Sports Desk

From Anthony Solorzano: Through tears, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza thanked every member of his family after becoming the first Hoosier to ever win the Heisman Trophy. The Cuban American quarterback recognized his family for believing in him throughout his career.

He was a two-star high school recruit who drew little attention before finally landing an opportunity to play at California. After three years with the Golden Bears, including a redshirt year, he transferred to Indiana. On Thursday, the No. 1 Hoosiers will take the field at the Rose Bowl, where they will face college football traditional power Alabama in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Pressure is familiar for Mendoza. He’s faced challenges throughout his career — from proving himself as an overlooked high school athlete to earning his starting role at Cal.

Anytime Mendoza has met a hurdle, he considers how to help those around him shine.

“I know that’s my responsibility to my coaches, to my teammates and to the entire team, to be able to be sharp mentally and not have outside influences, pressures and noise able to impact my game,” Mendoza said. “I think one thing is just keeping the process on how I got here, how the entire team got to this place, which is keeping the process that I’ve kept for every single game.”

The Hoosiers finished the season undefeated. They will play for their first Rose Bowl victory in 57 years and it’ll be the second year in a row Indiana has reached the College Football Playoff.

“His leadership has increased in those crucial moments and I think that’s what makes him such a special player — because when the stakes are the highest, he steps up and gets the team going,” Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones said. “He’s a guy that people want to get behind and run a play for.”

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Bowl game results

Bowl schedule

USC’s defense continues to be a problem

Texas Christian running back Jeremy Payne carries the ball during a 30-27 win over USC in Alamo Bowl.

(Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)

From Ryan Kartje: Two years ago, a day after he decided to fire Alex Grinch as USC‘s defensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley made a promise to those concerned about the future of the Trojans’ defense.

“I have complete belief, conviction. We will play great defense here,” the coach said in November 2023. “It is going to happen. There’s not a reason in the world why it can’t.”

Two years later, another defensive coordinator is out the door at USC. The day after Grinch’s replacement, D’Anton Lynn, left to take the same job at Penn State, Riley stood in front of reporters, assuring everyone once again that soon enough, USC would be great on that side of the ball.

“The arrow,” he said Tuesday, “is pointing straight up.”

“The opportunity for us to make a hire, to continue to make us better and to go from being a very good defense to being a great defense is the goal.”

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UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close reacts during a win over Penn State on Wednesday.

(Greg Fiume / Getty Images)

From Ben Bolch: As she spoke about her team’s growth amid its first conference trip, Cori Close steered her comments toward something else she would like to nurture: coverage of women’s college basketball.

It was a topic that the UCLA coach had thrust into the national spotlight three days earlier when she voiced her frustration with a lack of reporting on a top-20 showdown involving her No. 4 Bruins and No. 19 Ohio State.

Now, after her team’s runaway 97-61 victory over Penn State on Wednesday inside Rec Hall, Close glanced at the 10 reporters on a Zoom call and doubled down on her previous remarks.

“The reality of what my comments were after Ohio State were, I have two really passionate agendas in regards to this, and that is, I want to be a pioneer of growing the game, period,” Close said. “I want to really be a part of the surge that’s happening and I want to be a part of telling these amazing stories that these players have, and they’re incredible young women as well as amazing basketball players.”

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UCLA-Penn State box score

Women’s college basketball scores

Former USC players sound off on Lincoln Riley

USC coach Lincoln Riley reacts during a loss to Texas Christian in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.

(Eric Gay / Associated Press)

From Chuck Schilken: Matt Leinart went to bed early.

Tired from hosting family for the holidays and planning on rising early for a workout, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner and star USC quarterback did not stay up to catch the end of his alma mater’s game against Texas Christian in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.

He likely does not regret that decision.

After allowing a 10-point lead to slip away in the final minutes of regulation, the Trojans eventually lost 30-27 in overtime after TCU running back Jeremy Payne caught a check-down pass on third-and-20 and broke multiple tackles on his way to the end zone for a 35-yard, game-winning touchdown.

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Lakers eager to move on

Lakers coach JJ Redick reacts during a loss to the Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: The Lakers started the day by singing “Happy Birthday” to LeBron James as the superstar forward turned 41 on Tuesday. They ended by singing another familiar, but more somber tune.

The Lakers got blown out again Tuesday, letting a close game devolve into a 128-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons. James scored 17 points with four assists and five turnovers while the Lakers (20-11) lost by 20 points for the sixth time this season. They are tied for the third-most 20-point losses in the league, yet somehow are still clinging to fifth place in the Western Conference standings.

“The intent and the, like, effort was there for the most part tonight,” coach JJ Redick said. “… The turnovers and the fast-break points, they kill you.”

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NBA scores

NBA standings

Thank you, L.A. sports teams, for saving me

The Dodgers celebrate winning the World Series, one of many highlight moments that lifted Bill Plaschke’s spirits during a terrible year.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

From Bill Plaschke: It was the last story I wrote before everything changed.

It was Jan. 5, 2025, and I was marveling at the Rams gumption in their shorthanded loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

“It was weird,” I wrote. “It was wild.”

I was so witty. I was so wrong.

Two days later, I was fleeing for my life, steering my car down narrow Altadena streets with a fireball at my back and a nightmarish future sprawled across the smoke-filled streets ahead.

Now that was weird and wild.

The year 2025 was more tumultuous than any silly football game and its accompanying overwrought metaphors. It was a year that knocked me flat, tearing me apart from so many things that once anchored me, setting me afloat in a sea of guilt and despair and ultimate uncertainty.

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2026 high school sports predictions

JJ Harel of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is gearing up to defend his state championship in the high jump.

(Craig Weston)

From Eric Sondheimer: It’s time to peer into my crystal ball to see what 2026 has in store for the Southland’s high school athletes (and a few former ones), coaches and fans:

JJ Harel of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, armed with passports from the United States, Israel and Australia, will soar so far past 7 feet in the high jump that national organizations from three different countries will fight to have him represent their team.

Striker Pence, a sophomore pitcher at Corona Santiago with a 100-mph fastball, will receive an endorsement deal from a radar gun company.

The UCLA-USC women’s basketball games will have so many celebrities and former players wanting to be seen that TMZ won’t need to pay for video.

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Ducks fall in overtime to Lightning

Tampa Bay defenseman Darren Raddysh, left, scores on Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal in overtime of the Lightning’s 4-3 win Wednesday at Honda Center.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Darren Raddysh scored midway through overtime, and the Tampa Bay Lightning blew three one-goal leads before beating the Ducks 4-3 on Wednesday for their fifth consecutive victory.

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper celebrated his 1,000th regular-season game in charge with his 595th victory as the longest-tenured bench boss in the NHL. The Lightning’s coach since March 2013 has also led them in 155 playoff games, won two championships and reached four Stanley Cup Finals.

Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist as the Lightning skated off with a win in the opener of their three-game California trip when Raddysh converted a pass from Brandon Hagel, who had three assists.

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Ducks-Lightning box score

NHL scores

NHL standings

This day in sports history

1902 — Michigan beats Stanford 49-0 in the first Rose Bowl. Neil Snow scores four touchdowns in a game that ends with eight minutes to play. The Wolverines earned the nickname as the “Point a Minute” team, having scored 501 points in their ten games. The next Rose Bowl game does not occur until 1916.

1916 — Washington State beats Brown 14-0 in the return of the Rose Bowl. Brown halfback Fritz Pollard, the first African-American to play in the Rose Bowl, gains just 47 yards in the rain-soaked game. After a scoreless first half, Washington State scores on short runs by Ralph Boone and Carl Dietz.

1934 — Columbia upsets Stanford 7-0 in the Rose Bowl when Al Barabas scores in the third quarter on a 17-yard hidden-ball play.

