Caleb Williams’ Advice Backfires as Jayden Maiava, USC Get Humiliated By Unseeded Wisconsin

USC loses to a conference rival with former quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams' in attendance.

Caleb Williams’ Advice Backfires as Jayden Maiava, USC Get Humiliated By Unseeded Wisconsin

Caleb Williams speaks to USC QB Jayden Maiava during Wisconsin game (Image via IMAGO/X)

With the Chicago Bears on a bye, quarterback Caleb Williams flew to Camp Randall Stadium in Wisconsin to cheer his alma mater, USC, as the Trojans faced the Badgers. The Trojans started on the back foot after quarterback Jayden Maiava threw two interceptions in the first quarter. Wisconsin opened the scoring with a field goal.

Maiava gave USC the lead in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Taniela Tupou. However, the Badgers reclaimed the lead thanks to a Bryan Jackson rushing touchdown.

USC trailed an unranked Wisconsin at halftime. Before the restart, cameras caught Caleb Williams on the Trojans’ sideline speaking to Maiava.

Williams’ advice did little to affect the game’s outcome. Maiava played better than in the first half, but he struggled to penetrate the Wisconsin defense. Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph wasn’t on great form either. He completed just 12 passes for 58 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Chris Brooks Jr.

Wisconsin kicker missed a fourth-quarter field goal. But it was nullified later on when tight end Ryan Schwendeman scored a rushing touchdown. The game ended 24-7.

Maiava completed 31 of 50 passes for 258 yards, one touchdown, and 2 interceptions. USC outgained Wisconsin in passing yards. However, the Trojans’ run game was non-existent. They gained -17 yards compared to the Badgers’ 142. USC is 6-2 while Wisconsin is 5-2. USC is fourth in the Big 10 behind 7-0 UCLA, 6-1 Ohio State and 7-1 Indiana.

Despite the defeat, USC leads the series 7-2 against Wisconsin. The Badgers’ only other victory in this fixture came eleven years ago. In December 2015, the Badgers won 23-21 in the Holiday Bowl.

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Caleb Williams’ connection with USC

Caleb Williams began his college football career with Oklahoma. As a freshman, he shared quarterback duties with Spencer Rattler (drafted by the New Orleans Saints). Williams transferred to USC as a sophomore, following head coach Lincoln Riley.

Caleb Williams' Advice Backfires as Jayden Maiava, USC Get Humiliated By Unseeded Wisconsin
Caleb Williams (Image via IMAGO)

Williams went 11-3 as the Trojans starter in his debut campaign. He completed 333 passes for 4537 yards, 42 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He also rushed for 982 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Williams won the Heisman Trophy.

The following season, Williams went 7-5, threw for 3,633 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions while also rushing for 11 touchdowns. Despite the decline in his production, the Bears drafted him first overall, instead of the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, LSU’s Jayden Daniels.

Williams posted a 5-12 record in his rookie NFL year. He threw 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions and was the most-sacked quarterback (took 68 sacks).

In 2025, the Bears appointed Ben Johnson as head coach. Johnson helped Williams realize his true potential. The Bears went 11-6, won the NFC North, and ended their playoff drought with a wild-card win over the Packers.

Williams missed a couple of regular-season games for the first time in his career. He is 3-1 in four starts. He has 88 completions (71%) for 1020 yards, 7 total touchdowns, and one interception. Herbstreit said after Williams threw 2 touchdowns against the Patriots on TNF:

When he first got here, Caleb Williams was like a bucking bronco. He needed to be trained and needed to be taught how to play within structure. The one thing about Caleb Williams when he got here was that he’s a dynamic player, but he was a little reckless. Now in his second year under Ben Johnson, he’s much more refined [in] how he plays the position.

Williams is 19-19 as the Bears starter. After the Bye, the Bears will take on the defending World Champions, the Seattle Seahawks. Williams played the Seahawks once back in his rookie year. He threw for 122 yards and one interception in a 3-6 defeat.

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