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It did not take long for linebacker Nate Landman to establish himself as a key player for the Rams.

A few months after he signed a one-year veteran minimum contract, teammates voted him a captain. Landman became the defensive signal-caller and has forced numerous turnovers for a Rams team that is 8-2 and a Super Bowl contender.

On Saturday, the Rams moved to keep Landman in the fold for the future, signing him to a three year-contract extension, the team announced.

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Gary Klein previews Sunday’s game between the Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at SoFi Stadium.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed but it includes more than $15 million in guarantees, said the person with knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity because the contract has not been posted.

Landman, 27, is a fourth-year pro who played in college at Colorado and signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent.

Landman has made a team-best 91 tackles for the Rams, including a team-record 17 in a victory over the Baltimore Ravens. He also has forced four fumbles.

“There are certain guys that just have some natural leadership traits and characteristics that endears them to their teammates,” coach Sean McVay said this week, adding, “I think the best part about it is that Nate’s not being anybody other than himself.”

Signing Landman to an extension is a marked departure for a Rams organization that has not typically invested major dollars at inside linebacker.

Landman, veteran Troy Reeder, second-year pro Omar Speights and rookie Shaun Dolac all were undrafted free agents.

Ernest Jones, a 2021 third-round pick by the Rams, was traded to the Tennessee Titans in 2024 before the final year of his rookie contract.

The Rams play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

Players’ injuries are usually announced through official club channels or a manager’s news conference.

But a planned appearance by Manchester United striker Matheus Cunha to turn on the Christmas lights in Altrincham has sparked injury concerns among fans.

The Brazil forward had been due to attend the event alongside Sam Aston – who plays Chesney on Coronation Street – on Saturday evening, just two days before United host Everton in the Premier League on Monday.

However, just hours before the festive extravaganza, organisers Visit Altrincham said in a Facebook post that Cunha would not be attending “due to medical reasons” as the player “had an accident in training”.

United have not yet confirmed any further details or whether this will affect Cunha’s availability for the Everton match.

BBC Sport has contacted United for comment. It is understood the appearance was not arranged through the club.

Cunha, who signed for £62.5m from Wolves in the summer, has played a key role in United’s resurgence this season – with Ruben Amorim’s side unbeaten in their past five games.

He scored his first goal for the club in a 4-2 win over Brighton in October and played in both of Brazil’s friendlies in the recent international window.

On Friday, head coach Amorim confirmed striker Benjamin Sesko would be out until the middle of next month with a knee injury.

If Cunha is not available for Monday’s game, it would force Amorim into a major reshuffle.

Mason Mount would come into contention, but Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee could also be drafted into Amorim’s starting line-up for the first time this season in the Premier League.

It also raises the possibility of a call-up for England Under-20 international Shea Lacey, who has impressed in United’s Premier League 2 squad this season.

I have to give it to Bill Plaschke when he’s right. UCLA moving to SoFi Stadium is about as smart as a typical UCLA coaching hire.

This month I was able to attend the Steelers-Chargers game at SoFi on a Sunday, followed the next Saturday by the USC-Iowa game at the Coliseum. Everything about those two places is different and only one of them feels like the college experience.

SoFi crams tailgaters in like sardines. There is no room to enjoy the experience.

The fresh air and scenery at the Rose Bowl are the best maybe in the country. People don’t show up at the Rose Bowl for a very simple reason: The program stinks. Not the venue. This proves the old adage, “the fish stinks from the head down.” Thousands of fans sat in the rain last weekend for a Trojans game because the product on the field was worth it. Simple.

Jeff Heister
Chatsworth

Who can blame UCLA for wanting to play at SoFi Stadium, the ultra-modern sports palace, not to mention great recruiting tool, a mere 15 minutes from campus? As Bill Plaschke waxes nostalgic, the rest of us slog down the 10 Freeway from Westwood, through downtown, up into the far northeast corner of L.A., to the antiquated monument that is the Rose Bowl.