1935 — Bucknell beats Miami 26-0 in the first Orange Bowl.

1935 — Tulane beats Temple 20-14 in the first Sugar Bowl. The Green Wave complete a 14-0 comeback when Temple defender Horace Mowery tips a pass into the direction of Dick Hardy, who takes it in to the end zone.

1961 — The Houston Oilers beat the Los Angeles Chargers 24-16 to win the first AFL Championship.

1961 — Boston Bruins rookie Willie O’Ree, the first black player in NHL history, scores his first goal in a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Boston Garden.

1971 — Notre Dame ends Texas’ 30-game winning streak with a 24-11 win in the Cotton Bowl.

1991 — Georgia Tech routs Nebraska 45-21 in the Citrus Bowl to finish as college football’s only unbeaten team (11-0-1).

1992 — Miami beats Nebraska 22-0 in the Orange Bowl, the first shutout of the Cornhuskers since 1973, and finishes with a 12-0 record.

1993 — No. 2 Alabama wins its first national championship in 13 years and deprives Miami of its fifth title as the Crimson Tide defense humbles the No. 1 Hurricanes 34-13 in the Sugar Bowl.

1993 — Florida State beats Nebraska 27-14 in the Orange Bowl to set an NCAA record by winning eight consecutive bowl games.

2000 — Georgia’s Hap Hines kicks a 21-yard field goal in overtime to complete the greatest comeback in bowl history. The Bulldogs pull out a 28-25 victory over Purdue after trailing 25-0 early in the second quarter in the Outback Bowl.

2006 — New England’s Doug Flutie converts the NFL’s first successful drop kick in 64 years during a 28-26 loss to Miami.

2007 — Boise State, after tying the game with seven seconds to go in regulation, stuns No. 7 Oklahoma 43-42 in overtime to win the Fiesta Bowl. The No. 9 Broncos win on Ian Johnson’s 2-point conversion run after receiver Vinny Perretta throws a fourth-down touchdown pass to Derek Schouman.

2008 — Sidney Crosby’s shootout goal gives Pittsburgh a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres in the inaugral outdoor Winter Classic in front of a league-record 71,217 fans. In elements way more suited for football than hockey, Crosby wins the NHL’s second outdoor game — and first in the United States — in the most dramatic of fashion at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home to the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.

2012 — Backup quarterback Matt Flynn throws for a franchise-record six touchdowns to give Green Bay a 45-41 victory over the Detroit Lions.

2014 — Central Florida pulls off one of the biggest upsets of the bowl season by outlasting No. 6 Baylor 52-42 in the Fiesta Bowl. It’s the highest-scoring game in Fiesta Bowl history and second-highest BCS bowl ever.

2015 — Marcus Mariota and Oregon roll past defending national champion Florida State 59-20 to turn the first College Football Playoff semifinal into a Rose Bowl rout.

2015 — Cardale Jones turns in another savvy performance in his second college start and Ezekiel Elliott runs for a Sugar Bowl-record 230 yards, leading Ohio State to a 42-35 upset of top-ranked Alabama in the second semifinal of the College Football Playoff.

2018 — Sony Michel’s 27-yard touchdown run in double overtime gives Georgia a 54-48 win over Oklahoma in a Rose Bowl. It’s the first overtime game in the 104-year history of the Rose Bowl, the highest-scoring Rose Bowl ever and the first College Football Playoff game to go into overtime.

2022 — Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozen becomes first player in NBA history to hit buzzer-beaters on consecutive days; hits three-pointers to beat Washington Wizards, 120-119 and previous night Indiana Pacers, 108-106.

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Borussia Dortmund will only attempt to sign Norway attacker Oscar Bobb, 22, on loan from Manchester City if US midfielder Cole Campbell, 19, or Belgium winger Julien Duranville, 19, depart in January. (Sky Sports Germany), external

Crystal Palace forward Eddie Nketiah’s chances of joining West Ham have been scuppered after the 26-year-old England forward suffered a hamstring injury. (Talksport), external

West Ham are closing in on a deal for 21-year-old Gil Vicente striker Pablo, with the Portuguese expected in London for a medical. (Guardian), external

Brighton are monitoring 19-year-old Nordsjaelland and Ghana midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi, having previously signed Ivory Coast winger Simon Adingra, 23, and Ghana forward Ibrahim Osman, 21, from the Danish club. (Sky Sports), external

Manchester United are interested in Crystal Palace‘s 28-year-old France forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is yet to sign an extension on his contract which expires in summer 2027. (Football Insider), external

Turkish champions Galatasaray are interested in a loan deal for Manchester United‘s 24-year-old Uruguay defensive midfielder Manuel Ugarte. (CaughtOffside), external

Celtic are in talks with Bournemouth over a loan deal for defender Julian Araujo, 24, and want to have the Mexico international available for their meeting with Rangers on 3 January. (Daily Record), external

Tottenham‘s 18-year-old Croatian centre-back Luka Vuskovic has caught the eye of Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, although Spurs are reluctant to part with the teenager who is currently on loan at Hamburg. (CaughtOffside), external

France midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 23, wants to stay at Real Madrid amid interest from Liverpool. (Teamtalk), external

West Ham are preparing a bid for 29-year-old Spain and Fulham winger Adama Traore. (Football Insider), external

Maresca stunned even members of his own staff when – after beating Everton 2-0 for Chelsea‘s solitary Premier League win in December – he said “many people” had made it his “worst 48 hours” since joining the club.

Those comments came without any warning to club staff or senior management, who would have preferred any discussions to remain private.

But friction had been brewing in the months before that.

Maresca had hoped to raise his profile following the Blues’ successes through opportunities outside the club. He was planning to publish a book before being blocked, and spoke at Il Festival dello Sport – an event in Italy organised by La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper – without the club’s permission.

He also made public that he disagreed with the club not signing a central defender after Levi Colwill injured his anterior cruciate ligament in pre-season. The club’s hierarchy explained that doing so could prompt academy prospect Josh Acheampong to request a transfer, which ultimately led Maresca to back down.

The former Leicester manager has also switched agents – from the Wasserman agency to Jorge Mendes – and has been talked of as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, which Maresca has dismissed.

In addition, he has increasingly avoided wearing club tracksuits – opting instead for his own clothing.

Following his last game with Chelsea – a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on 30 December – assistant manager Willy Caballero said Maresca felt too unwell to do his post-match media duties, but it is understood his absence was more due to his disillusionment at the club.

And it was noticeable that when Chelsea posted a 52-second video on social media on New Year’s Eve summarising their year, there was no trace of Maresca.

Brennan Johnson will meet Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner on Thursday before making a final decision on whether to complete a £35m move from Tottenham.

BBC Sport understands the growing expectation is for the deal to be completed, but the talks will be pivotal towards the transfer’s successful progression.

Palace have agreed the fee with Tottenham to sign the 24-year-old forward but are still waiting for the green light to conclude the deal.

Wales international Johnson’s talks with Glasner will centre around the player’s role in the team and the club’s future and ambitions to ensure all parties are aligned.

If talks are successful, Johnson is expected to sign for Palace in the coming days.

PHILADELPHIA — Dave Roberts raised his arms to applaud the clinic unfolding before him. His claps were rhythmic and deliberate. He was saluting the best team in baseball.

The Dodgers arrived here around 4:30 a.m. on Monday, but they awoke by the fourth inning for a six-run, systematic humiliation of the Philadelphia Phillies in an eventual 16-2 victory. The display included six hits, a sacrifice squeeze by Austin Barnes and a sublime double steal executed by Barnes and Joc Pederson.

The gap between the Dodgers and the Phillies looked obvious after that inning. It is a chasm. The gap between the Dodgers and the rest of the National League looks almost as large.

