The USC Trojans, led by quarterback Caleb Williams, overcame a 14-point first quarter deficit to win a shootout in the battle of Los Angeles Saturday night.
Williams passed for a career-high 470 yards with two touchdowns and also added another 33 yards (TD) on the ground. His counterpart, UCLA star quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, accounted for six touchdowns (4 PASS, 2 RUSH) but also had four turnovers in the team’s hard-fought 48-45 defeat.
The Rose Bowl had the feel of a big game and the city of Los Angeles turned out to check out all of the stars.
UCLA head coach Chip Kelly and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson share an embrace on senior night for the Bruins. It was the last home game of a five-year run for the coach and quarterback.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson celebrates his first quarter touchdown against USC. Thompson-Robinson finished 2022 with 39 total touchdowns (27 PASS, 12 RUSH).
UCLA all-purpose standout Kazmeir Allen (No. 19 pictured) finished with 1,048 all-purpose yards (4 TDs) in 2022. He averaged 24.6 yards per kickoff return this past season after averaging nearly 29 yards per kick return in 2021.
UCLA tight end Hudson Havermahl returns a kickoff during the contest. He finished the season with two touchdowns on 15 receptions.
USC wide receiver Kyle Ford, pictured, caught three passes for 73 yards and one touchdown in the game. He also produced three receptions for 73 yards one week prior versus Colorado.
USC RB Raleek Brown (No. 14 pictured) attempts to secure the ball from UCLA LB Darius Muasau on his tackle and strip attempt. Brown, a freshman, finished with 919 all-purpose yards for the Trojans in 2022 (6 TDs).
Caleb Williams' second quarter touchdown run was his seventh rushing score of the season. He finished the year with 10 scores on the ground.
Williams -the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner- threw for 4,537 yards and 42 TDs this past season. He threw just five interceptions in 500 passing attempts.
UCLA DL Jay Toia (No. 93 pictured) sets up his tackle vs. USC RB Austin Jones. Toia, a sophomore, finished 2022 with 30 tackles and three tackles for loss.
Jones (No. 6 pictured), however, came back to score in the third quarter. He finished with 120 yards rushing on 21 carries (2 TDs). In addition, he caught four passes for 57 yards in the game.
USC LB Shane Lee (No. 53 pictured) -an Alabama transfer- recorded nine tackles and an interception on the night. He runs down on the kickoff unit for the team as well.
UCLA's field goal block team attempting to get off the ball vs. USC's field goal unit.
UCLA junior placekicker Nicholas Barr-Mira (seen setting up to kick before a fourth quarter extra point) is following a deep tradition of kickers at the school.
USC DL Tuli Tuipulotu (No. 49 pictured) attempts to block the field goal in the fourth quarter. Tuipulotu -the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year- finished second in the nation with 22 tackles for losses.
UCLA's fans were hoping to pull off the upset, but were left in disbelief on how the game ended.
The 2018 recruiting class at quarterback was a star-studded group that has already had two of its quarterbacks, Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars, 2021 NFL Draft, 1st Round, 1st overall) and Justin Fields (Chicago Bears, 2021 NFL Draft, 1st Round, 11th overall), hear their names called in the NFL Draft. Today, we take a look at the trajectory of the rest of the group. For the purposes of being fair in compiling our Top 10 lists by position group, we continue to use aggregate rankings from three of the top recruiting services (Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN). We also used the most prevalent designation for each quarterback (pro-style or dual-threat) when they came out of high school.
Trevor Lawrence (Pro) Clemson: Ranked #1 by 247Sports, Rivals, & ESPN Consensus No. 1 recruit coming out of high school who exceeded the many expectations that were placed upon him. Lawrence showed ultimate poise as a true freshman going undefeated and winning the national championship with 347 yards passing and three touchdowns. He won various awards during his time at Clemson, finishing his career with a 34-2 record. Lawrence was taken first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft (Jacksonville Jaguars) and he was widely regarded as the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck in 2012 (Indianapolis Colts).
Justin Fields (Dual) Ohio State:Ranked #1 by 247Sports, Rivals, & ESPN Fields committed to the Bulldogs and played in 12 of 14 games as a freshman. However, with Jake Fromm being set as the starter, he decided to transfer to Columbus. Fields became the third Buckeye QB in the last 50 seasons to win his first 13 starts. He threw for over 3,000 yards in his first season as a full-time starter with a 41-to-3 touchdown-to- interception ratio. He added over 1,000 rushing yards with 19 touchdowns in his career. Consistency was a concern for many when it came to Fields at the next level, and he ended up going 11th overall in the first round to the Chicago Bears. Many seem to have forgotten when he was a supposed 1A to Trevor Lawrence. I haven’t.
