Trojans’ Williams making most of being back on field
PALO ALTO » USC safety Max Williams had just finished speaking, and another question was being asked at the news conference following the 10th-ranked Trojans’ 4128 win over Stanford.
But head coach Lincoln Riley leaned toward the microphone and interrupted.
“I’ll say too, this guy’s been a warrior for us,” Riley said. “He had a little medical thing done after spring. He could have easily not pushed through spring, had it done then. He didn’t do it. He waited, got every single rep he possibly could, fought through it.
“This guy, in a lot of ways, embodies what we want in this program. The toughness and the desire to be out there.”
Riley was finished, and again a new question was being asked. But this time, quarterback Caleb Williams interrupted.
“I’ll add to that. He’s played, since I’ve got here, he’s made me better,” the QB said. “And then too, like Coach said, he fought through all those little injuries and he came back in fall and played different positions on defense, wherever they needed him. And like Coach said, that’s kind of what we need and the players we need mentality-wise.”
Riley and Caleb Williams were around for the minor injuries that Max Williams fought through, but his journey to Saturday, when he intercepted a pass on the opening drive and later forced a fumble on the goal line, is longer and more fraught than that.
It was the spring of 2021 when Williams tore his ACL, the same injury he suffered his senior year in high school. His path to a starting job as a redshirt sophomore was over. Instead, he was on the road to rehab.
Williams never took that as an off-year, however. To the contrary, there was concern
UP NEXT
FRESNO STATE AT USC
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Coliseum
TV/radio: Ch. 11 / AM 790
Records: Fresno State 1-1; USC 2-0, 1-0 in Pac-12
Fresno State update: The Bulldogs had their hearts broken against Oregon State on Saturday. FSU appeared to have wrapped up the win with a 4-yard touchdown pass from QB Jake Haener to Erik Brooks with 1:05to play, giving the Bulldogs a three-point lead. But Oregon State drove down the field and, with three seconds left at the Fresno 2-yard line, opted to go for the win rather than force overtime. A Jack Colletto keeper out of the Wildcat was successful and Fresno lost 35-32 . ... Haener had the opportunity to follow former Fresno coach Jake Dickert to Washington State but opted to stay with the Bulldogs. Through two games, he has completed 74.7% of his passes for 737yards and three TDs. ... RB Jordan Mims is averaging 5.4yards per carry to go with four touchdowns (five, including a passing TD).
USC update: The Trojans passed their first Pac-12and road tests Saturday with a 41-28win over Stanford . ... QB Caleb Williams continued his stellar play, completing 20of 27 passes for 341yards and four touchdowns without an interception . ... The lion’s share of the yards went to WR Jordan Addison, who gained 172yards on seven receptions while scoring two touchdowns for the second consecutive week.
... RB Travis Dye got more of a workhorse workload Saturday, with 14carries compared to Austin Jones’ eight. Dye gained 105yards with a touchdown . ... For the second consecutive game, USC recorded four turnovers, bringing the season total to eight. The Trojans had 19turnovers all last season.
at USC that he was working too much, pushing too hard to expedite a recovery. During practices, he could be seen running the sidelines and doing plyometrics in the corner of the field, always moving.
“The kid’s a dog,” center Brett Neilon said. “He works probably the hardest on the team.”
As Riley and Caleb Williams alluded to, it did not take long for all the newcomers at USC to appreciate Max Williams’ determination and work ethic. He bounced around wherever defensive coordinator Alex Grinch asked him, and seemed likely to land as USC’s starting nickle defensive back.
But Grinch saw safety as a greater area of need, and moved Williams to free safety late in fall camp. He came up with five tackles and a quarterback hurry in the season opener.
And then he followed it up with Saturday’s seven-tackle performance, second most on the team. On the opening drive, he saw a pass tipped by a receiver, then by teammate Calen Bullock, then grabbed it himself and returned it 32 yards into Stanford territory to give the offense an easy launching pad.
When the Cardinal were driving, threatening to make a game of it in the second quarter, Williams flew in and dislodged the ball from running back E.J. Smith’s hands to create a second turnover.
“This time last year, I was rehabbing from an injury on the sidelines, watching, not being able to contribute. So this makes me much more appreciative,” Williams said. “It’s just a blessing to be back out there making plays.”
Neilon distilled it to a simpler emotion for those who have watched Williams.
“It’s joy,” Neilon said. “He’s been through a lot and deserves all of it.”
PASADENA » UCLA did not receive a single vote in the latest AP Top 25 poll Sunday, despite outscoring opponents 90-24 through two games. It’s been five years since the Bruins have exceeded the 90-point mark through their first two games. Their defense has allowed zero points in both second halves.
Yet, the national voters didn’t seem too impressed with UCLA’s opening-week blowout of Bowling Green, followed by Saturday’s 45-7 win over FCS program Alabama State.
