It started with a five-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams to junior wide receiver Jordan Addison.
The first points of Williams’ USC career. The first points of last year’s Biletnikoff award winner’s USC career.
The first points under head coach Lincoln Riley.
“We understand this is just the beginning,” Riley said, “and there’s so, so much left, obviously, for us. So much better to play. So much better to coach.”
Once No. 14 USC got on the board, the Trojans stayed the course and crushed Rice 66-14 Saturday.
Williams orchestrated the offense to almost symphonic perfection, completing 16 of his first 17 passes and finishing 19-of-22 for 249 yards. Williams added in hints of his signature running ability, totaling 68 yards on the ground and breaking a few ankles along the way.
“[Williams] played just very much in control and very much at ease,” Riley said. “I think when quarterbacks are playing at a high level, it often looks like that to me.”
Addison and Tahj Washington were Williams’ main targets. Addison accounted for two touchdowns and 54 yards while Washington hauled in four receptions for 65 yards.
“[Addison] got here and it was almost as if we had been throwing to each other for the past year,” Williams said. “It’s been easy. It was really cool to get him the ball, let him get his first touchdown in the Coli.”
Williams was also the focal point of USC’s running game. Redshirt senior Travis Dye, freshman Raleek Brown and senior Austin Jones each had productive performances but only combined for 78 yards by the end of the third quarter. Williams ran for 68 yards in that same timeframe. The somewhat tame ground effort was a result of USC’s emphasis on dominating in the air rather than poor performances from the running backs.
“You can’t just key in on one player,” Addison said. “We have too many weapons, and hopefully we’re gonna put up 50 a game.”
If you’re noticing a trend here, it’s that most of these names mentioned weren’t Trojans last year.
Only three players from last season’s roster even touched the ball on offense through three quarters: Washington, redshirt freshman tight end Lake McRee and redshirt freshman wide receiver Kyron Hudson.
Unlike the offense, the defense didn’t immediately show the same improvement from a season ago.
Rice’s first drive consisted of 16 plays and four third downs, yet the USC defense was unable to make a stop and get off the field. In the second quarter, redshirt senior running back Cameron Montgomery broke away for a 55-yard run that may have resulted in a scoring drive for the Owls had a dropped pass not led to a pick-six from sophomore defensive back Calen Bullock.
“It was certainly missed opportunities,” Grinch said when asked about the early sluggish defense. “We know that and we have to make sure we’re better in that way.”
Bullock’s pick-six was one of three USC had on the day, and it tied USC and the Pac-12′s record for most interceptions returned for a touchdown in a single game.
The pick-sixes came primarily as a result of Rice miscues rather than the Trojans making great defensive plays. Two of the three pick-sixes,including Bullock’s,came off a tipped pass by a Rice wide receiver. The third was a touch pass directly into senior linebacker Ralen Goforth’s hands — although the USC defensive line created pressure that rushed an errant throw.
Once the second half rolled around, the USC defense held the Rice offense to a standstill. The Owls put up a total of 62 yards of offense in the second half, a dropoff compared to the 218 they posted in the first half.
Rice’s second-half collapse was a result of USC’s third-down defense (and, of course, from two of the aforementioned pick-sixes and another interception for good measure). After allowing Rice to convert 5 of 7 third down attempts in the first half, the Owls went 1-of-8 after halftime.
Riley said he was proud of the fans that came in the sweltering heat to see USC’s historic performance.
“We’re going to keep working until people can’t even stand the thought of not coming to a USC football game,” Riley said.
With the win, the Trojans start the season off 1-0 and will travel to Stanford next weekend, looking to avenge the loss that sealed former head coach Clay Helton’s fate a season ago.