PASADENA, Calif. — Caleb Williams bolstered Southern California’s push for a possible spot in the College Football Playoff with the biggest game of his career against the Trojans’ arch-rival.
He also might have to book a trip to New York next month as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Williams had 503 yards of total offense and accounted for three touchdowns Saturday night and the seventh-ranked Trojans beat No. 16 UCLA 48-45 on Saturday night to reach the Pac-12 Championship game.
“If you told me last year where we’d be now, I’d call you a dead liar,” wide receiver Kyle Ford said.
The Trojans (10-1, 8-1) got their first win of the season over a ranked team. They will wait to see who their opponent will be on Dec. 2 in Las Vegas for the conference crown.
“It’s obviously very, very meaningful,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. “With all that was riding on it on top of that, it was a clutch performance by our football team to get it done.”
Williams completed 32 of 43 passes for 470 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. The sophomore also rushed for 33 yards and a score. It was the second-most passing yards by a USC quarterback in 92 editions of the Crosstown Showdown.
“I’ve played in like two other games that are rivalries, and I went into this game expecting the same thing. You’ve got to do your job, and do your job at a high level and keep playing, keep swinging,” Riley said.
In the first matchup where both LA schools were led by a Black quarterback, Williams outdueled UCLA counterpart Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
The fifth-year senior accounted for all six Bruins’ touchdowns and 384 yards of total offense, but also had four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble) that the Trojans converted into 10 points.
“Obviously, I feel disappointment, a lot of it on myself,” Thompson-Robinson said. “At the quarterback position, can’t have (four) turnovers and win the game, it’s just not acceptable.”
The Trojans had a season-high 648 yards of total offense. Williams completed passes to nine players, but his favorite target was Jordan Addison, who had 11 receptions for 178 yards and a touchdown.
Williams performance was the latest in a string of great games that has vaulted him into Heisman Trophy consideration. In his last five games, Williams has 2,027 yards of total offense and has accounted for 23 touchdowns.
“We played against as good a quarterback as I’ve faced in my college career, watching what Caleb did tonight, so I would give Caleb a lot of credit and say he’s a heck of a quarterback,” UCLA coach Chip Kelly said.
USC fell behind 14-0 before rallying. The Trojans scored on eight of nine drives, including five straight, after coming up empty on their first three possessions.
UCLA (8-3, 5-3) got the ball with 2:21 remaining after forcing USC to punt with a chance to win or force overtime. The Bruins got to midfield but their hopes of a comeback evaporated when Thompson-Robinson was picked off by Korey Foreman at midfield with 1:26 remaining.
Thompson-Robinson was 23 of 38 for 309 yards and passed for four touchdowns. He also rushed for 75 yards and two scores.
SOUTH CARLINA 63, NO. 5 TENNESSEE 38
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Spencer Rattler threw for 438 yards and six touchdowns as South Carolina beat Tennessee, all but eliminating the Volunteers from the playoffs.
Tennessee (9-2, 6-2 Southeastern, No. 5 CFP) may have also lost Heisman Trophy candidate Hendon Hooker, who left the game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury, falling and fumbling without being hit.
Even before the injury, the quarterback of the night was Rattler, who went from Heisman contender to the bench at Oklahoma in 2021.
The junior came into the night with nine interceptions and eight touchdowns and averaging 198 yards a game passing for South Carolina (7-4, 4-4).
Hooker was 25 of 42 for 247 yards and three TDs before his injury. There was no immediate word on the severity of his hurt leg, but he did not return to the game.
NO. 1 GEORGIA 16, KENTUCKY 6
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kenny McIntosh rushed for a career-best 143 yards, including a crucial 9-yard score late in the third quarter, and Georgia withstood Kentucky’s fourth-quarter rally.
McIntosh rushed 19 times with a 26-yarder for the Bulldogs (11-0, 8-0 SEC, No. 1 CFP), who outgained Kentucky 365-297. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett completed 13 of 19 for 116 yards with an interception.
Kentucky (6-5, 3-5) lost for the fifth time in seven games. Will Levis completed 20 of 31 for 206 yards with an interception for the Wildcats.
NO. 2 OHIO STATE 43, MARYLAND 30
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Dallan Hayden scored three touchdowns in the second half of Ohio State’s victory over Maryland to set up a monumental matchup of unbeatens next weekend between the Buckeyes and rival Michigan.
Maryland (6-5, 3-5) led 13-10 at halftime, and the Buckeyes were up just 33-30 when they turned the ball over on downs at the Maryland 42 with 6:36 remaining in the game. Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten, No. 2 CFP) forced a three-and-out and then ran out much of the clock before making a field goal and scoring a defensive touchdown with 9 seconds remaining.
Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa completed 26 of 36 passing attempts for 293 yards and two touchdowns.