Afterward, those of us sitting on the east side of the stadium, staring into the setting sun until the fourth quarter, stumble with burned-out retinas to the muddy golf course that they call a parking lot, to wait in our stack-parked cars, until everyone else is out, so we can leave, an hours-long ordeal just to get home. My only question is, what genius at UCLA signed a long-term contract to play at a place that was obsolete long before the ink dried?

Art Peck
View Park

UCLA will pay attorneys millions of dollars endeavoring to extricate the university from the ironclad Rose Bowl lease it pledged to honor. Beyond those fees, they’ll pay tens of millions more to Pasadena in order to get out of the deal.

If UCLA takes those same many millions, invests in a top-tier coach, enhances its football programs and facilities, and fills their NIL coffer, that should lead to a winning, sustainable program that brings more fans to the games. Rose Bowl revenue goes up.

Pasadena may get a one-time windfall, but over time without an anchor tenant, revenue will shrink and the stadium’s luster will fade.

Where are the sensible, honorable folks who possess the smarts and the backbone to craft a fair deal?

David Griffin
Westwood

UCLA likely leaving the historic Rose Bowl, home of a million team memories and successes, for the sterile confines of SoFi Stadium is abhorrent to any longtime Bruin fan. Terry Donahue, you have our sincerest apologies.

Jack Wolf
Westwood

England are not a bad cricket team. They are a good cricket team that can occasionally be a thrilling cricket team. They are also a stubborn, maddening and slow-learning cricket team.

Many of the worst, most painful defeats since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took charge have been self-inflicted.

In Wellington in 2023, England made New Zealand follow on, and lost. In the Ashes of the same year, England declared on day one at Edgbaston, then had the benefit of Nathan Lyon limping off Lord’s. They lost both.

The following year, away to India in Rajkot: 224-2 in reply to 445, with Ravichandran Ashwin out of the match to attend a family emergency. England lost. In July of this year, England needed 73 more to pull off a record chase against India at The Oval with Harry Brook and Joe Root at the crease making hundreds. England lost.

It is great the Bazballers have form for backs-to-the-wall run chases, but it’s just as good to win from a position of dominance. Stokes often says he does not like the word “ruthless”. Perhaps it is because his team are not.

The most galling part of this defeat is what it could have done to Australia.

The West Australian newspaper harangued England through Perth airport, called them crybabys, arrogant and cocky. It only took one ropey first-day performance from Australia for the West Australian to turn on them.

Lyon was limping again. There were whispers Australia had picked the wrong team. Knives were out for Usman Khawaja and his dodgy back. Now Khawaja is a national hero for allowing Head to open the batting.

Stand-in captain Steve Smith might have been asked why he had rehearsed a monologue about Monty Panesar’s appearance on Mastermind. Instead he sat at the post-match news conference as a winning skipper, literally slapping Head on the back. It had echoes of eight years ago in Brisbane, when Smith and Cameron Bancroft laughed through the Jonny Bairstow headbutt incident.

Now Australia go to the second Test in Brisbane, played in a day-night format they hardly ever lose. The hosts have the luxury of not rushing Pat Cummins’ return.

Mitchell Starc, 10 wickets in Perth, has wizarding skills with the pink ball Harry Potter would be proud of.

Where do England go from here? They have been beaten so swiftly in Perth they have time to fly home, have a week off, then fly back to Brisbane for a round of golf and the second Test.

Australia bowled out England twice in 67.3 overs in Perth. Not since 1904 have England survived so few deliveries in losing a Test.

Listening to Stokes and McCullum, it appears one place the bulk of the Ashes squad will not be going is Canberra for a two-day pink-ball match between England Lions and the Prime Minister’s XI next weekend. England will rest in Brisbane instead.

The opportunity to tune up under lights will be largely passed in the name of unity and morale. England have only one training session under lights in Brisbane.

It would not be a surprise if England field the same XI in the second Test. The batters will be backed and the five-pronged pace attack looked on to something in the first innings in Perth.

The first time quarterback Baker Mayfield played at SoFi Stadium, he started for the Rams with only two days of practice.

