Caleb Williams, Tuli Tuipulotu Named Pac-12 Players of the Week
Two of USC’s biggest stars earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors following their performances in the Trojans’ 41-28 win against the Stanford Cardinal this past weekend.
Quarterback Caleb Williams was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week.
Against Stanford, Williams completed 20-of-27 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns. He had a couple of highlight plays, including a 75-yard touchdown throw to Jordan Addison and a violent stiff-arm of a Stanford defender on a short run.
Williams twice was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week as a true freshman last season. This is the first time he’s been named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. And it’s the first time any USC Trojan has won the award since quarterback Jaxson Dart did so in Week 3 of the 2021 season.
Through two games, Williams completed 79.6% of his passes and leads the Pac-12 in yards per attempt, with 12.04.
Tuipulotu Earns an Honor
Tuli Tuipulotu was named the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week. He recorded six tackles, including four for loss and a sack. He also put a big hit on Stanford running back E.J. Smith to force a fumble. It was one of four turnovers caused by the USC defense on the day.
This is the first time Tuipulotu has been named Defensive Lineman of the Week. The award has only been giving since the 2019 season. His older brother, Marlon Tuipulotu, won the award during the 2020 season. Former USC Trojan Drake Jackson won it twice during his career.
Other USC Nominees
USC Trojans were nominated for all the weekly awards following the win against Stanford.
Safety Max Williams was up for Defensive Player of the Week. That honor went to Oregon State’s Kitan Oladapo, who had 15 tackles and a sack in a close win against Fresno State. Oregon State defenders have won this award both weeks this season.
USC kicker Alex Stadthaus was nominated for Special Teams Player of the Week. That went to Washington State’s Renard Bell, who had a 73-yard kickoff return in the Cougars’ win against Wisconsin.
USC’s Andrew Vorhees was beaten by Washington State’s Jarrett Kingston for Offensive Lineman of the Week honors.
And USC tight end Lake McRee’s touchdown grab wasn’t enough to get him Freshman of the Week honors. That went to Cal running back Jaydn Ott for the second-consecutive week.