The team disembarked for a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park with the most envious position in the sport. They have collected more victories than any other team in baseball, and own the largest division lead.

Heading into Monday’s games, the Dodgers led the National League West by 14 1/2 games. They could forfeit a week’s worth of games and still cruise to a seventh consecutive title. So what do they still have to play for?

A whole lot, it turns out. At least, in the eyes of their manager.

“I’d rather be 14 up than 14 down,” Roberts said before the game. “We still have a lot of work to do. And if you look at that series, there are things we need to get better at, things that we need to clean up.”

A few loose ends from Boston still perturbed Roberts. He cited “defensive lapses, times that we don’t finish at-bats the way we should” and issues with how the bullpen operated. Roberts worried about both the execution and the decision-making of his relievers, “how we attack hitters and [get] synced up,” he said.

“We’ve got to get better,” Roberts said. “And I really don’t care about the win-loss. I care about how we’re playing.”

The result on Monday left Roberts satisfied. The Dodgers humiliated the Phillies. Cody Bellinger swatted two home runs. The offense added a five-run splurge in the eighth. The crowd at Citizens Bank Park took to applauding Phillies relievers for the basic act of throwing strikes. The Dodgers scored with power and speed and guile.

“We’ve got a lot of baseball players on this team, up and down the lineup,” Barnes said. “You ask them to do something, and they’ll do it.”

As the second half unfolds, the Dodgers face only internal challenges before the postseason begins. The front office has two weeks to repair the bullpen through trades; the on-field personnel has a couple of months to place the pitchers in their proper roles. The bullpen remains the obvious blemish on an otherwise enviable roster.

The fragility of the bullpen looked obvious over the weekend in Boston, where the Dodgers still managed to win two of three from the defending championship Red Sox. After Pedro Baez served up a pair of eighth-inning home runs, Roberts faced a decision about who would start the ninth inning of a tied game.

His two choices?

One was Kenley Jansen, the three-time All-Star closer.

The other was Zac Rosscup, a 31-year-old journeyman who had already been cut loose by the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays this season.

In a different setting — like the postseason, or the 163-game hothouse that was the 2018 regular season — it is difficult to imagine Roberts opting for Rosscup in this scenario. But he sent Rosscup to the mound on Sunday, in part to save Jansen for a potential save situation in extra innings.

Rosscup did not last long. He walked the only batter he faced, and was replaced by Yimi Garcia. Jansen eventually arrived with two runners aboard. He stranded both, then threw a scoreless inning in the 10th. The Dodgers eventually won in 12.

Rosscup was designated for assignment on Monday. Brought in to replace him was reliever Casey Sadler. He handled the ninth inning, with the Dodgers nursing a comfortable 14-run advantage.

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The lead had ballooned as the Philadelphia bullpen collapsed. In the ninth, the Dodgers faced outfielder Roman Quinn on the mound. One moment typified the sort of effort Roberts expects from his group: Bellinger legged out an infield single to keep a two-run rally going.

“We’ve done that all year, whether we’re up or down,” Bellinger said. “None of our guys give away at-bats. It just shows the kind of group that we have. Everyone just wants to play and play well, and perform. That’s what we’re doing.”

There was little to clean up Monday. The Dodgers romped. The manager expected no less.

“I think our guys now are so wired that we’re just very methodical,” Roberts said. “And I don’t think that we care if we were tied in the division or if we’re 14 games up. It’s about how he play today.”

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes

Stefanos Tsitsipas says he considered retiring from tennis because of serious back pain during the 2025 season.

The 27-year-old has been as high as number three in the world and was runner-up to Novak Djokovic at the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open.

Now ranked 36th in the world after playing just two Davis Cup matches since a second-round exit at the US Open in August, he said he is finally seeing progress through ongoing medical treatment.

“I’m most excited to see how my actual training responds with regard to my back,” Tsitsipas said.

“My biggest concern was if I could finish a match,” added Tsitsipas, who said the injury had haunted him “for the last six or eight months”.

“I would ask, ‘Can I play another match without pain?'”

“I got really scared after the US Open loss [to Germany’s Daniel Altmaier]. I could not walk for two days. That’s when you reconsider the future of your career.”

Tsitsipas added he was satisfied with his current care plan after completing five weeks of off-season training without pain.

He will play for Greece, who are grouped with Naomi Osaka’s Japan and the Emma Raducanu-led Great Britain team in the United Cup, which will take place in Perth and Sydney from 2 to 11 January, the week before the Australian Open.

“My biggest win for 2026 would be to not have to worry about finishing matches,” he said.

“It makes great feedback knowing you had a pre-season without pain – I hope it stays that way. I want to deliver for 2026 and the United Cup.

“I put in the work. The most important thing is full belief that I can come back to where I was. I will try everything to do that.”

Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo is close to joining Manchester City after they activated a £65m release clause in his contract.

The 25-year-old is likely to complete the move after making a final appearance for the Cherries in Saturday’s game against his soon-to-be-club’s title rivals Arsenal.

Most of the big-spending clubs in the Premier League had been interested in the Ghana international after he became one of the stars of the 2025-26 season.

Semenyo is the third top scorer in the league with nine goals, plus has three assists.

And now the former Bristol City man will finally have the opportunity to play in Europe – and the Champions League.

But the question is – and this is why Semenyo is facing a big 2026 – how quickly can he break into the City XI with so much competition for attacking places?

Some of the biggest deals completed this month could be contract renewals for a number of big-name players.

England’s Georgia Stanway, 26, has attracted lots of attention, with Arsenal among those to have held talks with the midfielder. Her deal at Bayern Munich ends in the summer, and while she has an offer to extend, she could sign a pre-contract agreement in January to join another club in the summer.

Another England midfielder, Ella Toone, is out of contract at Manchester United in July. She can begin talks with other clubs outside the WSL this month.

Manchester City top scorer Khadija Shaw, 28, has had positive discussions over a contract extension, which is a huge priority for the club.

European champions Arsenal want to keep US international Emily Fox and she joins Katie McCabe, Kim Little and Stina Blackstenius in having a deal that expires this summer.

Chelsea are also due to hold negotiations with just six months remaining on the contracts of senior players Sam Kerr, Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze.

Aston Villa captain Rachel Daly is also out of contract in the summer, but will the club offer a new deal to the 34-year-old?

Elsewhere, Everton forward Kelly Gago, 27 on 5 January, has reportedly attracted interest from Paris St-Germain but with a valuation of £500,000, can the Toffees keep hold of her?

All eyes will be on US striker Trinity Rodman, who could be on the move from Washington Spirit depending on the outcome of salary negotiations with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

Chelsea are among those tracking Rodman’s situation, while Japan midfielder Maika Hamano could leave the Blues to join Tottenham on loan. US forward Catarina Macario also has interest from the NWSL, while Germany midfielder Sjoeke Nusken could seek more game time elsewhere.

Reports suggest West Ham might have to fend off interest in England defender Anouk Denton, while Amber Tysiak previously attracted suitors in the summer.

Kicker Harrison Mevis aims to get back on track when the Rams play the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Mevis, signed by the Rams in November, made all eight of his field-goal attempts before missing from 48 yards late in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ 38-37 overtime defeat by the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 18 in Seattle.

“Just continuing to keep firing away,” Mevis said. “I’m not going to be perfect in my career — nobody is. And it’s all about how you respond and bounce back and make the next kick.”

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Gary Klein breaks down everything you need to know heading into Monday night’s matchup between the Rams and the Atlanta Falcons.

In the aftermath of the loss, which included a fourth-quarter punt return for a touchdown by the Seahawks, Rams coach Sean McVay fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn.

