Caleb Williams had one of the poorest showings of his career last Saturday in a 48-20 loss to Notre Dame. After the game went final, one fan who recorded themselves storming the field found Williams and said “let me see those nails now, bro.”

It was a jab at Williams, who paints his nails before each game — a nod to his mother, who works as a nail tech. It’s not the first time Williams’ nails have become a topic, either.

Williams was asked about the exchange during a media availability on Wednesday. He played it off, but certainly not without getting in a shot of his own.

“Everybody wants to be these two 12.5 shoes right here,” Williams said. “I’m not worried about some kid running on the field that doesn’t have anything really associated to Notre Dame other than possibly their family going there or him going there himself. Got a lot of guys over here that I’ve got to lead, so some opinion of a sheep, lions don’t worry about that stuff. Keep moving on, keep fighting.”

The Trojans are looking to bounce back this week against Utah. Coach Lincoln Riley said earlier in the week Williams doesn’t usually have a bad game twice.

Williams played poorly. Notre Dame played quite well. USC’s offensive line struggled again. The mixture resulted in a showing that USC would be hard-pressed to one-up.

He was picked off three times (a career-high), sacked six times (one shy of a career-high), pressured more than in any other game in his career, and was held under 250 pass yards for the second consecutive game — the first time that’s happened since he left Oklahoma.

“He’s always been really productive after the team doesn’t win or he doesn’t play up to his standards and our standards,” Riley said. “He’s always been a guy that bounces back strong.”