JT Daniels (Pro) USC Trojans: Ranked #2 by 247Sports & Rivals, #3 by ESPN Daniels enrolled at USC in 2018 and started every game he played. He showed some promise, however a knee injury in the 2019 season opener ended his campaign prematurely. Kedon Slovis took over and played exceptionally well, causing Daniels to transfer to Georgia. He finally got his opportunity late in the year, starting the final four games, all wins for the Bulldogs. In those contests, he threw for over 1,000 yards with 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Daniels returned to Georgia for the 2021 season and, if he can build on last year’s momentum, may very well set up his pathway into the NFL.
Tanner McKee (Pro) Stanford: Ranked #3 by 247Sports, #4 by Rivals, & #5 by ESPN McKee spent most of the last two years in Brazil as a missionary. He made his collegiate debut in 2020, but appeared in just one game. The highly-touted 6-foot-6, 228-pounder will look to solidify his collegiate career in 2021 as a first-time starter. To do so, he will have to fend off senior Jack West.
Rogers, pictured, completed 14-of-22 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown for UNLV in 2020. Most of those yards came against an impressive San Jose State defense.
Justin Rogers (Dual) TCU: Ranked #2 by 247Sports & Rivals, #4 by ESPN Rogers entered the Horned Frogs program as the highest rated recruit of the Gary Patterson-era. However, a devastating injury suffered as a senior in high school never really opened an opportunity at TCU. He threw just one pass for Texas Christian and -after seeing no game action in 2019- Rogers transferred to UNLV. He appeared in two games last season and will look to compete for the starting job in 2021. Standing in Rogers’ way is left-handed 6-foot-5 sophomore Doug Brumfield.
Thompson-Robinson -a three-year starter- has already accounted for 47 total touchdowns heading into 2021.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Dual) UCLA: Ranked #3 by 247Sports, #2 by Rivals & ESPN Thompson-Robinson has seen consistent action in all three seasons for the Bruins. In 2020, he was named second-team All-Pac-12 after completing 65% of his passes with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions in five contests. DTR also displayed his dual-threat rushing capability by accounting for over 300 yards and three touchdowns on 55 attempts. Facing a brutal schedule in 2021, the strong-armed veteran has a legitimate chance to become the high-riser of the 2022 NFL Draft’s quarterback class. Thompson-Robinson has first-round talent.
Williams, pictured, was more than capable in 2019 for the Hurricanes but is now entrenched in a quarterback battle at USF.
Jarren Williams (Dual) Miami: Ranked #4 by 247Sports, #8 by Rivals, & #6 by ESPN Williams saw brief action as a freshman, with most of his playing time coming in 2019. He completed 61% of his passes with 19 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. However, Miami finished the year 6-7 and put out a futile effort in their bowl game (2019 Independence Bowl). Williams transferred to Garden City CC following the year and their season was cancelled due to COVID-19. He then enrolled at USF, where the former U.S. Army All-American is entrenched in a four-way battle for playing time amongst four contenders. The list includes former UNC quarterback Cade Fortin.
Matt Corral (Pro) Ole Miss: Ranked #5 by 247Sports, #3 by Rivals, & #6 by ESPN Corral took over as the Rebels starting QB last season following limited action in his first two years. He finished the year completing nearly 71% of his passes with 29 touchdowns, while also adding over 500 rushing yards and four more scores to his season totals. Corral displayed his ability as a big-time thrower of the football in 2020. He passed for at least 300 yards in seven of 10 games, but he needs to cut down the turnovers (14 INTs, 4 fumbles-3 lost).
Shough transferred to Texas Tech for the 2021 campaign despite compiling a 13:6 TD/INT ratio for the Ducks in 2020. Shough also had two games with over 80 yards on the ground.
Tyler Shough (Pro) Oregon: Ranked #6 by 247Sports & Rivals, #15 by ESPN Shough appeared in five games as a redshirt freshman in 2019. In 2020, he took over as the team’s full-time starter, completing nearly 65% of his passes with 13 touchdowns in seven games. Following a disappointing end to the season, Shough decided to transfer to Texas Tech, where he’ll look to help turn a program around and build his draft stock over the next few years.
Phil Jurkovec (Dual) Notre Dame: Ranked #5 by 247Sports & Rivals, #9 by ESPN Jurkovec saw minimal snaps during his first two seasons with the Fighting Irish due to a depth chart that included 30-game winner Ian Book. He transferred to Boston College and became the team’ starting QB in 2020. He threw for over 2,500 yards with 17 passing touchdowns and added another three rushing scores on the ground. Another impressive campaign in 2021 could land him as a mid-round selection in next year’s draft. He has certain characteristics that attract evaluators at the next level, including an ability to fit the ball into tight windows.
