While some duds were delivered by former Trojans in NFL Week 12, many teams had a Trojan leading them to victory with spectacular efforts. Former USC quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Sam Darnold had bounce-back performances this past week. Amon-Ra St. Brown came through for the Lions. It was mostly the new young NFL studs who shined and helped their squads secure a win.
Here is my breakdown of how each former USC football star fared in NFL Week 12:
Woody Marks
Woody Marks had his best rushing performance of the season, playing his part in securing an upset over the Buffalo Bills. Marks ran for 74 yards on 16 carries. He helped keep the chains moving and made things easier on backup quarterback Davis Mills. Following this game, Mark should get another big opportunity to show up for his team versus the Colts on Sunday.
Calen Bullock
Calen Bullock had his best performance of the season and got the game-clinching interception versus Buffalo. Bullock was one of the defensive MVPs of the game. Bullock had 5 solo tackles, 2 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions. His first pick should have been a pick 6, but it was brought back due to a block in the back. Bullock is ramping up, and he looks like he is picking right off where he left off in his stellar rookie season.
Caleb Williams
It was not the elite quarterback and mistake-free performance that many were waiting for from Caleb Williams, but he still showed promising star ability. Caleb threw for 3 passing touchdowns and 239 yards. This time around, for the Bears‘ offense, Caleb was the one who willed this team to victory. The challenge now for Caleb and the Bears’ offense is to get this offense moving all in one accord.
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold got back to playing efficiently, and just getting the ball to Jaxon Smith-Njigba as much as possible. That is the winning formula. With Seattle barely losing to the Rams with Darnold throwing 4 interceptions, it is clear how good this team is. They will only go as far as Darnold can take them with his play. If he takes care of the ball and plays to the level he can, the Seahawks can take back the NFC West. Darnold, in a win versus the Titans, finished with 2 passing touchdowns and threw for 244 yards.
Leonard Williams
Leonard Williams had himself a dominant day in the trenches versus the Titans, finishing with 4 tackles and a sack. Williams now has 6 sacks on the season, and he continues to be the leader of this defense.
Brandon Pili
With Jarran Reed on IR, former Trojan Brandon Pili got his opportunity to see some more game action, and he made a huge impact in the trenches for the Seahawks next to Leonard Williams. Pili totaled 4 tackles, plugging up gaps all game long.
Amon-Ra St. Brown
In a high-scoring match versus the Giants, which went to overtime, Amon-Ra St. Brown was one of the Detroit Lions‘ playmakers who came up big. St. Brown put up elite receiver numbers and season-high yardage production with 9 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. After a little bit of a slump for St. Brown, he saved his best performance to prevent a New York Giants upset. He will need to put up production like that to help propel the Lions back to first place in the North and to help the Lions get through their tough stretch of games.
Michael Pittman Jr.
Michael Pittman Jr. saw many targets against the Chiefs but was only able to haul in 5 of his 8 catches for a modest 27 yards. Pittman scored on the opening drive, but after that, he was held in check for the majority of the game.
