CHICAGO – USC coach Lincoln Riley once more took time through the first week of the NFL season to observe the primary game of a rookie quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy in college and was drafted first overall.

Riley, who has mentored three quarterbacks who’ve won the honors, enjoys rooting for his guys.

On Sunday afternoon, Riley watched his newest protégé begin a brand new journey, watching quarterback Caleb Williams lead the Chicago Bears to 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field.

Williams, Chicago’s first-round select of USC in April’s NFL draft, didn’t have an ideal debut statistically. In fact, he accomplished just 14 passes on 29 attempts for 93 yards passing — a median of a paltry 3.2 yards per attempt — and no touchdowns. Williams, a productive college runner, had just 15 rushing yards.

“Obviously, we didn’t play the way we wanted to (offensively). We want to be the most efficient team, and so do I. We didn’t play the way I wanted to,” Williams said. “I missed a couple of passes that I don’t normally miss. … I have to be better. I’ll be better.”

Above all, though, point guards are judged on the success of their group. Despite Williams’ rough opening performance, his teammates lifted him up, rallying from a 17-point deficit within the second quarter.

Chicago returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and an interception for a touchdown. The Bears combined for 3 turnovers within the fourth quarter because the Titans faltered, allowing the Bears to go away the sector satisfied despite struggles on offense as Williams tried to search out his way.

“I don’t care about the stats. I feel great (about the win),” Williams said. “The stats aren’t where I want them to be. I want to go out there and play my best. I didn’t do that today. We’re going to be better.”

No matter what additional challenges Williams will face as a rookie – and there will probably be more – he is not going to quit, Riley said.

“With all the attention and everything that’s on him, being the first pick, and being in the city of Chicago, you want someone who’s not going to be afraid of that,” Riley told Andscape. “He definitely won’t do that.”

With Williams on the helm, Riley is confident the Bears can have many great days ahead. And few know Williams higher than the person who coached him for all three of his college seasons.

While Riley was coaching at Oklahoma, he convinced Williams, a former standout at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., to sign with the Sooners. After Riley unexpectedly left Oklahoma to take the identical position at USC in 2022, Williams soon joined the Trojans.

Under Riley’s tutelage, Williams won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore. The Bears entered the 2024 NFL Draft with Williams as the highest pick. Now, Williams continues to meet his dream of becoming an NFL superstar and a Super Bowl champion.

Riley is admittedly biased. He has established that, he is definite Williams is headed where he desires to be. How quickly Williams gets there, Riley said, will rely on how quickly he adapts to the trials of playing a very powerful position in top-level football.

“He definitely made progress (from his freshman to his third season), he worked hard and it showed,” said Riley, who leads the nation’s Thirteenth-ranked team.

“And he’d be the primary to let you know that he’s just going to need to proceed to grow, especially as he adjusts to the NFL, and he continues to grow as a player and face different challenges. I mean, teams played him somewhat in a different way last yr than they did the primary few years. You know that is going to proceed to occur. People are all the time going to attempt to evolve the best way they attack.

“They’re not going to just sit there and let you beat them up, game by game, and not try new things. You better be ready to adapt. That’s going to be part of his development. But it’s not going to be a surprise to him. He definitely sees it. And he’s still a student of the game. He’s studying the game and learning. He knows that’s going to be a big part of it. He knows that’s definitely going to be a critical factor in his success. He knows he’s got to continue to be able to move the ball and win games.”

Among college coaches, Riley is unrivaled in his ability to provide star quarterbacks in American football.

While at Oklahoma, he mentored Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, who each won Heisman Trophies and were the highest picks of their draft classes. Additionally, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was a Heisman Trophy finalist while playing for Oklahoma after transferring from Alabama.

In the NFL, Mayfield finished second in AP Rookie of the Year voting. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the primary time last season. AP voters selected Murray because the offensive rookie of the yr, and he’s a two-time Pro Bowl player. Hurts led the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance and finished second in AP Rookie of the Year voting.

At first glance, Williams has loads in common with the opposite members of Riley’s quarterback club. But upon closer inspection, Williams is entering the NFL a bit in a different way than his predecessors, who were conductors in Riley’s system.

“One thing is he just played a lot less football than the other guys,” Riley said. “Those guys were older at the tip of their (college) careers. All those guys could have played full highschool careers. Caleb missed his senior yr due to COVID.

“These guys were a little further along. They’ve just seen more, experienced a little more, played a little more. And when you play the ball a little more, you see more from a talent perspective. But he’s right up there with any of them in terms of his ability. He’s a really special talent.”

While he’s not one to make specific predictions about how Williams will fare within the league, Riley is confident the Bears will proceed to get one of the best out of Williams every day.

“He keeps asking himself what can I do better to be better next time. Then he puts in the work to be better,” Riley said. “If they (Bears) can put the right players around him and really get him settled, he’ll start to improve.”

And Riley would love to search out some TV time to observe it.

The Ebony Ladies Golf League is devoted to its mission of growing and diversifying the sport of golf. President Tracy Raoul recently he said CBS News reported that their goal is to proceed welcoming recent members to this inspiring community.

