something like that.”
Indeed: Williams didn't take a first-or-second-down sack, actually, until USC's fourth game of the year at Arizona State. He's faced considerably more pressure against Colorado and Arizona, leading to full quarters he's looked out of rhythm, and USC was well aware — as Williams said Wednesday — that opposing teams would look to copy any successful schemes.
The Fighting Irish may mix together the best version of a blitz-and-defensive-backheavy coverage Williams has seen all year. And thus, a potential second crowning moment awaits.