NO. 3 MICHIGAN 19, ILLINOIS 17
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Jake Moody made a go-ahead, 35-yard field goal with nine seconds left, lifting Michigan to a win over Illinois.
The Wolverines (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten, No. 3 CFP) played much of the second half without star running back Blake Corum, who grabbed his left knee after being tackled just before halftime.
The Fighting Illini (7-4, 5-3) took a 17-10 lead late in the third quarter on Chase Brown’s 37-yard touchdown run. With a chance to run out the clock, they had to punt to Michigan late in the game and failed to hold on and beat a top-three team for the first time since knocking off top-ranked Ohio State in 2007.
NO. 4 TCU 29, BAYLOR 28
WACO, Texas (AP) — Griffin Kell kicked a 40-yard field goal on the final play of the game, and TCU beat Baylor, scoring nine points in the final 2:07 to avoid a potential playoff-busting loss.
Emari Demercardo scored on a 3-yard TD run with 2:07 left to get the Frogs (11-0, 8-0 Big 12, No. 4 CFP) within 28-26, but he was unable to pull in a pass on the 2-point conversion attempt. TCU used all three of its timeouts while forcing a three-and-out to get the ball back and kick the winning field goal.
Baylor (6-5, 4-4) was coming off a 31-3 home loss to Kansas State a week earlier. Bears quarterback Blake Shapen was 21 of 30 passing for 269 yards and a score, while Craig “Sqwirl” Williams ran for 112 yards. Monaray Baldwin had six catches for 123 yards.
NO. 6 LSU 41, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM 10
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Noah Cain scored on three short runs, Jayden Daniels had touchdowns rushing and passing, and LSU methodically pulled away from UAB for a victory.
Daniels completed 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards and ran for 111 yards on 12 carries.
LSU (9-2) is already locked into the Southeastern Conference championship game against No. 1 Georgia on Dec. 3.
The Blazers (5-6) finished the game with 211 total passing yards and 48 on the ground.
NO. 8 ALABAMA 34, AUSTIN PEAY 0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama got breakout performances from Jase McClellan and Jermaine Burton against an overmatched FCS team.
McClellan rushed for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns and Burton caught a pair of scoring passes from Bryce Young in the win over Austin Peay.
The Crimson Tide (9-2, No. 8 CFP) took awhile to get going against Austin Peay (7-4).
Mike DiLiello passed for 147 yards for Austin Peay, but was intercepted twice. Drae McCray had 12 catches for 92 yards.
NO. 9 CLEMSON 40, MIAMI 10
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — DJ Uiagalelei threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third as Clemson wrapped up an undefeated ACC regular season and won its 40th straight at home beating Miami.
The Tigers (10-1, 8-0 ACC) have won at least 10 games in 12 straight seasons and — for a half — had their most dominant showing on both sides of the ball.
Clemson scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions while Miami (5-6, 3-4) was stuffed by the Tigers defense.
The Hurricanes managed just 8 yards total the first two quarters and a season-low 98 for the game.
NO. 11 PENN STATE 55, RUTGERS 10
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Sean Clifford ran for a touchdown and threw for another and Penn State scored twice on fumble returns and once on a kickoff return in beating Rutgers.
Freshman Nick Singleton scored on a 100-yard kickoff return, Kobe King gave Penn State (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten) the lead for good with a 14-yard fumble return and Ji’Ayir Brown rumbled 70 yards with another fumble as the Nittany Lions blew it open in the second half.
The Nittany Lions beat Rutgers (4-7, 1-7) for the 16th straight time.
The Penn State defense limited Rutgers to 167 yards and forced three turnovers that led to 21 points.
GEORGIA TECH 21, NO. 13 NORTH CAROLINA 17
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Zach Gibson threw for 174 yards and Georgia Tech scored 21 straight points for a win against North Carolina.
Georgia Tech (5-6, 4-4 ACC) trailed 17-0 late in the first half, but started to methodically move the ball. All three of its scoring drives were for 68-plus yards and culminated with rushing touchdowns.
North Carolina (9-2, 6-1) was riding a six-game winning streak and clinched the ACC’s Coastal Division last week. Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye, who had emerged as a possible Heisman contender as a redshirt freshman, failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season.
ARKANSAS 42, NO. 14 OLE MISS 27
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas’ Rocket Sanders rushed for 232 yards and three touchdowns, including a 68-yarder on the opening drive of the second half, in a victory over Ole Miss.
Sanders averaged 9.7 yards on 24 carries, helping Arkansas (6-5, 3-4 Southeastern Conference) snap a two-game skid and become bowl-eligible. He gained 153 yards in the first half.
Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3, No. 14 CFP) had two 200-yard rushers — Quinshon Judkins (214) and Zach Evans (207) — but still trailed by 36 points at one point.
