USC quarterback Caleb Williams cried in his mother’s arms after a 10-point loss to Washington on Saturday night.
After the Huskies beat the Trojans, 52-42, Williams ran over to his family and jumped in the stands, where he was seen sobbing behind a sign she was holding.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner explained his emotional state and said all he wanted to do was spent time with his pooch during the postgame press conference.
“I want to go home and cuddle with my dog and watch some shows,” said Williams, who was standing at the podium and leaned down to speak into the microphone.
“I don’t know. Like, we lost the game. Something you work hard for throughout months, years to have big games like this, try and go win and play your best, each and every one of us.
“We came out with a loss today, so emotionally, I want to go home and I want to lay with my dog.”
Williams has a bulldog named Supa, after his nickname, “Superman,” on the football field.
Williams, expected to be the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, passed for 312 yards and three touchdowns.
Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III praised Williams — who transferred from Oklahoma to USC as a sophomore and won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 — after his emotional moment with his family at United Airlines Field.
“Watching Caleb Williams sobbing with his family after losing the game will BREAK YOUR HEART,” Griffin wrote in a post on X. “This young man pours his heart out for his team EVERY TIME he plays.
“Any NFL team would be lucky to have him as their QB and this emotion shows how much this game means to him.”
USC head coach Lincoln Riley explained what went wrong for the Trojans against Washington.
“We didn’t play very well tonight,” he said after the game. “Biggest thing was the run game. Way too many big plays.
“Some of our worst ball was on some of the biggest plays of the game.
“… I think our guys are frustrated that we’ve been so, so close and we haven’t played good enough to be able to separate.”
Kirk Herbstreit also praised Williams after the effort.
“[He] played well. Led his team. Did all he could,” the ESPN analyst said. “He just came up a bit short. It’s part of the game.”
The Trojans’ championship hopes were derailed after they lost three of four.
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