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From Ryan Kartje: He’d finally waited long enough.
After three seasons biding his time as a backup and a lifetime spent dreaming of being USC’s No. 1 quarterback, Miller Moss was officially named the Trojans’ starter on Monday.
The official announcement, which was made by the team on social media, had long seemed like a formality, at least since the Holiday Bowl last December, when Moss shredded Louisville for six vindicating scores in his first start. Teammates called for him to be the heir apparent from the postgame podium. Even coach Lincoln Riley, who had talked openly about bringing in multiple transfers to compete, admitted that night his plans may have changed.
“Shoot,” Riley said then, “he may have scared off anybody that would want to come here anyway.”
Riley still ultimately brought in a transfer quarterback, Jayden Maiava of Nevada Las Vegas. And while Maiava has impressed with his skills and ever-so-natural throwing motion, that wasn’t enough to outweigh the experience in Riley’s offense that Moss brings.
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DODGERS
From Jack Harris: On a day the Dodgers welcomed a host of reinforcements back to their lineup, they might have witnessed the return of Gavin Stone, as well.
In a 3-0 defeat of the Seattle Mariners on Monday night, the Dodgers fielded a (mostly) full-strength offense, getting Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Tommy Edman back from injuries in what was their most complete-looking lineup since early this season.
However, it was the once-slumping Stone whose re-emergence looked brightest.
A rookie sensation in the first half of the year who’d struggled to limit contact or induce swing-and-miss in his last seven outings (when he had a 6.12 ERA and only one outing of at least six innings), Stone rediscovered his early-season form on Monday, pitching seven scoreless innings with a career-high 10 strikeouts.
“Yeah, definitely [my best start] since the All-Star break,” the 25-year-old right-hander said. “Just cleaning up some things, cleaning up the delivery.”
Facing a Mariners offense that entered the night ranked last in the majors in both batting average and strikeouts, Stone did exactly what he was supposed to against Seattle’s light-hitting lineup.
Freddie Freeman has hairline fracture, but he won’t miss games for Dodgers
ANGELS
Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer, Seth Lugo once again looked like the pitcher whose brilliant first half made him an All-Star, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Angels 5-3 on Monday night to extend their winning streak to five games.
Lugo (14-7), who had been just 2-3 with 5.23 ERA since the All-Star break, gave up four hits and three walks over seven innings while striking out eight. That tied him with the Braves’ Chris Sale and the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal for the big league lead in wins.
Salvador Perez added two hits and three RBIs for the Royals, who have outscored their opponents 37-7 during their winning streak. Kansas City never trailed in any of those games against the AL Central-rival Twins, Reds and Angels.
RAMS
From Gary Klein: Matthew Stafford stretched with teammates. During individual drills, he rolled out and threw passes with no outward sign of a balky hamstring.
Still, Rams coach Sean McVay took no chances Monday with his veteran quarterback.
Stafford took off his helmet, put a cap on and watched Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennett run the offense for the rest of practice.
With less than three weeks before the Sept. 8 opener at Detroit, McVay will err on the side of caution when it comes to his 36-year-old quarterback.
“My biggest thing was, wanted to be smart with him,” McVay said after a morning workout in Thousand Oaks. “If there was any sudden movement that set him back, just didn’t think it would be worth it.”
CHARGERS
From Anthony De Leon: For Jim Harbaugh, the return of star quarterback Justin Herbert to practice for the first time since July 31 after injuring the plantar fascia in his right foot was a moment so uplifting it should have come with the “Voices of Angels.”
Herbert was back slinging the football during seven-on-seven drills. Opting for running shoes over cleats, he moved easily, showing no discomfort or favoring his right foot when planting to throw.
Harbaugh was pleased with Herbert’s return, noting he looked great displaying his arm talent and pinpoint accuracy without any signs of a drop-off.
UCLA-USC VOLLEYBALL
From Marissa Kraus: USC and UCLA officially joined the Big Ten Conference this month, which also means the start of women’s volleyball season is drawing ever closer.
The Bruins and Trojans open their seasons Aug. 30, with their first matches against Big Ten opponents Sept. 27. The adjustment to a new conference isn’t just about getting acquainted with teams of national championship caliber — Penn State and Nebraska have each won two titles since 2013, while Wisconsin won it all in 2021. There is also the reality of adjusting to a more grueling travel schedule.
Nebraska, last season’s national runner-up and USC’s first Big Ten road opponent, is a mere 1,537 miles away. The Bruins will have conference road trips to Purdue, Northwestern, Rutgers, Maryland, Indiana and Illinois. Rutgers, at about 2,800 miles, is the farthest Big Ten institution from the L.A. schools.
Gearing up for the season while protecting the health and wellness of the athletes starts with changing how the teams will travel. Second-year UCLA coach Alfee Reft said there’ll be some charter flights, depending on the timing of competition and athletes’ schedules. Bruins athletic director Martin Jarmond recently told The Times that four charter flights have already been approved for this season, with the possibility of more.
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1931 — Helen Wills Moody beats Eileen Bennett Whitingstall 6-4, 6-1 to capture the women’s title in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championship.
2000 — Tiger Woods wins the PGA Championship in a playoff over Bob May, becoming the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in one year. He’s the first player to repeat as PGA champion since Denny Shute in 1937.
2003 — The U.S. wins the women’s overall team gold medal at the gymnastics world championships. It is the first gold for the Americans — men or women — at the biggest international event outside the Olympics.
2004 — Michael Phelps matches Mark Spitz’s record of four individual gold medals in Olympic swimming by winning the 100-meter butterfly. He edges teammate Ian Crocker to win his fifth gold medal. Shortly after winning his seventh medal of these Olympics, Phelps gives up his spot in the medley relay to Crocker.
2006 — Tiger Woods wins the PGA Championship for a five-shot victory over Shaun Micheel and his 12th career major. He becomes the first player to win the PGA twice on the same course, having done so at Medinah in 1999.
2008 — Usain Bolt of Jamaica breaks the 200-meter world record, winning in 19.30 seconds at the Beijing Games. He is the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to sweep the 100 and 200 at an Olympics.
2012 — Augusta National invites former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore to become the first female members since the club was founded in 1932.
2016 — Allyson Felix and LaShawn Merritt anchor the 4×400 relay teams, and the U.S. exits the final night of action at Olympic Stadium with 31 medals — its most in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1956. The U.S. women’s basketball team beats Spain 101-72 for a sixth straight title.
2018 — Alabama becomes the second team to be ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll for three straight seasons. The preseason AP poll started in 1950 and since then only Oklahoma from 1985-87 had started No. 1 in three straight years.
2023 — FIFA Women’s World Cup Final, Stadium Australia, Sydney: Spanish captain Olga Carmona scores the only goal of the game as La Furia Roja score a 1-0 win over England.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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