DALLAS (WGNO) — Tulane head coach Willie Fritz fully agrees with a comment he overheard comparing Southern Cal quarterback Caleb Williams with former Super Bowl and NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs).
The newly named 2022 Dodd Trophy winner said the recently crowned Heisman recipient has a knack for turning a little into a lot.
“They have outstanding skill players, and that all starts with the quarterback,” Fritz told WGNO Sports following a Cotton Bowl press conference to jumpstart New Year’s Day festivities in Dallas. “He can extend plays. I heard someone comparing him to Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) … and that’s a fair comparison. He’s unbelievable.”
The 16th-ranked Green Wave (11-2) faced off against stellar competition all season, with huge wins on the road against ranked teams Kansas State and Cincinnati before capturing the American Athletic Conference title with a victory over Central Florida.
However, Coach Fritz believes Tulane will face a different talent all together when the Green Wave face off against the Williams’-led Trojans (No. 10, CFP Poll).
“We’ve played some teams that had quarterbacks that could run it like him, or maybe can throw it like him, but nobody that can do both,” said Fritz. “That’s why he’s the Heisman Trophy winner.
“You gotta have a plan for him running the football, because if you don’t he’s going to turn a 10-yard gain into a 60-yard gain … and the ability to extend the play and throw on the run accurately, not very many quarterbacks can do that.”
Both Fritz and Southern Cal head coach Lincoln Riley addressed media at a New Year’s Day press conference first thing Sunday morning:
Kickoff is set for noon.
