It seems like a lifetime ago.
Caleb Williams was cruising through his final season at USC when the Trojans jumped on a plane to head to South Bend. Williams came into the game with 22 touchdowns and one interception, but he had yet to face a secondary like Notre Dame.
The night proved to be a season-changer for Williams and USC. Williams threw three interceptions and was sacked six times. Al Golden’s defense made Williams look confused and unsure.
USC suffered its first loss of the season, which snowballed into the Trojans losing five of their last six games. Any hopes of winning back-to-back Heisman trophies were gone.
As the NFL Draft approached, some NFL media suddenly attacked Williams’ character for navigating the Trojans’ losing streak.
The Chicago Bears were on the clock, and it seemed like it was a marriage made in Heaven. The Bears have a history of having ordinary quarterbacks. The coaching staff and front office was taking a beating over not putting Justin Fields in position to succeed.
Williams wanted to remind people that he was the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and the quarterback with the most transferable NFL skillset.
Through two preseason games, Chicago could finally be in a position to have a high-talent quarterback, and Williams could have the opportunity to be that person just 90 minutes away from that cold night in South Bend.
The first three possessions were three-and-outs, but that’s when Williams showed the NFL why he was picked first.
Williams slid to his left and saw Tyler Scott had a step on Cincinnati’s Josh Newton. With a flick of a rest, Williams put the ball right on the money, causing Newton to have no choice but to commit a pass interference penalty. The Bears finished the possession with a field goal.
On the next possession, Williams hit Rome Odunze for a gain of 45 yards. Then Williams finished the drive by buying time looking down the field, and once he decided nothing was there, he scampered in for a seven-yard touchdown. There was never a sense of panic. Williams showed incredible poise, even if it was only a preseason game.
Williams’ final numbers were 6-13 for 75 yards, but the numbers didn’t tell the story of how good he was today.
The Bears needed Williams, and Williams needed the Bears. Thankfully, both have a short memory.
