USC Football: Caleb Williams Draws Parallels Between Red River Rivalry and Notre Dame Rivalry

College football at its finest.

In a recent practice interview with gathered reporters, superstar USC quarterback and reigning Heisman-winner Caleb Williams was asked about the Trojans' bout with Notre Dame this coming weekend, the rivalry behind it, and how he sees it, as recapped by Connor Morrissette of USC Football. 

"It's a great rivalry, one of the greatest rivalries in college football," Williams reflected, with regards to the USC-Notre Dame rivalry.

Williams explained that USC and Notre Dame's rivalry is very similar to the Red River Rivalry, which is between Texas and Oklahoma. Williams of course originally attended the University of Oklahoma, playing under Lincoln Riley, and actually had his breakout game in the 2021 Red River matchup. 

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In that matchup, Caleb came in for then-starter Spencer Rattler midway through the game, and proceeded to pioneer a massive comeback, taking an 18-point Oklahoma deficit and turning it into a 7-point win. 

Between that performance and his outing against Notre Dame last season, where he rushed for 3 touchdowns and completed 81.8% of his passes for 232 yards and a touchdown, Williams is clearly a big game player, and someone who truly brings it out for rivalry matchups. 

When asked to describe these matchups, Williams offered this candid response: 

"[With] the sense of rivalry, the game is always a little bit harder than what the teams' records are," Williams said. "It's going to be a little tougher than you think"

It's clear that rivalry games come with extra motivation and as a result, far more challenges. At the same time, however, they make for even better games and storylines, making this weekend's contest a must-watch. 

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