On Dec. 6, 2022, the Rams claimed Mayfield off waivers from the Carolina Panthers to replace injured Matthew Stafford. A few days later, he led the Rams to victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on “Thursday Night Football.”

That performance, one of five games Mayfield started to finish that historic Super Bowl-hangover season for the Rams, jump-started Mayfield’s then-stalled career.

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Gary Klein previews Sunday’s game between the Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at SoFi Stadium.

In 2023, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him to a one-year contract, and he led them to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. In 2024, he signed a three-year contract that includes $55 million in guarantees and could be worth as much as $100 million, according to Overthecap.com.

And on Sunday, he returns to SoFi Stadium to face a Rams team that is 8-2 and looks very much like a Super Bowl contender.

“There is no way for me to sugarcoat it. … It was pivotal in my career and in my journey,” Mayfield, speaking about his time with the Rams, told Tampa Bay reporters this week, adding, “It helped me find the fun in football again. … It was instrumental in my career, something I am forever grateful for, and it will be fun to go back and see some familiar faces.”

During his short stint with the Rams, Mayfield brought “a spark” and displayed “pretty impressive mental stamina” to process and put into action so much information, Rams coach Sean McVay said.

“It’s one thing to absorb it, it’s a totally different thing to be able to bring it to life when the enemy has a say,” McVay said. “It was impressive. I think when you watch what he’s done and who he is, I think it’s probably more on par for what we expect of Baker than the outlier when you look at the totality of everything he’s done.”

Mayfield, 30, has passed for 17 touchdowns, with three interceptions this season for the Buccaneers (6-4), who lead the NFC South.

The game matches Mayfield, the top pick in the 2018 draft, against Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the top pick in 2009.

“His ability to come in and play pretty darn well on a shortened timeline was really awesome,” Stafford said, adding, “He’s been through a lot and came out on the other side playing about as good as ball as anybody.”

The Rams are coming off a 21-19 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, a victory that extended their winning streak to five games and gave them sole possession of first place in the NFC West.

Stafford has passed for a league-leading 27 touchdowns, with only two interceptions. Davante Adams has a league-best 10 touchdown catches.

The Rams will be without three veteran starters — tight end Tyler Higbee, right tackle Rob Havenstein and safety Quentin Lake — who were placed on injured reserve this week.

The Scotland squad remains entirely behind Gregor Townsend as pressure builds on the head coach after a disappointing Autumn Nations Series, according to captain Sione Tuipulotu.

After an 85-0 drubbing of the USA, Scotland were edged out by New Zealand and denied an historic first win over the All Blacks, and then collapsed from 21-0 up against Argentina to lose 33-24.

Before the final match of the series against Tonga at Murrayfield on Sunday, Townsend has batted away questions on whether, after eight years in the job, it is time for a change.

And Tuipulotu, speaking to the media on Saturday, threw his support behind the head coach.

“I don’t think I’ve ever stood in front of you guys and not spoken honestly,” Tuipulotu said. “When you guys ask me questions, I’ve always given you my honest answer. My honest answer is, I’m fully behind my head coach, and so are all the players.

“I take a lot of accountability for what happened on the weekend [against Argentina]. I’m the captain of the team.

“Gregor is not down there playing rugby. He’s put us in a position to get up 21 points and I take accountability as the captain for the reason that maybe we let that lead slide.

“We didn’t execute against New Zealand. I think it’s more of a players thing for me, because I’m down on the field, I’m out there being able to influence the situation along with all the other players.

“So I stand in front of you all here and speak honestly that I’m fully behind Gregor. I still believe he’s the man for the job in what we can achieve leading into the World Cup.”

The Haim family is on the verge of celebrating another City Section championship while playing for El Camino Real.

Last season, All-City infielder Juju Haim helped the baseball team win the City Section Open Division title at Dodger Stadium.

On Saturday, his sister, Talya, will try to quarterback El Camino Real’s flag football team to a City Division I title. The Royals face Carson at 5 p.m. at Garfield.