Three of the Rams’ four losses have resulted from major kicking-game miscues, and Blackburn’s firing was just the latest change made to solve the issues.

When the Rams signed Mevis to replace Joshua Karty — who last week was signed by the Arizona Cardinals off the Rams practice squad — they also brought in veteran snapper Jake McQuaide to replace Alex Ward.

The game against the Falcons will serve as Ben Kotwica’s debut as interim special teams coordinator.

Kotwica has worked in the NFL for most of the last 18 years, and he coached with McVay on Washington’s staff. Kotwica was the Denver Broncos special teams coordinator in 2023 and 2024 before joining the Rams staff as a special teams assistant.

“We’ve had a couple of plays that have cost us during the course of the year, but I love the way that our guys are going about the business,” Kotwica said. “They understand the urgency. We’re part of a championship football team and we’re just ready to contribute to holding up that Lombardi [Trophy] early next year.”

Key injuries

Rams: OL Kevin Dotson (ankle, out); DB Josh Wallace (ankle, out); WR Davante Adams (hamstring, doubtful); OL Alaric Jackson (knee, questionable); DL Braden Fiske (ankle, questionable but expected to play); CB Roger McCreary (hip, expected to be activated to roster from injured reserve).

Falcons: CB Mike Hughes (ankle, out); CB Clark Phillips III (triceps/illness, out); DL Sam Roberts (knee/ankle, out); WR Drake London (knee, questionable).

How to watch and listen to Rams vs. Falcons

The Rams (11-4) and the Atlanta Falcons (6-9) will play at 5:15 p.m. PST Monday. The game will be shown on ABC in the Los Angeles area and nationally on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. In Southern California, fans can listen to the game on 710 AM, 93.1 FM and 1330 AM (Español).

Betting odds and lines for Rams vs. Falcons

Who will win Rams vs. Falcons?

Gary Klein’s pick: A few weeks ago, this looked like a potential easy victory for the Rams. Now it could be more difficult. Still, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will outduel Kirk Cousins. Rams 30, Falcons 24

SAN ANTONIO — For a nine-win team such as USC, once again on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff, the bowl season can feel a bit like purgatory. One foot in the past season, the other in the future, your team trapped somewhere in-between.

There were glimpses of each Tuesday night for USC in a brutal 30-27 overtime defeat to Texas Christian in the Alamo Bowl. There were equal reminders all night both of what could have been this season, had USC ever played at its best for long, and also flashes of why it never managed to be.

In one moment, there was freshman Tanook Hines, sprinting to catch a deep ball in stride, announcing himself as a rising star. In another, a TCU running back was busting his way through tackles on third-and-long, rumbling improbably into the end zone, deflating any such delusions of grandeur.

But after oscillating between those opposing poles, the final minutes against TCU took the Trojans on a tour of all their most glaring concerns from the 2025 season, from the leaky defense to the missed opportunities on offense.

Highlights from Texas Christian’s 30-27 overtime win over USC in the Alamo Bowl.

The Trojans saw a two-score lead evaporate in the final minutes of regulation. They got all the way to the five-yard line in overtime, only for the offense to stall and settle for a field goal. They even sacked TCU quarterback Ken Seals on second and 10, pushing the Horned Frogs out of field-goal range and forcing a third and 20.

All signs in that moment pointed toward the Trojans securing their 10th win, a feat they achieved only once over the past eight years. But then, against a three-man USC rush and with eight defenders in coverage, Seals checked down to running back Jeremy Payne in the flat.

“We did everything right defensively to put them in that position,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said.

Nothing, though, went right for USC after that. Payne broke through a tackle from cornerback Marcelles Williams. Two defenders, linebacker Jadyn Walker and safety Kennedy Urlacher, collided as they reached Payne next, missing him entirely. Then, he slipped through safety Christian Pierce’s hands and was suddenly sprinting free 35 yards for the win.

“Wasn’t a lot of time this year that we missed multiple tackles on a play,” Riley said. “It just happened in the worst time possible.”

That’s how most of the fourth quarter and overtime felt for USC, as TCU racked up 159 yards and 17 points over its final three drives.

Of course, there had been multiple chances before then for USC to put the game away, just like there were multiple chances for USC to make more of its 9-4 finish this season. The Trojans averaged nearly a full yard per play more than TCU. They racked up eight plays of 20 yards or more — a reminder of how explosive they could be.

In the red zone, though, the offense unraveled. Quarterback Jayden Maiava, who was inconsistent most of the night, threw a third-quarter interception in the end zone, just as USC looked primed to go on a roll.

Four other times, the Trojans stalled inside of TCU’s 25-yard line and settled for field goals as kicker Ryon Sayeri set the USC record for field goals in a season at 21.

“We just did not execute good enough in the red zone on either side of the ball,” Riley said. “If we did that, it’s probably a different feeling.”

Instead, the Trojans will have to carry this bitter taste into the offseason, with questions already looming about what comes next. Not the least of which being what direction USC will take its defense, after coordinator D’Anton Lynn departed for Penn State just before the game.

USC running back King Miller is stopped short by the Texas Christian defense in the first half during the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.

(Eric Gay / Associated Press)

Riley wouldn’t comment on why Lynn was replaced as playcaller the day of the bowl game. But when asked how he felt about the future of his defense, Riley projected a particularly sunny outlook.

“I feel fantastic,” he said. “But those who really study the game and watch how we’ve played and the way we’ve been able to improve, the arrow is just pointing straight up.”

Of all the questions raised Tuesday, how USC might replace its No. 1 wideout next season was not one of them. Hines had already done his part to earn that role, but declared it to the world anyway in a six-catch, 163-yard performance.

King Miller also continued to solidify his place in a tandem with Waymond Jordan in 2026, as he rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown, coming up just short of the 1,000-yard mark in a season he started as a walk-on.

USC coach Lincoln Riley, right, greets TCU coach Sonny Dykes after the Trojans’ overtime loss in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.

(Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)

But the silver linings largely stopped there, even if the circumstances made for an unusually uphill climb with USC’s roster. Over a dozen starters or would-be starters sat out. Three of the Trojans’ starting offensive linemen didn’t dress. Both of their top receivers and top tight end were in street clothes, having declared for the NFL draft. Twenty-five players listed in USC’s two-deep Tuesday were either freshmen or redshirt freshmen.

Without Lynn calling plays, which a source described as “a mutual agreement”, defensive line coach Eric Henderson stepped into the role.

It went quite smoothly at first. USC held TCU to two straight three-and-outs — and just 11 total yards in two drives — to open the game.

But on the ensuing possession, Maiava threw into heavy coverage and was intercepted, his first of two on the night. The momentum USC had built up early dissolved almost instantly.

The defense’s strong start faded into disarray. And while it came roaring back after halftime, forcing an interception and limiting TCU to just 35 yards in the third quarter, USC’s offense couldn’t fully capitalize. A one-handed touchdown pass to Jaden Richardson nearly did the trick, giving the Trojans a 21-14 lead that seemed primed to balloon from there.

But it never did. And in the final, stunned moments of its season, Riley was left offering the same assurances that USC will soon be out of purgatory.

“When you’ve been in those programs and been a part of those teams that have done those things, you feel what it’s like,” Riley said. “And this place is doing all the things that you need to do to put yourself in position to go bust that door down and do it.”

TCU players celebrate after beating USC in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.

(Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)

From Ryan Kartje: For a nine-win team such as USC, once again on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff, the bowl season can feel a bit like purgatory. One foot in the past season, the other in the future, your team trapped somewhere in-between.

There were glimpses of each Tuesday night for USC in a brutal 30-27 overtime defeat to Texas Christian in the Alamo Bowl. There were equal reminders all night both of what could have been this season, had USC ever played at its best for long, and also flashes of why it never managed to be.

