Oller's Second Thoughts: Southern California's Caleb Williams may soon join Archie Griffin
Archie Griffin’s second Heisman Trophy statuette might want to stiff-arm the player lurking just over its shoulder because college football’s only two-time winner is in jeopardy of having to share that title with Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams.
Through Week 5 of the season, most Heisman trackers have Williams the clear favorite to win the award for a second consecutive year. The junior is a +175 betting favorite at BetMGM.com, well ahead of Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (+450) and Texas QB Quinn Ewers (+700).
“I’ve always said, ‘If I could do it, somebody else could do it,’” Griffin said Wednesday. “I can always say, ‘You’re the first,’ so that is something to be proud of. It’s not anything I’m really concerned about. I’m proud to have won it twice, no question, and proud it has lasted this long. I would have thought it would have happened before now. There have been plenty of guys who had good seasons their last year and didn’t get it.”
Williams is on track to have an even better season statistically than in 2022, when he passed for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has already thrown for 1,603 yards and 21 touchdowns with one interception for the 5-0 Trojans.
Penix Jr. remains within striking distance statistically, with 1,999 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to one interception, but to have a solid chance at unseating Williams, the Huskies (5-0) need to keep winning and the UW quarterback needs to outplay Williams when Washington visits USC on Nov. 4.
Griffin, who won his Heismans in 1974-75, met Williams last year at the Heisman ceremony in New York.
“He’s a nice guy … and is having a great year,” Griffin said. “It will be interesting to see how everything ends up. It’s still a lot of season left, but if he keeps throwing six touchdown passes a game, he’ll be hard to beat.
“I know somebody else is going to do it. This might be the year.”
Or might not. A handful of underclassmen winners came close to winning a second Heisman, only to see the bronze beauty go to someone else. Oklahoma running back Billy Sims won in 1978 but finished second to Southern California tailback Charles White in 1979. Several, including USC tailback O.J. Simpson, finished runner-up the year before winning the Heisman. Army running back Glenn Davis finished second in 1944 and 1945 before winning in 1946.
Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck (2010-11) and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden (2006-2007) finished second in back-to-back seasons.
After winning in 2007 as a sophomore, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow appeared to have an excellent shot at repeating but finished third in 2008 and was a distant finalist in 2009.
Likewise, Johnny Manziel (2012) and Jameis Winston (2013) are the only redshirt freshmen to have won, but neither came close again.
Ryan Day not overly effusive about Kyle McCord
Coaching psychology 101: Praise players just enough to keep them confident, but not too much to make them complacent.
Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord took a big step during the last two minutes of the 17-14 win against Notre Dame, driving the Buckeyes 65 yards in 85 seconds under do-or-die pressure.
During his Tuesday media availability, coach Ryan Day credited McCord for showing grit during the winning drive, but stopped short of placing him on the same trajectory as C.J. Stroud or Justin Fields.
“It’s only a couple games,” Day said. “I don’t think we leap to judgments. If we don’t have the drive at the end of the game, where does that put (McCord)? But we did, so where does that put him? You can’t ride the roller coaster of that, good or bad. There’s things we need to get better at. … It’s more of a process.”
Day also put this out there: “Any successful person would tell you that it’s not an accomplishment to get a job. That’s just an opportunity. What you do with it is what matters. He’s had a couple games as a starter, and that’s good, but this is just an opportunity, so the rest is yet to be written.”
Aaron Rodgers has a new nickname for Travis Kelce: “Mr. Pfizer” pic.twitter.com/gnCWXTfJ6Q
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 3, 2023
Listening in
“Mr. Pfizer, we kind of shut him down. He didn’t have a crazy impact game.” – New York Jets quarterback and anti-vaxxer Aaron Rodgers on “The Pat McAfee Show,” poking Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who stars in a vaccine campaign for Pfizer.
Off-topic
I’m relatively new to the cooking scene – grilling is not cooking, sorry guys – for decades having had no real interest in learning how to prepare hot meals, and even less skill at doing so. But I’ve turned over a new leaf now that my wife and I receive easy-prep boxed meals three days a week. I’m not exactly Edward Scissorhands with a knife, but I haven’t lost a finger – yet. My question: I follow the meal instructions to the letter, while my wife is more creative. Is creativity preferred, and does it require experience? Or best to paint by numbers? Please advise, chefs.
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin to have company?