NO. 15 WASHINGTON 54, COLORADO 7
SEATTLE (AP) — Washington running back Wayne Taulapapa, who transferred from Virginia, rushed for two touchdowns and 107 yards and the Huskies beat Colorado for their fifth straight win.
Taulapapa scored from 8 and 2 yards out to get the Huskies (9-2, 6-2 Pac-12) to a 21-0 lead. Cameron Davis added two more scores for Washington, which finished 7-0 at home.
Washington held Colorado (1-10, 1-7) to 202 total yards in their fifth straight loss. Colorado didn’t pass 100 total yards until quarterback J.T. Shrout found Montana Lemonious-Craig for a 69-yard touchdown with 1:45 left in the third quarter. The seven points matched a season-low for the Buffs.
NAVY 17, NO. 17 UCF 14
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Fullback Daba Fofana rushed for 114 yards and Navy beat UCF without completing a pass.
Navy (4-7, 4-4 American Athletic) possessed the ball for nearly 40 minutes and gained 248 yards, all on the ground.
The loss dropped UCF (8-3, 5-2) out of first place in the AAC and all but eliminated the Knights’ chances of playing at home in the conference championship game.
Mikey Keene replaced quarterback John Rhys Plumlee in the second half and immediately led the Knights to their only touchdown of the game.
NO. 18 NOTRE DAME 44, BOSTON COLLEGE 0
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Cornerback Benjamin Morrison had three interceptions, the Notre Dame defense forced two fumbles and the Fighting Irish scored on their first eight possessions to beat Boston College.
The Fighting Irish (8-3) won their ninth straight against Boston College (3-8).
The temperature at game time was 27 degrees, making it the coldest game at Notre Dame in nine years, and heavy snow fell through much of the third quarter.
NO. 19 KANSAS STATE 48, WEST VIRGINIA 31
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Will Howard threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, Cincere Mason returned an interception for a TD and Kansas State moved closer to a berth in the Big 12 championship game by beating West Virginia.
Kansas State (8-3, 6-2 Big 12, No. 15 CFP) can clinch a title game spot alongside No. 4 TCU on Dec. 3 with a win in its regular season finale at home against Kansas. West Virginia (4-7, 2-6) failed to become bowl eligible for the second time under fourth-year coach Neal Brown and for only the fourth time since 2000.
West Virginia’s Garrett Greene threw three TD passes to Sam James and finished 15 of 27 passes for 204 yards. He was intercepted twice. Greene also scored on a 13-yard run.
NO. 20 FLORIDA STATE 49, LOUISIANA 17
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Jordan Travis and Treshaun Ward each had a pair of touchdown runs in the first half and Florida State ran for 251 yards, routing Louisiana.
Florida State (8-3) scored a season high in points, surpassed 200 rushing yards for a sixth straight time and picked up its fourth straight double-digit victory against the Ragin’ Cajuns (5-6).
Louisiana quarterback Chandler Fields completed 19 of 36 passes for 159 yards and a 5-yard touchdown to Michael Jefferson.
NO. 22 CINCINNATI 23, TEMPLE 3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jacob Dingel and Bryon Threats intercepted passes, Noah Potter and Dontay Corleone recovered fumbles and Cincinnati beat Temple.
Cincinnati (9-2, 6-1) can guarantee a berth in its fourth straight conference title game with a win in its regular-season finale Friday against Tulane, with whom it is presently tied atop the standings.
Temple quarterback E.J. Warner — the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner — passed for 167 yards and two interceptions, completing 21 of 36 attempts. Last week, Warner set a school record for passing yards with 486 yards and had three TD passes in a 43-36 loss at Houston.
OKLAHOMA 28, NO. 24 OKLAHOMA STATE 13
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Dillon Gabriel passed for two touchdowns and ran for another and Oklahoma became bowl eligible after defeating No. 24 Oklahoma State.
Eric Gray rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown and Drake Stoops had a career-high six catches for 89 yards for the Sooners (6-5, 3-5 Big 12), who jumped out to a 28-0 first-quarter lead and held on.
Spencer Sanders passed for 381 yards and a touchdown for Oklahoma State, but he threw four interceptions. Brennan Presley had nine catches for 118 yards and Braydon Johnson had seven receptions for 109 yards for the Cowboys (7-4, 4-4, No. 22 CFP), who now are eliminated from contention for a spot in the Big 12 title game.
NO. 25 OREGON STATE 31, ARIZONA STATE 7
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Damien Martinez ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns in Oregon State’s win over Arizona State.
The Beavers (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) won for just the second time at ASU since 1972.
The Sun Devils (3-8, 2-6) played their final home game of the season, falling to 2-6 under interim coach Shaun Aguano, who replaced Herm Edwards on Sept. 20.
Quarterback Trent Bourguet went 20 of 32 for 122 yards passing for the Sun Devils. He ran eight times for 26 yards.