There are four games at Garfield. Here’s the link to the finals schedule.

Talya is a junior who has been the starting shortstop for the softball team since her freshman year. She picked up flag football quickly, becoming an accurate passer and mobile quarterback. She has 40 touchdown passes this season.

Carson will present a severe challenge with a pair of talented sophomore quarterbacks in Sa’niya King and Soriyah Maulupe.

Talya is hoping to earn some bragging rights from big brother and add her own ring.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

Travis Head’s blistering century completes an astonishing eight-wicket win for Australia in the first two-day Ashes Test since 1921, as England suffer a crushing defeat in the first 2025 Ashes Test in Perth.

MATCH REPORT: Head leads Australia to crushing defeat of England

Available to UK users only.

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

CITY SECTION

Semifinals

OPEN DIVISION

#1 Carson 40, #5 Garfield 7

#6 Crenshaw 12, #2 Birmingham 7

DIVISION I

#5 Marquez 16, #1 Venice 7

DIVISION II

#1 Cleveland 14, #4 Fairfax 7 (Thursday)

#2 San Fernando 53, #6 L.A. Marshall 8

DIVISION III

#1 Santee 24, #5 Contreras 8

#2 Hawkins 18, #3 L.A. Wilson 13

SOUTHERN SECTION

Semifinals

DIVISION I

Santa Margarita 31, Orange Lutheran 6

Corona Centennial 28, Mater Dei 27

DIVISION 2

Los Alamitos 23, Murrieta Valley 10

San Clemente 35, Leuzinger 7

DIVISION 3

Oxnard Pacifica 42, Chino Hills 24

Palos Verdes 23, Edison 10

DIVISION 4

San Jacinto 18, Villa Park 15

La Habra 20, Oaks Christian 7

DIVISION 5

Redondo Union 21, Loyola 7

Rio Hondo Prep 35, La Serna 6

DIVISION 6

St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 39, Eastvale Roosevelt 6

Ventura 28, Agoura 14

DIVISION 7

Barstow 28, Palm Springs 7

Apple Valley 21, Saugus 7

DIVISION 8

Beckman 28, Palm Desert 14

Brea Olinda 28, Irvine 12

DIVISION 9

Ramona 40, Hesperia 13

Cerritos Valley Christian 28, San Dimas 12

DIVISION 10

Tahquitz 41, Santa Monica 35

Hillcrest 39, Garden Grove Pacifica 20

DIVISION 11

Baldwin Park 27, Western Christian 14

Valley View 28, South Pasadena 21

DIVISION 12

Grace 49, Coachella Valley 42

Santa Paula 17, Bellflower 14

DIVISION 13

Woodbridge 24, Saddleback 21

Montebello 43, La Puente 36

DIVISION 14

South El Monte 13, Miller 7

Pioneer 14, Anaheim 6

8-MAN

Semifinals

DIVISION 1

Flintridge Prep 28, Chadwick 8

Wildomar Cornerstone Christian 29, Faith Baptist 20

DIVISION 2

Cate 46, Calvary Baptist 14

Lancaster Baptist 45, Hesperia Christian 22

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

CITY SECTION

Semifinals

DIVISION I

#11 Dorsey at #2 South Gate

Finals

8-MAN

At Birmingham High

#2 Animo Robinson vs. #1 Sherman Oaks CES, 5 p.m.

England went down to a crushing defeat in the first Ashes Test after Travis Head’s blistering century completed an astonishing Australia fightback in Perth.

In the first two-day Ashes Test since 1921, Head dismantled the England attack with the second-fastest Ashes hundred of all time, made off only 69 balls.

Head’s 123 led Australia to their target of 205 in 28.2 overs – just a session of batting. An eight-wicket victory puts the home side 1-0 up in the five-match series.

It was a devastating and rapid turnaround by the home side, who gave up a first-innings lead of 40 and were 105 behind when England reached 65-1 just after lunch.

