One by one, Caleb Williams’ stiffest Heisman Trophy competitors faded away as he stood tall.

On Nov. 5, reigning Heisman winner Bryce Young had his hopes for a repeat dashed in a 32-21 overtime loss at LSU, Alabama’s surprising second loss of the season. Young completed just 25-of-51 passes for 328 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in the loss. The same day in Athens, Ga., Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker’s dream season was squashed by the Georgia Bulldogs, with Hooker throwing for just 195 yards, no touchdowns an an interception, two weeks before he’d be lost for the year with a knee injury.

Out in Los Angeles, Williams stood tall.

A week later, Nov. 12, Oregon’s dual-threat stud Bo Nix watched his campaign go up in flames with one fateful 4th down decision in a 37-34 loss to Washington. Oregon’s season — and Nix’s ankle — would never be the same.

Out in Los Angeles, Williams stood tall.

A week later, Nov. 19, it wasn’t an ankle but a knee injury that sidelined Michigan’s bone-crushing back Blake Corum, squashing his chance at becoming the first running back to win the Heisman Trophy since Alabama’s Derrick Henry in 2006.

Out in Los Angeles, Williams stood tall.

A week later, on Nov. 26, Ohio State’s spectacular C.J. Stroud was dealt a second-straight loss to Michigan, this one a 45-23 thrashing that included 2 Stroud interceptions and negative-3 rushing yards.

And out in Los Angeles, Williams stood tall.

Week-by-week, the cream of the nation’s crop spoiled. They underperformed or they dropped the ball or they were injured. Whatever the reason, their stars dimmed, just as Williams’ grew. He never had to leave L.A.

And on Saturday night out in New York City, Williams stood tall, becoming the Trojans’ first Heisman Trophy winner since either 2004 or 2005, depending on if you consider Reggie Bush’s win valid, even if it remains vacated. He beat out Stroud as well as TCU’s Max Duggan and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett for the award.

There’s no question about this one. Williams owns the 2022 Heisman Trophy. And even more importantly, he deserves it.

*****

For a 6-game stretch starting back on Oct. 15, there was no better quarterback in the country, certainly none who combined Williams’ athleticism, consistency and jaw-dropping abilities.

Though his scintillating streak began with a loss, Williams could not be faulted. In fact, he probably played his best game of the year in a 43-42 last-minute defeat at then-No. 20 Utah, when he completed 25-of-42 passes for 381 yards and 5 scores while rushing for 57 yards on 8 carries.

That started a stream of 4 consecutive games with 5 or more touchdowns.

The following week, Williams completed 31-of-45 passes for 411 yards and 5 touchdowns in a 45-37 win at Arizona, with another 360 yards and 4 passing touchdowns as well as 38 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 41-35 win over Cal the following week.

After pummeling Colorado in Week 11, when he passed for 3 scores and ran for 2 more, Williams smashed UCLA a week later in a 48-45 win, totaling more than 500 yards of scrimmage as well as 2 passing touchdowns and a rushing score.

Are you picking up on that thread? One point loss to Utah? Eight point margin against Arizona? Six the next week? Three against UCLA?

What made Williams remarkable was his ability to help the USC offense bounce back from moments of fragility caused by a defense that would allow a kitten to gain yardage up the middle.

And that’s not all.

What made Williams remarkable was his ability to not just help USC get out of trouble but himself. An ESPN graphic summed it up, listing Williams’ numbers under pressure: 1,291 yards, best in college football; a 14-0 TD/INT ratio, best in college football; 23 completions of 20-plus yards, No. 2 in the country.

What made Williams remarkable was his ability to also keep USC out of trouble, as he finished the regular season with a sterling total touchdown-to-turnover ratio of 44/3.

What made Williams remarkable was doing all this with a Trojans team that had gone just 4-8 the year before.

*****

On Saturday night in the New York Marriott Marquis, all that made Williams remarkable was laid bare. Both his talent and his competitiveness.

He was crowned the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and the final vote tally made clear it was not particularly close — Williams with 2,031, Max Duggan with 1,420, Stroud with 539 and Bennett with 349 — but Williams couldn’t help inserting one not-so-bitter comment at the end of his first comments.

“This is really awesome,” he said. “This is really awesome to be up here. First off, I’d like to thank all of the Heisman trust, all the voters, the finalists who sit right here in front of me — C.J., Max, Stets, you guys are unbelievable competitors.

“I may be standing up here today but you all get to go to the College Football Playoff.”

He went on to thank the Heisman Trust and Heisman voters, as well as the rest of the Heisman winners who joined him on stage, saying, “To now be a part of this historic fraternity is truly an honor and something I cherish for the rest of my life. While this may be an individual award, I certainly understand absolutely nothing in this sport nor life are done alone.”

He went on to thank athletic director Mike Bohn, Riley and his teammates, particularly his offensive line, all of whom were in attendance.

 

His shout-out to Riley was particularly special.

“We committed to each other on two separate occasions but with the same dream,” Williams said. “As we say, and you’ve heard me say in the locker room, there can never be a great book or a great story with some adversity in it. Since our OU days, we’ve been through a lot and even the sudden change in feel from Normal, Oklahoma, to the University of Southern California, our dreams have not changed.

“We both know the job’s not done.”

That’s the scariest part.

Like Young who returned this year to defend his Heisman honor, so too does Williams return next year.

That’s a scary thought for opposing coaches and a welcome thought for his head coach, Riley, who has now coached 3 Heisman winners in the last half-dozen years.

“The very first time he came to me, I didn’t even have a scholarship available and he said, ‘OK, I’ll walk on,'” Riley said. “That’s the mentality he has. And then he’s combined it with a great work ethic and a tremendous personality. He’s obviously been a phenomenal leader and a really special player to coach.”