In one moment, there was freshman Tanook Hines, sprinting to catch a deep ball in stride, announcing himself as a rising star. In another, a TCU running back was busting his way through tackles on third-and-long, rumbling improbably into the end zone, deflating any such delusions of grandeur.

But after oscillating between those opposing poles, the final minutes against TCU took the Trojans on a tour of all their most glaring concerns from the 2025 season, from the leaky defense to the missed opportunities on offense.

The Trojans saw a two-score lead evaporate in the final minutes of regulation. They got all the way to the five-yard line in overtime, only for the offense to stall and settle for a field goal. They even sacked TCU quarterback Ken Seals on second and 10, pushing the Horned Frogs out of field-goal range and forcing a third and 20.

All signs in that moment pointed toward the Trojans securing their 10th win, a feat they achieved only once over the past eight years. But then, against a three-man USC rush and with eight defenders in coverage, Seals checked down to running back Jeremy Payne in the flat.

“We did everything right defensively to put them in that position,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said.

Continue reading here

USC-TCU box score

Bowl schedule and results

MORE USC:

Meet the Hanson family, the secret to USC’s offensive line success

Lakers fall apart against Pistons

Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart scores during a 128-106 win over the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

From Broderick Turner: The Lakers are still searching for an identity after 31 games, a task complicated by injuries that have depleted their rotation for much of the season.

They’re lacking a defensive personality. They haven’t been a physical team, an overly athletic team or a fast team.

The Lakers got a close look at a team that embodies all of those characteristics in a 128-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Coach JJ Redick acknowledged the Lakers are still trying to figure out who they are and how they can fix their issues after losing for the fourth time in five games.

“The players, staff, everybody, we’ve really tried to play the right way every night and have the right intent,” Redick said. “The flow of lineups and rotations and all that has been challenging for everybody, not just the coaches. It’s a challenge for the players. And building an identity is difficult.”

Continue reading here

Lakers-Pistons box score

NBA standings

Clippers win their fifth straight game

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard tries to drive past Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook during the Clippers’ 131-90 win Tuesday night at Intuit Dome.

(Luke Hales / Getty Images)

From the Associated Press: Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points and the Clippers extended their winning streak to a season-best five games Tuesday night with a 131-90 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

James Harden had 21 points while John Collins and rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser each added 16 for the Clippers, who have found a successful formula after not winning more than two consecutive games before their current run of success began.

Leonard’s productive night came after he scored a career-best 55 points in a victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. He has averaged 37.8 points over the past five games.

Continue reading here

Clippers-Kings box score

How Curt Cignetti Indiana into a Rose Bowl favorite

Indiana players say coach Curt Cignetti’s honesty and accountability have helped the team go from the Big Ten basement to No. 1 in the country.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

From Anthony Solorzano: Curt Cignetti knows winning. No matter where he finds himself, whether it’s James Madison or with the Division II IUP Crimson Hawks, success follows him. Since getting the opportunity to lead a program, Cignetti has never had a losing season.

When Indiana hired him in November 2023, the Hoosiers were the program with the most all-time losses in college football history, and ended the season with a 3-9 record under Tom Allen.

It wasn’t a work in progress, the Hoosiers football program needed to be rebuilt.

On New Year’s Day, Indiana will face Alabama in the highly anticipated Rose Bowl matchup. The Crimson Tide have a rich postseason history and a tradition of championships, but the Hoosiers are the favorites to win.

Continue reading here

Anthony Rendon clears path to end his Angels tenure

Anthony Rendon’s tenure with the Angels could be drawing to a close with the third baseman agreeing to a restructured contract with the team.

(Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Anthony Rendon has agreed to restructure the final year of his $245-million, seven-year contract with the Angels, a person with knowledge of the decision told the Associated Press on Tuesday night.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Angels hadn’t announced any developments with Rendon, who didn’t play last season following hip surgery.

The team and Rendon have amended the deal to restructure the remaining $38 million owed to the third baseman in 2026, presumably spreading the money over time.

Rendon is still on the roster and continuing to rehab at home in Houston, but his horrendous tenure with the Angels could be over.

Continue reading here

This day in sports history

1961 — Paul Hornung, on leave from the Army, scores 19 points to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 37-0 win over the New York Giants for their seventh NFL championship. Green Bay’s Bart Starr throws three touchdown passes in the first title game ever played in Green Bay.

1962 — The American Basketball League folds. The ABL played one full season, 1961-1962, and part of this season. The ABL is the first basketball league to have a three point shot for baskets scored far away from the goal. The league also had a 30-second shooting clock and a wider free throw lane, 18 feet instead of the standard 12.

1973 — Third-ranked Notre Dame edges top-ranked Alabama 24-23 in the Sugar Bowl. Notre Dame’s Bob Thomas kicks a 19-yard field goal with 4:26 left to give the Irish a one-point lead. With two minutes left, the Irish clinch the victory when on third-and-8 from the their own 3, Tom Clements completes a 35-yard pass from his own end zone to Robin Weber, and Notre Dame runs out the clock.

1982 — Jockey Pat Day edges Angel Cordero Jr. by two races to capture leading rider honors. Day rides Dana’s Woof and Miltons Magic to victory during the evening program at Delta Downs for 399 wins for the year.

1988 — A blinding fog rolls in during the second quarter of the Chicago Bears’ 20-12 NFC semifinal victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field in Chicago. The fog obscures the game from most of the 65,534 fans present and a national television audience that could watch only ground-level shots.

1989 — Jockey Kent Desormeaux sets the world record for most number of wins in a single season. His 598th win is aboard 2-year-old East Royalty in the Inner Harbor Stakes at Laurel Racecourse.

2005 — Harness drivers Catello Manzi and Brian Spears each set single-season records. Manzi, 55, becomes the oldest harness driver to lead North America in victories (727), even without a win on the last day. Sears becomes the first driver to surpass $15 million ($15,085,991) in pursue earnings.

2013 — Johnny Manziel lives up to his nickname “Johnny Football,” leading 20 Texas A&M to another comeback win, 52-48 over No. 22 Duke in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The Aggies are down 38-17 at halftime but with Manziel at the helm they came back in the highest-scoring game in the bowl’s history. The 2012 Heisman trophy winner throws four touchdown passes, completes 30 of 38 passes for 382 yards and runs for 73 yards and a touchdown.

2016 — Top-ranked Alabama relies on a stifling defense and the bruising runs of Bo Scarbrough to wear down Washington for a 24-7 victory in the Peach Bowl semifinal game.

2016 — Deshaun Watson runs for two touchdowns and throws another and No. 3 Clemson crushes No. 2 Ohio State 31-0 on in the Fiesta Bowl to set up a rematch with Alabama for the College Football Playoff national championship.

2017 — The Cleveland Browns complete the second 0-16 season in NFL history with a 28-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

2017 — The Buffalo Bills snap the longest current non-playoff streak in North American pro sports with a 22-16 victory at Miami and Cincinnati’s victory at Baltimore. The Bills hadn’t made the postseason since 1999.

2018 — Houston guard James Harden scores 43 points in Rockets’ 113-101 win over Memphis Grizzlies; 4th straight NBA game with 40+ points and 8th straight with 35+; joins Oscar Robertson as only player with at least 35 points & 5 assists in 8 straight games.

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Matt Leinart went to bed early.

Tired from hosting family for the holidays and planning on rising early for a workout, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner and star USC quarterback did not stay up to catch the end of his alma mater’s game against Texas Christian in the Alamo Bowl on Tuesday night.

He likely does not regret that decision.

