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Caleb Williams wins 2022 Heisman Trophy

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USC quarterback Caleb Williams was awarded the Heisman Trophy in New York City on Saturday night, making him the eighth Trojan to win the award.

The Washington, D.C. native is the second consecutive quarterback to win college football's most prestigious honor after Alabama's Bryce Young hoisted the trophy in 2021.

Player 1st-place votes Total points 
Caleb Williams 544 2031
Max Duggan 188 1420
C.J. Stroud 37 539
Stetson Bennett 36 349 

Williams garnered 544 first-place votes to finish well ahead of TCU's Duggan, Ohio State's Stroud, and Georgia's Bennett. He becomes the first USC quarterback to win the award since Matt Leinart in 2004 and the first winner from a Pac-12 team since 2014.

The 20-year-old was well known on the national stage following a brilliant freshman season at Oklahoma, but his star rose to new heights after his move to Los Angeles to reunite with coach Lincoln Riley. The dynamic sophomore quarterback dragged USC to victory on an almost weekly basis despite the defense's constant struggles.

He threw 37 touchdown passes, tied for most in the country, and finished fourth nationally with 4,075 yards passing. The dual-threat standout added 372 yards and 10 scores on the ground, the eighth most among quarterbacks at the FBS level.

With Williams leading the way, USC turned in a highly successful debut campaign under Riley. The Trojans stormed through the regular season with just one loss and booked a date in the Pac-12 title game against Utah. Williams suffered a significant hamstring injury in the contest but still produced an incredible performance, throwing for 363 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

Williams' achievement further cements Riley's association with the Heisman. As Oklahoma's head coach from 2017 to 2021, two of Riley's quarterbacks - Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield - won the Heisman, while a third (Jalen Hurts) was also named a finalist.

Few would've placed Duggan on a Heisman list prior to the season, as the TCU quarterback wasn't even expected to start under new coach Sonny Dykes. But after Chandler Morris left the team's opening-week contest versus Colorado, Duggan grabbed hold of the No. 1 slot and didn't let go.

The fifth-year senior threw for 3,321 yards with 30 touchdowns against just four interceptions. His mastery of the big-play offense propelled TCU to an improbable undefeated regular season. Duggan led the country with 13 different passing plays over 50 yards. While the Horned Frogs would fall to Kansas State in overtime of the Big 12 title game, Duggan had his Heisman moment in the closing stretches of regulation.

With TCU down eight points in the final five minutes, Duggan rushed for an outrageous 95 yards on the final drive alone, capping the eight-play jaunt with an eight-yard score and subsequent two-point conversion. The team would fall in overtime, but that drive alone all but secured the school's first-ever berth in the CFP.

Stroud looked like the favorite to win the Heisman after finishing as runner-up last season, but the Ohio State star had two of his worst games of the season in November, including the high-profile 22-point loss at home to Michigan.

The standout junior otherwise had another strong season. He tied Williams for the nation's lead with 37 touchdown passes but failed to match the USC quarterback's impact in the biggest contests. Stroud can exact some redemption on New Year's Eve when his Buckeyes face Georgia in the semifinals.

Bennett, who'll be on the field across from Stroud, was the most surprising addition to the Heisman finalist list. The 25-year-old became just the second player since 1982 to begin their career as a walk-on and be named a Heisman finalist.

After quarterbacking Georgia to the national title last season, Bennett came back to help it return to the CFP. He finished the season 11th in the nation with 3,425 passing yards despite throwing under three passes per game in the fourth quarter. He'll get a chance to build his legend even further if he can lead Georgia to its second straight national title.

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