National Football League

USC HC Lincoln Riley's advice for Bears QB Caleb Williams: 'Go back to the basics'

Updated Sep. 18, 2024 3:28 p.m. ET

Chicago Bears rookie quarterback and No. 1 pick Caleb Williams is off to an underwhelming start, as he recorded just 93 pass yards in his NFL debut and then threw two interceptions — and was sacked seven times by the Houston Texans — in a Week 2 loss.

What does Williams have to do to get on track and live up to the immense hype he received upon arriving to Chicago?

The man who coached Williams to a Heisman Trophy in college, USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley, provided advice for his former star quarterback on Wednesday's edition of "The Herd."

"I think you got to go back to the basics," Riley advised Williams. "I think a lot of times that the answers that you're looking for as a player are right there, and sometimes when you get into competitive situations, especially a new league, a new offense, new coaches around you, new supporting cast, there's going to be some growing pains. You're going to go through some tough moments, but you got to continue to go back to the basics, continue to improve, continue to lead and then, most importantly, you can't let it affect your attitude, your mentality, the way you play, the way you practice. You just got to just keep growing, and Caleb will. He's a fighter.

"He's going to continue to learn and grow, and as painful as some of these tough moments have been early in the season, those are all opportunities to learn and grow, and if he's going to become the player that we all know he can be in that league, he's going to have to learn and progress from them, and I believe he will."

All in all, Williams has totaled just 267 passing yards, 59 rushing yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions and a 53.0 passer rating across his first two NFL games, while completing 56.1% of his passes. That said, he has been sacked an NFL-high nine times as Chicago's offensive line has come under heavy outside criticism.

Lincoln Riley shares advice for Caleb Williams' rookie season with the Bears

Williams is coming off a terrific, three-year collegiate career that was split between USC (2022-23) and Oklahoma (2021). After starting Oklahoma's final seven games of the 2021 college football season as a true freshman, Williams transferred to USC, following Riley from Norman to Los Angeles.

Williams went on to win the 2022 Heisman Trophy, throwing for 4,537 yards and 42 touchdowns and rushing for 382 yards and 10 touchdowns. He then posted a career-best 170.1 passer rating in 2023. Williams' entire three-year collegiate career was spent with Riley as his head coach.

Next up for Williams and the Bears is a road matchup against the 0-2 Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, while Riley and the No. 11 Trojans have a road game against the defending national champion and No. 18 Michigan Wolverines on Saturday.

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