Led by Mitchell Starc’s 10-wicket haul, helped by some awful visiting batting, then pulling off a masterstroke to promote Head up the order, Australia extended English pain in this country. The record stands at 14 defeats and two draws in 16 Tests since 2011.

England lost six wickets for 39 runs in 11 overs. A horror spell of 3-0 in six balls accounted for Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Joe Root, ripping the guts out the middle-order.

Though Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse swiped a half-century stand, England were rolled over for 164 in 34.4 overs. They lost their last nine wickets for 99 runs.

Australia faced making the highest score of the match in order to win, only for Head to play one of the all-time great Ashes innings.

England were shellshocked. The pace bowlers that ran rampant over the Australia batters only 24 hours below were reduced to a rabble. The partisan Perth crowd revelled in the chaos.

The only question was whether the game would bleed into a third day. Head ensured England have extra time for a post-mortem before the second Test, a day-nighter in Brisbane, begins on 4 December.

CIF STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Santiago Canyon College, Orange

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

DIVISION V

Hilmar d. Elsinore, 26-24, 25-16, 25-19

DIVISION I

Harvard-Westlake d. Roseville Woodcreek, 25-22, 25-14, 25-17

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

DIVISION II

Clovis West (30-13) vs. Cypress (24-10), 11 a.m.

DIVISION III

Redwood City Sequoia (24-15-1) vs. Academy of Our Lady of Peace (21-11), 1:30 p.m.

DIVISION IV

Reedley Immanuel (26-16) vs. Capistrano Valley Christian (13-21-1), 4 p.m.

OPEN DIVISION

Rocklin (37-4) vs. Mater Dei (34-5), 6:30 p.m.

Coach Matt Logan stood on the sideline with nine seconds left and his Corona Centennial team leading Mater Dei 28-27. He had called a timeout trying to ice Mater Dei kicker Jerry Shifman, who would be attempting a 46-yard field goal to decide the Southern Section Division 1 semifinal playoff game Friday night in Corona.

“I was just hoping he would miss,” Logan said.

Centennial defensive lineman Miles Schirmer broke through to block the field-goal attempt and send Centennial to face Santa Margarita in next Friday’s championship game at the Rose Bowl.

“It was unreal emotion and I’m so happy for these kids,” Logan said. “They play their butts off.”

Said Schirmer: “I reached up and it hit my forearm. I just pulled all my strength on a bull rush and jumped as high as I could.”

After Centennial quarterback Dominick Catalano took a knee to run out the clock, the sold-out crowd went wild with noise and excitement as Centennial players celebrated on the field.

“We got it done,” Logan said.

It was 10 years ago that Catalano’s brother, Anthony, now the team’s offensive coordinator, led Centennial to a Division 1 championship. Now little brother will have his moment in the spotlight after a courageous performance that saw him endure a powerful Mater Dei pass rush to throw for 290 yards and run for two touchdowns.

It was his 24-yard touchdown pass to Keawe Browne with 1:35 left that provided the winning score.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” Catalano said.

Keawe Browne of Corona Centennial makes game-winning 24-yard touchdown catch to take down Mater Dei.

(Craig Weston)

Said Browne: “I saw the ball go up and I had to get it.”

There were so many big plays for Centennial (11-1), none more than a group sack before the field-goal attempt that pushed Mater Dei from the 17-yard-line to the 29.

Jonathan McKinley, who’s brother Javon also played on Centennial’s last championship team 10 years ago, was part of five players that surrounded and took down Mater Dei quarterback Ryan Hopkins.

“Oh my gosh, it feels amazing,” McKinley said.

Browne and receiver Ty Plinski kept making catch after catch. Plinski’s one-handed catch, something he has become known for, was another instant classic.

“He’s unreal,” Logan said of Plinski, who had four catches for 98 yards.

Mater Dei opened a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. Hopkins was six-for-six passing for 57 yards. But Centennial took a 14-10 halftime lead. Four-yard touchdown runs by Malaki Davis and Catalano gave the Huskies momentum.