It is hard to draw conclusions from games in which UCLA was favored by 24½ and 48½ points, respectively. UCLA opened as a 14-point favorite over next week’s opponent, South Alabama.
“I don’t think you can look past anybody,” head coach Chip Kelly said postgame Saturday. “You really got to keep your focus on what it is and savor it. It’s a unique sport. You prepare so long for just 12 opportunities.”
Among Kelly’s messages to his players in the locker room after the win was: We only have 10 games left.
“It still feels like it just started, but it goes like that,” Kelly said, snapping his fingers. “The season feels like it’s long, but the games are short.”
The Week 2 matchup was set to feature Michigan, but the Wolverines backed out of a home-andhome for this year and next year, leaving UCLA without an opportunity to prove itself on a national stage early in the season.
That also means little possibility of a Top 25 ranking for a few more weeks.
But the Bruins can only adjust to what is in front of them. Against Alabama State on Saturday, running back Zach Charbonnet did not play at all and quarterback Dorian ThompsonRobinson was pulled in the middle of the second quarter. Kelly didn’t divulge a reason postgame, but considering both were on the sideline and remained dressed, the duo would have likely been fully involved in a game that carried greater consequence.
As a result, UCLA fans got a glimpse of the third-string and even fourth-string depth. Ethan Garbers, Chase Griffin and Chase Artopoeus all spelled Thompson-Robinson at quarterback.
Keegan Jones, Deshun Murrell, TJ Harden, Colson Yankoff and Christian Grubb all got carries in place of Charbonnet. Harden and Grubb — a redshirt junior seeing his first playing time — recorded their first collegiate touchdowns. Yankoff has gone from playing quarterback to receiver to running back throughout his
UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers, right, celebrates his second TD of Saturday’s game with Hudson Habermehl.
UP NEXT
UCLA VS. SOUTH ALABAMA
When: Saturday, 11 a.m.
Where: Rose Bowl
TV/radio: Pac-12Networks / AM 570
Records: South Alabama 2-0; UCLA 2-0
UCLA update: The Bruins coasted to a 45-7win over Alabama State in a game where head coach Chip Kelly rolled through his third-string and even fourth-string depth. … Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson played just over one quarter and running back Zach Charbonnet didn’t play at all, with Kelly only noting they were “unavailable” and declining to specify whether they were injured. … For the second straight game, UCLA held its opponent scoreless in the second half. On offense, backup quarterback Ethan Garbers completed 11of his first 12passes and had two rushing touchdowns.
South Alabama update: The Jaguars are also coming off two dominant wins, beating Central Michigan 38-24 on the road Saturday after a 48-7victory over Nicholls State to open the season. … South Alabama — playing in the Sun Belt Conference — led 38-10 over Central Michigan, racking up more than 500 yards of total offense before giving up two late fourth-quarter touchdowns. Quarterback Carter Bradley was 26of 41in the air for 354yards and three touchdowns, tied for the fourth-most passing yards in a game in program history. … UCLA is South Alabama’s lone Power 5 opponent of the season.
college journey.
Tight end Hudson Habermahl scored his first career touchdown on a 25yard catch-and-run right down the middle of the field off a pass by Thompson-Robinson.
“It was crazy,” said Habermahl, a redshirt junior who has seen limited playing time in previous years. “It felt like a blur. A dream — even though you’ve been dreaming about stuff like that your whole life. So it was really cool to happen.”
On defense, linebacker Laiatu Latu, who transferred to UCLA after health issues kept him off the field at Washington the last two seasons, forced his first career fumble. And DJ Justice, a wide receiver-turned-defensive back, recorded his first interception on Alabama State’s final drive with an athletic, leaping grab in the end zone.
“This is a game of adversity,” Kelly said of Yankoff and Latu. “And for both of those guys, they have worked so hard at overcoming some of the adverse situations that they have been in. I’m really proud of them.”
Kelly and his players went into Saturday’s game emphasizing they would respect Alabama State. And the Hornets weren’t a pushover, converting several first downs early in the game via the pass and creating some issues for the UCLA secondary to study on film.
But Kelly probably wouldn’t have planned to roll four-deep through the depth chart had the opponent been Michigan.
Offensive lineman Jon Gaines, a self-described “old guy” in his fifth season, noted the work his teammates put in during practice.
“To see a lot of guys who haven’t been able to have that many snaps to come in and really take advantage of their opportunities, it was great for them,” Gaines said. “You love to see your teammates work hard throughout the week and that hard work pay off for them.”
There may come a point later in the season when a Colson Yankoff or a DJ Justice is called upon to step in during a critical moment. If so, they’ll have fresh livegame experience in their memory bank.
And the fact that the Bruins weren’t getting national love two games into the season would likely not be on anyone’s mind.