USC Football: Caleb Williams Defends Team's Defense After Lackluster Win Over Arizona

This is good leadership by Williams here.

USC outlasted the Arizona Wildcats in triple-overtime on Saturday, but even with getting the win, it did nothing to build confidence in this team. The Trojans came into the game heavy favorites but were forced into a tight contest throughout.

Their defensive issues were on full display, and they had to escape by the skin of their teeth once again. After the game, quarterback Caleb Williams was asked about the defense and defended his brothers on their performance.

“We wouldn’t have won that game without the defense,” Williams said. “We were down 17-0. This whole defensive thing, our brothers, the score wouldn’t be 43-41 without them. So put it simply that way.”

Per Caleb Williams via The Athletic

While I admire Williams standing up for his teammates, the reality is that the defense shouldn't be giving up this many points each week. The Trojans can't just outscore their opponents each week; things will catch up to them eventually.

It happened last season with this program, and it's looking like the same result may happen again. The Trojans can't afford to have one slip-up this season if they want to reach the College Football Playoff, especially after the last few games.

They have matchups against Notre Dame, Utah, Oregon, Washington, and UCLA still left to go, and their schedule will test them. Any of these teams can take them down, which will spell trouble for the Trojans.

#USC QB Caleb Williams frustrated by a question about the defensive struggles, defends his teammates: "We wouldn't have won that game without the defense. We were down 17-0. This whole defense thing, our brothers, the score wouldn't be 43-41 without them. Put it simply that way."

— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) October 8, 2023

The defensive issues that USC has seen are precisely what many people were worried about entering the year. It plagued them last season, and despite an effort to fix things over the offseason, it seems to be hurting them again.

Head coach Lincoln Riley has held firm on defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, but enough will be enough at some point. Something needs to change for this team, and quickly; otherwise, they will have wasted another year with Williams under center.

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