In the third quarter, Mater Dei (8-3) regained the lead 16-14 on a 43-yard touchdown catch by Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. Back came the Huskies and Catalano, who had a two-yard touchdown run for a 21-16 lead. Mater Dei settled for a 23-yard field goal by Shifman, then took a 27-21 lead when Shaun Scott recovered a fumble, returned it to the seven and Chris Henry Jr. caught a seven-yard touchdown pass.

Centennial made adjustments. It was expected to try to run the ball, but with Mater Dei’s secondary missing several players because of injuries, Logan turned to his passing attack. And when the Huskies needed to run the ball on their final drive, Zander Lewis came through with two important runs.

The time loop has been broken. Eight years of ending the high school football season in Southern California with either Mater Dei or St. John Bosco as the No. 1 team is over. No more Groundhog Day. Welcome to a fresh start.

It was the second time this season that Centennial had beaten Mater Dei. Centennial taking on Santa Margarita should be a crowd-pleasing final. Carson Palmer, the first-year coach of Santa Margarita, taking on Logan, who passed the 300-win mark this season. Santa Margarita’s defense has been extraordinary. Santa Margarita beat Centennial earlier this season 33-27 in overtime in a game Logan missed because of a heath scare.

“I’ll be there this time,” said Logan, who was eating healthy watermelons before the game but wearing his usual short pants during the game on a night to remember.

The conditions were treacherous, the session starting after heavy rain on a track wet enough for the extreme wet tyres, which nearly all drivers used throughout the first two sessions.

Norris was not especially fast on the extreme wet tyres, but once on to the intermediate tyres in the final session was consistently the fastest driver on track.

Verstappen, usually so strong in wet conditions, was not quite on the Briton’s level but his second place on the grid makes him a serious threat for the lead into the first corner of the race given his usually aggressive start to races.

Norris survived a wobble on his final lap when he hit the kerb through the Turns 14, 15, 16 chicane but was still fast enough for pole as others behind him were affected by a yellow flag caused by Piastri as he tried to negotiate Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar on his inside, which forced him to run wide.

“That was stressful, stressful as hell,” Norris said. “I didn’t know no-one else would get a lap after me. The first two sectors were good. As soon as you hit the kerb a little bit wrong it’s tricky, it snapped one way and then the other but good enough for pole.

“No-one’s driven here in the wet before. After Q1, every corner you felt like you could crash every corner. One lap at a time. It was a tricky one.”

Piastri told Sky Sports: “There was more out there that we didn’t get to use. We’ve got a good car underneath us that seems to be working well in all conditions so we can have a strong race tomorrow and hopefully make up some spots.”

Before he took the reins at USC, Lincoln Riley had a reputation as something of a road warrior. It wasn’t until his third season at Oklahoma that Riley’s team had lost a true road game with him as head coach. During five years with the Sooners, he won 17 of 21 on the road.

But four years into his tenure as the Trojans’ coach, Riley’s once-sterling road reputation feels like a relic of a past life. Until USC won at Nebraska earlier this month, Riley hadn’t beaten a team on the road that finished better than .500 since November 2022, when his Trojans toppled UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Otherwise, outside of L.A., USC’s only road victory against a quality team under Riley came against Oregon State … in his fourth game leading the Trojans.

Never have the stakes been so high for Riley than they are this week, as No. 15 USC heads to No. 8 Oregon with its College Football Playoff hopes hinging on a huge road victory. Still, it’s hard to ignore how starkly different Riley’s Trojans have looked when challenged away from home.

USC has been the best offense in college football when inside the Coliseum. But in four road games, USC is averaging 18 fewer points and two fewer yards per attempt on offense. Its red zone touchdown rate plummets 25%, while its third-down conversion rate drops 16% on the road. Simply put, by any measure, Riley’s offense has been much worse away from home this season.

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava throws a pass during a win over Iowa on Nov. 15 at the Coliseum.

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

That disparity starts at quarterback. At home, Jayden Maiava has been one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football this season. The junior has completed 74% of his passes at home and averaged 10.7 yards per attempt at the Coliseum, both of which rank top 10 in the nation. He’s accounted for 18 total touchdowns to just two turnovers at home, while his quarterback rating puts him in the rarefied air of Heisman contenders such as Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin.