The organization celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in March, marking one other 12 months of encouraging women of color to play golf. Raoul, who has been president since 2021, said that while golf can seem intimidating to newcomers, their Chicago-based group is concentrated on breaking down those barriers and helping more women tackle golf with confidence.

She explained: “Golf is a great sport. It’s great physically. It’s a mental game. You have to know how to let go of that bad shot and move on to the next one.”

Raoul proudly told the website about the recent increase in recent members of the Ebony Ladies Golf League from 2022 – from 46 ladies to 81 members in total.

“A lot of them have never picked up a golf club. I want to grow the game and see more African-American women playing the game.”

Back in the early twentieth century, there was an amazing demand for women of color in the game of golf.

“African Americans were not allowed to play the game back then,” Raoul said. She continued: “They could be caddies, and if they did play, unfortunately they had to play with poor materials and equipment.”

She added: “Walter Speedy and his three gentlemen sued the Park District because they couldn’t play on the public golf course, Jackson Park. So they sued and won. In 1910, these gentlemen started playing.”

It took an extended time for women to have a spot on the golf course, and it took even longer for women of color to play. Fortunately, Raoul said she sees a trend of more young golfers bringing in black girls and boys, which she is optimistic will help diversify way forward for the game.

The Ebony Ladies Golf League approached CBS about accepting more members and provided some advice to its founders and members.

Member Eleanor Fox said: “If you want to play golf, play golf. You can do anything our colleagues can do, and sometimes we can do it better.”

Another member, Kathy Davis, added, “I’ll say, ‘Yes you can, and we (Ebony Ladies Golf League) are here to help you.'”

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts could also be celebrating greater than just his team’s first win of the NFL season. Wedding bells is also ringing within the near future after the NFL star sparked buzz about his engagement to longtime girlfriend Bryonna “Bry” Rivera Burrows.

Following a 34-29 victory over the Green Bay Packers in a historic Week 1 game — the first-ever NFL game in Brazil and the primary game on a Friday within the opening weekend since 1970 — Hurts’ photo sparked engagement rumors.

The buzz across the case began when a fan posted a pre-game photo on X, showing Hurts and Burrows kissing on the sphere.

In the photo, Burrows, a University of Alabama graduate, was spotted caressing the face of Hurts, who was wearing a big diamond ring, before the sport, a sight that quickly fueled speculation the pair could be engaged.

“Our good sister Bry Burrows got her ring! Congrats to her and Jalen Hurts!” a fan wrote, resulting in an avalanche of congratulations despite no official confirmation from the couple.

Even Eagles quarterback Darius Slay’s wife, Jennifer Slay, expressed surprise, commenting“Oh my god, they’re engaged.”

Fans on social media expressed their wishes, and one user appointment“Sending all the love and best wishes to Bry Burrows and Jalen Hurts on their engagement! Here’s to your beautiful future together!”

Our good sister Bry Burrows got her ring! Congrats to her and Jalen Hurts! photo:twitter.com/JSuh6nWR03

— Queer Latifah 🥂 (@TheAfrocentricI) September 7, 2024

Another user he tweeted“I love watching this! Power Couple goals right up there. Congrats to both of them!”

The ring size also didn’t go unnoticed.

“This thing has some weight!” one person said he noticedwhile one other as well as“Heavy, heavy, heavy! This thing has gained some weight! I pray to God they will be happier in the future.”

However, not everyone was thrilled, with some distraught fans expressing disappointment that Hurts would soon be gone from sale.

“Can she fight?” one heartbroken fan asks I askedWhile others expressed their feelings through GIFs.

Me to the girl…me too😂

— Arika Miller (@MillerArik61564) September 7, 2024

Oh my god, I’m weak 😂😂😂

— precisetiff (@diamondnpearl86) September 7, 2024

Hurts and Burrows have been together since college. Hurts, who spent his freshman 12 months as a starting quarterback on the University of Alabama in 2016 before transferring to the University of Oklahoma in 2019, has remained near Burrows throughout their relationship.

Their bond has often attracted public attention, especially given their ties to P&G, each historically black Greek-letter organizations — Burrows is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Hurts is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Burrows is greater than just Hurts’ girlfriend; she’s a really talented person in her own right. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alabama, in keeping with her LinkedIn profile profile.

She also served as Vice President of the MBA Association and Captain of the nationally award-winning MBA Case Team while at Culverhouse College of Business.

Although the couple tries to maintain their relationship a secret, Hurts opened to Essence in 2023, saying, “I’m not married or anything, but I’m taken.”

He added that he “knew a long time ago” that his girlfriend was the one, saying, “I mean, up until this point in my life, it’s an irreplaceable feeling. I think that’s what got us to where we are now.”

Hurts, the 53rd overall pick within the 2020 NFL Draft, has been a driving force for the Eagles, leading the team with determination. He signed a five-year, $255 million contract extension with Philadelphia in 2023, solidifying his credentials each on and off the sphere.