After allowing a 10-point lead to slip away in the final minutes of regulation, the Trojans eventually lost 30-27 in overtime after TCU running back Jeremy Payne caught a check-down pass on third-and-20 and broke multiple tackles on his way to the end zone for a 35-yard, game-winning touchdown.

It was a exasperating finish to a 9-4 season already considered a disappointment by many Trojan fans after the team failed to make the College Football Playoff for the fourth time in as many seasons under coach Lincoln Riley.

A number of former USC players took to social media during and after the game to express their frustrations. Leinart initially wasn’t one of them, even though some people thought he was commenting on the Alamo Bowl when he wrote, “Nobody cares…. I promise!” Tuesday night on X.

Later, the verified TCU Football account reposted Leinart’s post and wrote “cry on,” a play on the USC rallying cry, “Fight on!”

USC coach Lincoln Riley, right, shakes hands with Texas Christian coach Sonny Dykes after the Alamo Bowl

(Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)

On Wednesday morning, Leinart wrote that his comment actually “had nothing to with USC game lol.” In a video posted about an hour later, the two-time NCAA national champion said he missed the last three drives because of his early bedtime. He did, however, offer brief thoughts on the previous night’s result and the state of Trojan football.

“Not a good way to end the season,” the Fox Sports analyst said. “It is what it is at this point. Big offseason.”

Su’a Cravens, a USC standout at safety/linebacker from 2013-15, also pointed to the next year as make-or-break for the Riley-coached Trojans.

“Another year goes by and yet we’re marching in the same ole place of above avg football!” Cravens wrote on X. “I pray to God this recruiting class and offseason squeezes every ounce of talent and work ethic out of this team next year. Because in my book, you either make the playoff next year or this was a failed experiment. Plain & simple!”

Cravens, who hosts Rams coverage on ESPN LA, added some constructive advice in a separate, and lengthy, post.

“Get more former players in the building coaching and showing these guys what it really means to be a Trojan!!!!” he wrote. “Let practices be open again and allow every single media camera on the sideline and create that Pete Carol [sic] environment of competition! Pressure makes diamonds !!! …

“ACTUALLY HOLD PLAYERS ACCOUNTABLE IN THE FILM ROOM AND BENCH THEM WHEN THEY REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKES!!!! Let’s get down the core of the issues.”

LenDale White, who won two national titles with the Trojans during the Carroll years, offered to be one of those former players to return as a coach.

“@uscfb i’m ready to be on the staff it’s time,” the former running back wrote on X. “What are we gonna do???”

White also vented about the Trojans’ Alamo Bowl performance — writing “Do y’all ever practice tackling ever or is it always about offense?” — and having to endure more than two decades without a national title.

“I truly don’t even know why I’m mad. I knew better lol. My fault!!!” White wrote. “Maybe one day I can see them in the playoffs maybe one day don’t look like no time soon!! and I hope I can eat my words.”

Former USC longsnapper Jake Olson was asked on X for his thoughts on Riley and the Trojans after Tuesday night’s collapse.

“I’ve made my thoughts on [Riley] pretty clear over the course of the season. Tonight’s game, although reminiscent of the season, probably isn’t the best measuring stick in all fairness,” Olson wrote. “But clearly there’s problems—problems that are still here from 4 years ago. Simply put, hes not it.”

Olson continued in the comments: “Except I will add this. It’s alarming to see how clueless Riley looks at times. He has regressed so much, especially in play calling. For 11 mil a year, and for offense to be his ‘forte,’ it’s become very sad.”

Darren Raddysh scored midway through overtime, and the Tampa Bay Lightning blew three one-goal leads before beating the Ducks 4-3 on Wednesday for their fifth consecutive victory.

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper celebrated his 1,000th regular-season game in charge with his 595th victory as the longest-tenured bench boss in the NHL. The Lightning’s coach since March 2013 has also led them in 155 playoff games, won two championships and reached four Stanley Cup Finals.

Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist as the Lightning skated off with a win in the opener of their three-game California trip when Raddysh converted a pass from Brandon Hagel, who had three assists.

J.J. Moser and Brayden Point also scored for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves.

Mason McTavish tied it on a power play with 6:58 left in regulation for the Ducks, who have lost four straight and eight of 10. Jansen Harkins and Beckett Sennecke also scored, and Lukas Dostal stopped 24 shots as the Ducks earned a point for only the second time in six games.

Moser opened the scoring in the first period with his first goal since agreeing to an eight-year, $54-million contract extension last weekend.

The Ducks scored their first two goals off turnovers, with the 19-year-old Sennecke getting the 12th of his rookie season early in the third period.

Kucherov scored his 18th goal on a cross-ice pass from Hagel during a power play four minutes later, but the Ducks evened it again when Pavel Mintyukov made an exceptional play at the blue line to set up McTavish for his 10th goal.

The Ducks announced during the game that forward Frank Vatrano will be out for about six weeks with a broken shoulder incurred in a loss to the Kings last Saturday.

Up next for the Ducks: vs. Minnesota at Honda Center on Friday.

Scrutinized and criticized after a season-opening loss to Florida State, the Alabama Crimson Tide have spent the remainder of the season focused on growth, resilience and a shift in leadership mentality as they prepare for their College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against No. 1 Indiana on Thursday at the Rose Bowl.

Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson said the early criticism served as motivation for the team.

“I think the first game everybody kind of wrote us off — especially me as being a problem — and that really made me feel some type of way,” Simpson said. “Adversity brings opportunity and this was an opportunity to make things right. I know that not only was I getting scrutinized, but our head coach was as well. As much respect as I have for him, I had to scratch and claw and find some way to get better. With more time, more reps, more games in general, I got better.”

Simpson’s leadership has evolved steadily over the course of the season, becoming a focal point of Alabama’s offensive identity.

Following the season-opening loss, Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer emphasized areas of growth for his quarterback, particularly in decision-making and confidence.

“He’s gotta just trust his reads and just cut it loose sometimes and let it fly,” DeBoer said. “And then just some decision-making there in certain critical moments, that’s the things he’s going to learn from.”

DeBoer said Simpson’s ability to cope with adversity throughout the season helped Alabama as it prepares for for the Rose Bowl.

“There’s the ups and downs and every game is not going to be perfect, but his response and just what he’s played through, it can be the mental part the physical part,” DeBoer said. “Wins, losses he’s just continued to stay the course.”

Alabama turns its attention to Indiana and Heisman winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who presents a significant challenge heading into Thursday’s CFP quarterfinal matchup.

”Everybody sees him as the guy and of course he won the Heisman Trophy. That’s motivation for me, I know I am going head-to-head with him, but the opportunity to go against the No. 1 team in the nation, sign me up,” Simpson said. “I am a competitor and I am excited for it and being able to play in this game against a good team is what I want.”

As the Crimson Tide prepare for Indiana’s physical rushing attack, Simpson and the offense continue working to put all the pieces together under pressure.

Receiver Ryan Williams has emerged as a key offensive weapon, using his speed to make defenders miss and create opportunities.

“We’re going to make sure we have plays to give him the ball and I have to make sure I understand my read and give him the ball,” Simpson said of Williams.” It’s my job to make sure the offense reads the ball, whether Ryan is the first read or the last read. I’m going to throw it to the open guy and make sure we’re in a good position.”

While Alabama may be fueled by external criticism and its underdog role, the team is spending its last stretch before the Rose Bowl focused on blocking out outside noise and embracing its internal standard.

“We write it on our whiteboard every game, ‘All about Bama,’ That’s all it’s ever about — Bama,” Simpson said. “All about these guys in here and the coaches. Alabama against the world, that’s kind of been our mindset of just making sure its all for one and one for all.”

Through tears, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza thanked every member of his family after becoming the first Hoosier to ever win the Heisman Trophy. The Cuban American quarterback recognized his family for believing in him throughout his career.