That version of Maiava, however, has yet to take his show on the road. In five true road games as the Trojans’ starting quarterback, Maiava has completed fewer than 57% of his passes. His average yards per attempt tumbles nearly three yards. He’s committed more turnovers and been sacked more often.

USC can’t afford for that to be the case Saturday, if it hopes to hold onto its Playoff hopes. But while recent history might be against his Trojans, Riley reminded this week that he’s not new to contending like this late in November.

“This is what I’m used to, man,” RIley said. “It’s good to be right there again, no question.

”… This is the time of year that I enjoy most.”

Here’s what to watch as USC clashes with Oregon on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PST (CBS, Paramount+):

England’s second innings gets off to a familiar start as Mitchell Starc takes a “brilliant” diving catch of his own bowling to dismiss Zak Crawley for a duck in the first over again on day two of the first Ashes Test in Perth.

FOLLOW LIVE: The Ashes first Test – day two

Available to UK users only.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Hannah Hidalgo scored 22 points and hit the go-ahead jumper with 1.9 seconds left, KK Bransford scored nine of her 11 points in the fourth quarter and No. 24 Notre Dame beat 11th-ranked USC 61-59 on Friday.

Hildalgo finished with seven rebounds and five steals and Bransford had eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Vanessa de Jesus added 13 points, five assists and three steals for Notre Dame (4-1). The Fighting Irish, who went into the game averaging 18.0 steals per game (No. 5 nationally), had 16 steals.

Hidalgo, facing defensive pressure near midcourt, darted toward the basket and pulled up for a contested mid-range jumper that capped the scoring. Cassandre Prosper stole Kennedy Smith‘s inbounds pass to seal the game.

Kara Dunn hit four three-pointers and led USC (3-2) with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Jazzy Davidson added 14 points but committed eight turnovers. Londynn Jones, who went into the game second on the team in scoring (12.8 per game), was scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting.

Notre Dame scored the final six third-quarter points and opened the fourth with a 6-1 spurt that culminated when Cassandre Prosper made a layup with 4:25 to play, making it 52-all. Davidson hit a three, and Dunn followed with a jumper that put the Trojans up by two with 1:38 remaining before Bransford answered with a jumper that tied it at 59-59 a minute later.

Hidalgo scored eight points in a 13-2 first-quarter run that gave Notre Dame its biggest lead of the game at 15-10.

Smith made a layup that gave the Trojans a two-point lead with 2:27 remaining in the second quarter, and the lead was 33-31 at halftime. Hidalgo opened the third quarter with a layup, but USC scored 18 of the next 25 to gather an 11-point lead when Dunn — who scored nine points in the spurt — made a layup with 2:12 left until the fourth.

Up next for USC: The Trojans host Tennessee Tech on Tuesday.

Ahead of his final season under club control, and with his 2026 salary expected to top more than $6 million through arbitration, reliever Evan Phillips was not tendered a contract for next year by the Dodgers on Friday, but president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the team is still interested in re-signing him as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

“We had a number of back and forth discussions with Evan and his agent,” Friedman said via text. “It is challenging with him coming off surgery, so he is going to take some time and look to sign after he throws off the mound when his rehab allows. Evan has been a big part of our past success and we will continue the conversation about bringing him back. We respect that he is taking this time to decide what is best for him and his family.”

Friday’s decision — which will make Phillips a free agent — reflects the uncertainty around the pitcher’s status for next season, following the Tommy John procedure he had last June.

Phillips’ recovery process is expected to stretch at least into the early part of next year. How much he will be able to pitch in 2026 remains unclear.

Because of that, the Dodgers faced a decision ahead of MLB’s non-tender deadline Friday: Keep Phillips on the roster and pay him the $6.1 million or so that MLB Trade Rumors projected he would receive through the arbitration process. Or cut him loose and attempt to re-sign him (likely to a lesser salary) this offseason.

