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Watch: USC star Caleb Williams turns near-disaster fumble into 76-yard TD bomb

USC's returning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams turned out a Heisman highlight in the Week 0 opener with a stunning play
James Parks|
Watch: USC star Caleb Williams turns near-disaster fumble into 76-yard TD bomb
Watch: USC star Caleb Williams turns near-disaster fumble into 76-yard TD bomb

For a moment there, it looked like USC was about to fumble the ball and at best come up with a major loss of yardage, but Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams turned what could have been a disaster into a highlight play in Saturday's Week 0 college football opener.

Working from his own 24-yard line, Williams fumbled the snap, picked up the ball on a friendly bounce, evaded two would-be tacklers, and launched what became a 76-yard touchdown pass off his back foot for receiver Tahj Washington.

The play broke a 7-7 tie after San Jose State got on the board in the Coliseum and handed the Trojans a 14-7 advantage midway through the second quarter.

Plays like that are what earned Williams the Heisman Trophy last season and are what will keep USC in the College Football Playoff conversation into the future.

Williams comes into the 2023 football season as the odds-on favorite to repeat as Heisman Trophy winner, a feat that has been achieved only once, when Ohio State running back Archie Griffin won two in a row in the 1970s.

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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