Caleb Williams makes a surprise appearance for USC ahead of the game against Notre Dame

Rivalry Week often brings former college players back to the place of their greatest success. The traditional rivalry between USC and Notre Dame resulted in former Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams returning to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to support his former team in its annual battle against the Fighting Irish.

Williams was the No. 1 overall pick in last spring’s NFL draft. He was selected by the Chicago Bears and named that team’s starting quarterback at the start of training camp last summer. Williams has been the center of attention in every Bears game this year. While Williams has had some impressive games in recent weeks, the Bears have lost six straight games to start the season and won four of their first six games. The 4-8 Bears are in last place in the NFC North.

Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus was fired by the team after the Bears lost to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. This means Williams will work with interim coach Thomas Brown for the remainder of the season.

While his first season in the NFL was challenging, the trip back to Los Angeles brought back memories of his success at the college level, which included winning the Heisman Trophy after the 2022 season. He had one of his best games in his Heisman Trophy season against Notre Dame, throwing four touchdown passes in USC’s 38-27 win.

Williams serves as tunnel captain for Trojans

Since the Bears played their Week 13 game on Thursday, Williams had the opportunity to attend the USC-Notre Dame game. The Trojans had retired his jersey number, 13, earlier in the season and he had the opportunity to see his honorary number along with the others previously retired by USC. He was also the Trojans’ tunnel captain against Notre Dame.

Williams has had several notable games in recent weeks, although the Bears have continued to find themselves at the wrong end of the scoresheet due to some mistakes in clock management and coverage made at the end of several games.

Caleb Williams and the Bears staged a dramatic comeback against the Lions and nearly pulled off a memorable win. After trailing 16-0 at halftime, Williams threw three touchdown passes in the second half as the Bears rallied. They had the ball in Detroit territory in the final minute and trailed 23-20, but time expired before the Bears could either tie the score or go for the touchdown.

Poor time management at the last minute appeared to cost Eberflus his job when he was fired the next day.

Steve Silverman has been covering the NFL for more than 35 years and his articles have appeared in ESPN Magazine, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Pro Football Weekly and Forbes.com. He has written 10 books, including “Who’s Better, Who’s Best in the NFL.”