Williams Delivers for USC

USC freshman receiver Mike Williams said he received a valuable bit of advice from Coach Pete Carroll on Saturday morning:

Stop thinking about your bruised thigh.

“He said, ‘Just go out there and compete; let things happen,’ ” Williams said. “I went out there carefree. And things definitely happened.”

Williams, who appeared a step slow the previous two weeks in victories over Arizona State and UCLA, put his injury behind him with a dominating performance in the Trojans’ 44-13 victory over Notre Dame.

He signaled his return to form by catching 10 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns.

“It was a big night for me,” Williams said. “I wanted to have a big game last week against UCLA, but having a big night against Notre Dame, that’s even better.”

Williams’ 19-yard touchdown reception from Carson Palmer with five seconds left in the first half allowed USC to regain the lead, 17-13, a minute after Notre Dame had gone ahead on a blocked punt that was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.

Earlier in the quarter, Williams caught a six-yard scoring pass from Palmer to give USC its first lead, 7-6. The 6-foot-5, 223-pounder lingered in the end zone after the touchdown, taking a long look into the stands filled with cheering fans.

“I was just trying to appreciate the moment,” he said. “Let it all absorb in.”

Williams is USC’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Keyshawn Johnson had 1,434 yards in 1995, becoming the fifth player in school history to reach that milestone. Williams has 75 catches for 1,066 yards and 13 touchdowns, all Pacific 10 Conference freshman records.

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Senior cornerback Darrell Rideaux intercepted a pass and deflected another that was caught by USC teammate DeShaun Hill for an interception in a turnover-plagued stretch of the second quarter.

Rideaux, a 5-8 senior, intercepted a pass by Notre Dame quarterback Carlyle Holiday and returned it 29 yards to the Irish 11.

“I’m the guy with the worst hands on defense, but the play slowed down for me,” Rideaux said.

Two plays later, Rideaux jumped with receiver Omar Jenkins for a long pass from Holiday, with the ball deflecting to Hill. The free safety caught it for the third interception in four plays, giving USC possession at its 36.

“The ball hit me in the helmet, but who better to go to than a guy I grew up with,” Rideaux, who played with Hill at Long Beach Poly High. “We couldn’t ask for a better way to end the season.”

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Senior receiver Kareem Kelly had three catches to tie Johnnie Morton for the USC reception record with 201. Kelly has caught a pass in 47 consecutive games.

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Palmer became the Pac-10 all-time leader in total offense with 11,314 yards, surpassing Cade McNown of UCLA (11,285).