The club picked the latter. Now, only time will tell whether Phillips’ productive tenure in Los Angeles will continue.

Phillips, 31, has been a key part of the Dodgers’ bullpen since the team plucked him off waivers near the end of the 2021 season.

In 2022, he was one of the top relievers in baseball, posting a 1.14 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 63 innings. He had a 2.05 ERA and 24 saves the following season, before regressing to a 3.62 mark in 2024.

Despite that decline, the right-hander still played a crucial role in the club’s 2024 World Series run, pitching 6⅔ scoreless innings that postseason before missing the World Series with a shoulder injury.

That injury, which Phillips later said included a tear in the back of his rotator cuff, caused him to miss the early weeks of this past season.

Phillips eventually made his 2025 season debut on April 19, but logged only seven appearances (all of them scoreless) before going on the injured list in early May with forearm discomfort. At the time, Phillips’ hope was that the IL stint was only a “precautionary” measure and that he would be able to return later in the season.

Instead, his forearm pain lingered. And by the end of May, the full severity of his injury had become frustratingly clear.

Phillips underwent his Tommy John procedure, which typically comes with a 12-18 month recovery timeline, on June 3.

“[His arm] wasn’t really responding,” general manager Brandon Gomes said at the time. “We felt like this could be a possibility. So as he got deeper into the process and it wasn’t really getting better, the decision to do it was pretty much evident with our information.”

Phillips did begin throwing again on Nov. 5, he announced on Instagram. The Dodgers would still like for him to be part of the mix in their bid for a World Series three-peat in 2026.

Now, however, it will take a new contract to get that done.

In addition to Phillips, the Dodgers also decided not to tender a contract to 27-year-old pitcher Nick Frasso on Friday. Frasso, a former top prospect who struggled in triple-A in his return from a shoulder surgery this past season, had yet to make his MLB debut.

Luke Littler won his first match as world number one to progress at the Players Championship Finals, while Gian van Veen produced a second stunning comeback victory against Luke Humphries in the space of a month.

Less than a month after upsetting Humphries in the final of the European Championship, Van Veen fought back from three legs down to defeat the defending champion 6-5 in Minehead.

Humphries flew out of the traps with checkouts of 145, 40 and 83, but Van Veen came roaring back with finishes of 161 and 81 on bullseye.

The former world number one steadied himself before losing throw at 4-4, before two Van Veen misses allowed Humphries to set up a deciding leg.

Van Veen’s hard work looked to be in vain as he missed five match darts, but Humphries was equally wasteful and fell to a fourth consecutive loss to the Dutchman.

It has not been the best month for Humphries, who earlier this month surrendered his world number one crown to Littler when he lost to ‘The Nuke’ in the Grand Slam of Darts final.

Meanwhile, Littler breezed into the second round with a 6-1 victory against Jeffrey de Graaf.

After being introduced to the crowd as world number one for the first time in his career, Littler averaged 104.46 to continue his hunt for a first Players Championship title.

“It felt absolutely amazing, probably one of the best feelings I’ve had, to be world champion and world number one at the same time – but there is more to come,” Littler told ITV Sport.

“This is the title I haven’t won yet. Last year I came up short against Luke Humphries so I want to tick this one off.”

The 18-year-old will face Ross Smith in the second round after the Englishman saw off Ryan Meikle 6-1.

Top seed Gerwyn Price was not at his best against Max Hopp – missing six darts when trying to take a 5-2 lead – but the German failed to capitalise and Price won 6-2.

Stephen Bunting notched a routine 6-2 victory over Ritchie Edhouse, before Nathan Aspinall dispatched Karel Sedlacek 6-3.

Four-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld limped out with a 6-3 defeat by Krzysztof Ratajski.

Rob Cross, Dave Chisnall and Jonny Clayton were all beaten in the afternoon session, with James Hurrell defeating former finalist Clayton with a 99.2 average.

World number six James Wade progressed with a comfortable 6-3 win over Mickey Mansell.