He was a two-star high school recruit who drew little attention before finally landing an opportunity to play at California. After three years with the Golden Bears, including a redshirt year, he transferred to Indiana. On Thursday, the No. 1 Hoosiers will take the field at the Rose Bowl, where they will face college football traditional power Alabama in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

Pressure is familiar for Mendoza. He’s faced challenges throughout his career — from proving himself as an overlooked high school athlete to earning his starting role at Cal.

Anytime Mendoza has met a hurdle, he considers how to help those around him shine.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza holds back tears while accepting the Heisman Trophy on Dec. 13 in New York.

(Todd Van Emst / Associated Press)

“I know that’s my responsibility to my coaches, to my teammates and to the entire team, to be able to be sharp mentally and not have outside influences, pressures and noise able to impact my game,” Mendoza said. “I think one thing is just keeping the process on how I got here, how the entire team got to this place, which is keeping the process that I’ve kept for every single game.”

The Hoosiers finished the season undefeated. They will play for their first Rose Bowl victory in 57 years and it’ll be the second year in a row Indiana has reached the College Football Playoff.

“His leadership has increased in those crucial moments and I think that’s what makes him such a special player — because when the stakes are the highest, he steps up and gets the team going,” Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones said. “He’s a guy that people want to get behind and run a play for.”

Mendoza became the third player with Latino heritage to win the Heisman Trophy. His grandparents on both sides of the family were born in Cuba and during his acceptance speech, he made sure to thank them in Spanish.

In the NFL, Latino players have become a growing demographic. From 2021-25, representation jumped from 12 to 47 players who identify as Latino, with 32 on 53-man rosters at the start of the season. Mendoza is not in the league, but his elevated presence in the college football world has come with extra pressure of representing a culture and proving Latinos can succeed in football.

“To be able to play in this atmosphere in the Rose Bowl, it’s a special moment for myself, for my family, and I would say just being able to play in front of a Hispanic and Latino crowd, it’s what I do,” Mendoza said. “I want to inspire young Latino kids and I want to always represent my culture to the highest.”

On Thursday, Mendoza will take the field for the first time as a Heisman winner, adding another layer of intensity to his game. The award winner is expected to do many national media interviews and Mendoza recently was a prominent voice during a “60 Minutes” segment about Indiana.

“What you see on camera is who he is,” Jones said. “Whether it’s in the locker room or out to eat with some of my teammates, he is one of the more genuine people on the team.”

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti hopes the expectations that come with the Heisman Trophy don’t change the quarterback’s style.

“It’s really critical now that he develops a sharp edge in his preparation and doesn’t play like, ‘Oh, I’m the Heisman Trophy winner and I’ve got to do this or do that,’ because we’ve all been following this game long enough to know we’ve seen some of those performances,” he said.

Cignetti understands the difficulty of the opponent standing in front of Mendoza. The Alabama defense works to throw the quarterback off balance. The Tide have great players who play hard and fast. In order to win, Mendoza and his teammates need to play the way they have all season.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about execution, left tackle doing his job, running back, receiver, and Fernando being on point,” Cignetti said.

Mendoza said he is up to the challenge. When he takes the first snap in Pasadena, he won’t be thinking of personal statistics or awards, he’ll be thinking about the national championship.

“Now we have to get the ultimate team award,” he said.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Lauren Betts scored 25 points and surpassed 1,500 career points in leading No. 4 UCLA to a 97-61 rout of Penn State on Wednesday.

Gianna Kneepkens added 17 points, Kiki Rice scored 16 and Sienna Betts 10 for the Bruins (13-1, 3-0 Big Ten), who won their seventh in a row after leading for all but 31 seconds.

The Bruins, who entered averaging just over 95 points per game since their lone loss to the No. 2 Texas Longhorns on Nov. 27, found their offense immediately inside a quiet Rec Hall.

Lauren Betts finished 11 for 19 from the floor. She sunk a layup in the opening seconds to spark the first of a handful of lopsided runs for the Bruins.

Kneepkens and Rice added back-to-back three-pointers moments later before Kneepkens hit another long ball to put UCLA up 13-2 less than three minutes in.

Penn State (7-7, 0-3) responded with a pair of buckets, but Kneepkens drained her third three-pointer of the quarter and UCLA closed out the first on a 14-5 run shooting 58% from the floor.

The rout was on from there for the Bruins, who led by as many as 37 with 6:41 in the fourth quarter. They led 46-23 at halftime.

Gracie Merkle had 15 points and Kiyomi McMiller scored 13 for Penn State, which fell to 1-15 against AP top 10 teams since coach Carolyn Kieger’s first season in 2019.

Up next UCLA: vs. No. 17 USC at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night.

Chelsea were satisfied with Maresca at the end of last season after he delivered Champions League qualification – regarded internally as his most important achievement – plus a Uefa Conference League win, which had broadly been expected, and a Club World Cup triumph, which came as a welcome surprise.

There was genuine delight and backing among key figures at Stamford Bridge, including sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart, and influential owner Behdad Eghbali.

In line with the agreed strategy when appointing Maresca from Leicester City in 2024 – for which the club paid £10m – he focused on coaching the team while those above him oversaw much of the backroom staff, medical department and transfers.

The transfer policy – signing the world’s best young players from lesser leagues to create the youngest team in the Premier League – remains in place.

Maresca will have known what he was signing up for. His complaints are not about the quality of his players or the strategy, but about the perception of his work with this young group.

The Italian is encouraged to rotate his squad, but he often feels that when he does so in the Premier League, his team drops points. He has also openly urged reporters to question the hierarchy.

Those familiar with his thinking say he has defended his work because he believes he is performing better than many have acknowledged, given the squad’s age. He also feels the club should have offered him stronger protection from external criticism.

Maresca has sought to raise his own profile following recent success. He had planned to publish a book – blocked by the club – and spoke at Il Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy, without Chelsea‘s permission, at an event organised by La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

His “worst 48 hours” comments came without prior warning to club staff or senior management, who would have preferred such discussions to remain private. The remarks even surprised members of his own team.

Maresca also publicly criticised Chelsea for failing to sign a central defender after Levi Colwill suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in pre-season. The hierarchy explained that doing so could prompt promising academy prospect Josh Acheampong to request a transfer, which ultimately led Maresca to back down.

There has also been a switch of agents – from the Wasserman agency to Jorge Mendes – alongside links to a potential move to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, which Maresca has denied.

In addition, he has increasingly avoided wearing club tracksuits, opting instead for his own clothing.

Chelsea have a history of poor December form, collecting just 62 points from a possible 120 over the past seven seasons. Last season, they endured a stretch of only two wins from mid-December through the final week of February.

This context shows that Chelsea could have taken bad spells on the chin previously – the situation remains recoverable – but those other factors which have strained his relations with the club hierarchy now mean results are essential to strengthen Maresca’s position.

Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn says the “great qualities” of Anthony Joshua’s friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele, who were killed in a car crash in Nigeria, will be “deeply missed”.

Ghami and Ayodele died when the vehicle they were in, alongside heavyweight boxer Joshua and another passenger, collided with a stationary truck on a major road near Lagos.

Joshua sustained injuries but is stable and conscious and did not require emergency medical help, according to Ogun state government, external.

Hearn, who has promoted the 36-year-old since he turned professional after winning gold at the 2012 Olympics, has paid tribute to the Briton’s close friends and team members.

“Rest in peace Latz and Sina,” Hearn posted on Instagram, external.

“Your energy and loyalty among so many other great qualities will be deeply missed. Praying for strength and guidance for all their family, friends and of course AJ during this very difficult time.”

Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, the Ogun State police spokesperson, Oluseyi Babaseyi, said “Investigations are still ongoing” and described the process as “still discreet”.

Leicester Tigers stalwart Dan Cole will leave the club after 18 years due to personal reasons.

Cole, 38, played for the Tigers between 2007 and 2025 before taking up the role of recruitment and retention manager after hanging up his boots.

The former prop turned out over 340 times for the club – breaking the record of league appearances for Leicester in 2023-24.

“I am leaving Tigers with a heavy heart,” Cole said.

“This club means everything to me and it has been an honour to represent the badge. Unfortunately, a change in personal circumstances dictates that I cannot give the role the attention it deserves moving forwards so I am stepping away.

“I have no doubt that the club is on strong footing for 2026 and beyond and wish Geoff, the players and everyone at Mattioli Woods Welford Road the best of luck.”

Leicester-born Cole won four Premiership titles during his time at Welford Road.

It was the last story I wrote before everything changed.

It was Jan. 5, 2025, and I was marveling at the Rams gumption in their short-handed loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

“It was weird,” I wrote. “It was wild.”

I was so witty. I was so wrong.

Two days later, I was fleeing for my life, steering my car down narrow Altadena streets with a fireball at my back and a nightmarish future sprawled across the smoke-filled streets ahead.

Now that was weird and wild.

The year 2025 was more tumultuous than any silly football game and its accompanying overwrought metaphors. It was a year that knocked me flat, tearing me apart from so many things that once anchored me, setting me afloat in a sea of guilt and despair and ultimate uncertainty.

Today, I have a home but no home. My days are filled with the beeps and growls of bulldozers. My nights are draped in the silence of emptiness. What was once one of the coolest secrets in Los Angeles has become a veritable ghost town, the vast empty spaces populated by howling coyotes and scrounging bears.

And I’m one of the lucky ones.

A lot has changed in the 12 months since the Eaton Fire spared my house but destroyed my Altadena neighborhood. I say a daily prayer of thanks that I did not endure the horror of the 19 people who lost their lives and thousands more who lost their homes. I am beyond fortunate to live in what was left behind.

But virtually nothing was left behind. Venerable manicured homes have been replaced by weed-choked vacant lots. Familiar local businesses are now empty parking lots. There is the occasional sighting of new construction, but far more prevalent is “For Sale” signs that have seemingly been there for months.

After living in the limbo of hotels and Airbnbs for two months while my home was remediated, I was blessed to return to four walls and running water, but beset with the guilt of having a front-row seat to the pain of so many who lost everything. I was spared, but nobody in Los Angeles was spared, and it wasn’t until halfway through the year that I noticed a consistent light from the strangest source.

Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani points as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during Game 3 of the World Series.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

Every night, I would watch the Dodgers. At least once every couple of weeks, I would attend a Sparks game with my daughter, MC. Soon, there would be Saturdays with one of our college football teams, then Sundays with the NFL then, the baseball playoffs, leading to the insane Game 7 and morphing into the annual Lakers winter drama.

By the final weeks of December, I realized that one thing has consistently kept my spirits strong, perhaps the same thing that has helped keep our city upright through trials much tougher than mine.

Sports.

The highs, the lows, the dramatics, the desperation, it was all there when nothing was there, it was the feeling that even with everything gone, you still belonged to something.

UCLA women’s basketball players celebrate as confetti falls after they beat USC to win the Big Ten tournament title.

(Michael Conroy/AP)

From Dodgers exhilaration to Laker despair, from USC football frustration to UCLA women’s basketball greatness, sports has been the bright wallpaper on a year of Southland darkness.

It is sports that kept me grounded, kept me steady and somehow kept me believing.

In the worst year of my life, it was sports that saved me.

The path back to normalcy began two weeks after the Eaton fire, when I left my temporary hotel room to attend a press conference for the Dodgers’ latest Japanese import, Roki Sasaki.

“Invincible,” I wrote about the team’s rebuilt roster, a word that was so comforting during such a time when everything in life felt tenuous.

I came back to the hotel after the press conference, wrote my story then, like thousands of others in my situation, packed up and moved to another hotel.

Lakers guard Luka Doncic claps hands with forward LeBron James during a game against the Clippers on March 2.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Soon thereafter I was awakened late one night with the news of the Lakers stunning acquisition of Luka Doncic. I wrote this column from a rental house while preparing to move to yet another new place. My clothes were in a plastic grocery bag. My house was still in shambles. In Doncic, as least, there was hope.

Several days later I attended the Doncic press conference, asked a question, and Doncic asked me to repeat it. Turns out, it wasn’t a language barrier, it was a sound barrier. I was speaking too softly. It was then I noticed that the trauma from the fire had exacerbated my Parkinson’s Disease, which affected my voice, one of the many symptoms which later led me to acknowledging my condition in a difficult mid-summer column.

Yeah, it was a helluva year.

Good news returned in early March when it was announced that the Dodgers had made Dave Roberts the richest manager in baseball, giving him a new four-year, $32.4 million contract. In a bit of dumb luck that hasn’t stopped me from bragging about it since, 10 years ago I was the first one to publicly push for Roberts’ hiring. In such unstable times in our city, Roberts had become the new Tommy Lasorda, and his presence became a needed jolt of smile.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts salutes fans during the team’s World Series celebration at Dodger Stadium on Nov. 3.

(Carlin Stiehl/For The Times)

In early April, I wrote a column I never thought I’d write — that Bronny James had been transformed from circus to contributor. I also wrote a column that I maybe wish I hadn’t written so soon, that JJ Redick was a Laker success.

By then, writing stories about Laker conflicts was a refreshing respite from dealing with fire hassles. We were back in the house, but were we safe? Did we test enough for toxins? And how can we look our next-door neighbor in the eye when she comes to examine the giant empty scar where her house once stood?

In late May I sadly said goodbye to my second family when I wrote about the end of my 22-year run on ESPN’s popular “Around the Horn” game show. It wasn’t the first time in 2025 that a column brought me to tears, witness the video immediately after the fire. Agreed, I spent the year showing so much emotion for someone who had gotten so lucky. But I’m guessing I wasn’t alone.

Two weeks later I wrote about my new family, the group of boxers I have joined in my fight against Parkinson’s. That was the toughest column I have ever written, as I was acknowledging something I refused to admit for five years. But the fire had seemingly set the disease ablaze, and I could hide it no longer.

The year continued with columns about the soon-to-be-retiring Clayton Kershaw, the greatest Dodger pitcher with the greatest entrance song. Hearing “We Are Young” when he took the mound consistently gave me hope that, through the treacheries of a summer that marked the escalation of those insane ICE raids, we can continue to strive for rebirth.

That’s what sports consistently provided in 2025, the hope that from beneath the rubble, we could all fly again.

I voiced this hope in a Rams preview column that predicted they would go to the Super Bowl. I later wrote a Rams column predicting they would actually win the Super Bowl. I stand by my stories.

All of which led to a series of Dodger playoff columns that hopefully reflected the building energy of a town enthralled. After their Game 7 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays, I was so spent that I hyperventilated for what felt like an hour.

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto holds up the MVP trophy after beating the Blue Jays and winning the World Series.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

“In the end, they not only ran it back, they sprinted it back, they slugged it back, and then, finally, they literally Will-ed it back,” I wrote.

In hindsight those words could have been written not only about a team, but a city, fighting back, staying strong, the results of its struggle mirroring the Dodgers’ consecutive championships, punching through desperation, from struggle to strength.

In 2025, sports showed me that life can get better, life will be better, that if we hang in there long enough we can all hit that Miggy Ro homer, make that Andy Pages catch, stay forever young.

And thus I offer a heartiest and hopeful welcome to 2026.

Bring it on.