USC Football: O Line Called Out After Caleb Williams' 6 Sacks

A humiliating effort from them.

Junior USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams failed to display his Heisman form against one of USC's biggest rivals Notre Dame in his worst performance of 2023 by far. 

Part of the blame falls on his offensive line for their poor blocking and efforts to keep Williams' pocket clean all game long. 

USC's seventh game of the season ended their undefeated bid and all eyes, including Trojans Wire Matt Zemek's, pointed toward their lackluster play in the trenches as the main cause. 

USC’s offensive line coach did a really good job last year with limited depth. This year, Henson is not putting the pieces together. Notre Dame punched USC’s offensive line in the mouth and didn’t stop. The USC offensive line gave Caleb Williams zero help. What’s going on here?



via Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire

Six sacks and constant pressure forced Williams into uncomfortable scrambling situations all night long against the Fighting Irish. 

Three first-half interceptions were ultimately too much to overcome as the Men of Troy eventually fell by a hefty 28-point margin by evening's end. 

It wasn't just USC's undefeated season that went up in smoke but all hopes of a national championship appearance also likely went out the window thanks in large part to the team's poor line. 

Williams covered up much of the deficiencies on the rest of USC's roster but even he couldn't escape from Notre Dame's defense all game long. 

Each of the Trojans' past four games has looked mediocre to downright dreadful after three close wins against conference opponents eventually gave way to last Saturday night's beatdown on national television. 

Washington and Oregon's fierce battle for the Pac-12 will only continue if their Week 8 clash is any indication for December's conference title push. 

One thing remains clear for USC's roster. 

Williams simply can't become Superman every single game and his kryptonite is the five men protecting him up front. 

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