Vit Krejci scored a career-high 28 points off the bench, Kristaps Porzingis added 20 and the Atlanta Hawks opened a four-game trip with a 105-102 victory over the Clippers on Monday night.
Jalen Johnson had 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Hawks overcame a 17-point deficit to win consecutive games for the second time this season. Krejci made a career-best eight three-pointers in 10 attempts.
Porzingis (illness) and Johnson (quad) both returned after missing Sunday’s 20-point home victory over the Lakers, while Trae Young (knee) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (back) remained out.
James Harden had 35 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in the Clippers’ fifth straight loss. Ivica Zubac added 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn each scored 11 points for the Clippers, who were without star Kawhi Leonard (ankle) for a fourth consecutive game, while Bradley Beal (hip) was ruled out.
Krejci’s biggest three-pointer came with 36 seconds remaining and gave the Hawks a 105-98 lead. Harden converted a four-point play with 25 seconds remaining to get the Clippers within a possession but missed a tying three-point attempt with 12 seconds left.
The Clippers led 36-19 early in the second quarter before the Hawks erased the deficit with a 20-3 run to take a 42-41 lead with 4:09 remaining before the half. Krejci made four three-pointers in the run, including three consecutive at one point.
The score was tied at 52 at halftime after Krejci made six of Atlanta’s seven three-pointers over the first two quarters. The Hawks pushed in front 79-76 after three quarters.
Harden tied the score 92-92 with 5:01 remaining on consecutive three-pointers before another three-pointer from Krejci put the Hawks up 95-92 with 4:25 remaining. Harden scored 19 points in the fourth quarter on six-of-10 shooting and four of seven from three-point range.
After launch there was the question of how to fill the days at sea.
“In my case, you eat,” says Larter. “Honestly, I’ve never had, either before or since, such a sustained spell of magnificent eating.
“The stewards loved us. They’d bring these great trolleys of wonderful food, and they knew we’d eat it.”
With copious amounts of food available and an Ashes series to prepare for, the players had to keep fit.
“We’d have an exercise session in the morning, then there were badminton courts netted off for us. We’d shove weights about, and jump up and down and things like that,” says Larter.
The England management wanted to take things a stage further.
By chance, Dexter found that British athlete Gordon Pirie was on board. Pirie won 5,000m silver at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.
“He was invited to organise us,” says Larter. “He turned up with his shorts on and decided the best exercise would be running around the boat.
“It’s quite a long way around one of those big boats, but I did what I was told.”
Not everyone in the touring party was as agreeable as Larter. Trueman, never shy of speaking his mind, had just bowled more than 1,100 overs in the English summer.
“Fred voiced an opinion which meant in no way was he running around,” says Larter. “That just wasn’t what we did to get fit. To get fit, we played cricket.
“Fred said he’d just bowled all those overs in the season, and he wasn’t going to run around a boat for anyone. The Gordon Pirie thing died off after that.”
For Larter, the trip was not just a first England tour, but a first time out of the country. On the upper deck he mixed with the wealthy travellers, lower down he encountered the Poms emigrating to a new life down under.
“We found the greatest reception came downstairs,” he says. “There were people emigrating or moving for all sorts of reasons. A lot of them were young, out to make new lives. It was interesting to meet them. There were more than a couple of decent bars and you could have a quiet pint.”
The journey was not a straight passage to Perth. Remarkably, England tuned up for a tour of Australia by hopping off in Sri Lanka to play a game in Colombo.
“We walked out on to the field and Ted Dexter said I would be opening the bowling,” says Larter.
“I marked out a run, ran in, and fell flat on my face. A real sprawler. I picked myself up, went back, came in again and did the same thing.
“I’d lost my land legs. They weren’t going where I wanted, because I’d been on the boat.
“Ted came across and said ‘what’s wrong?’. I said they don’t work! He took me off. Barry Knight had to finish the over.
“We were entertained and looked after by the British Army. They put on a big barbecue on the beach for us. How do you get to that from a small town in Suffolk? On the beach in Sri Lanka with all of these nice people. It was an eye-opener, just being there.”
Philadelphia Eagles win their third match in a row while the Green Bay Packers fall from the NFC North division lead.
Published On 11 Nov 202511 Nov 2025
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Jalen Hurts has turned consecutive big plays into Philadelphia’s only touchdown to back a dominant performance by the Eagles’ defence in a 10-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay’s Brandon McManus was short on a 64-yard (53.5-metre) field goal on the final play of the game on Monday night.
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Nursing a 3-0 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles needed just four plays to cover 80 yards and go in front 10-0, ending with a 36-yard catch by Devonta Smith from Hurts. The Packers answered with an 11-play, 75-yard march for a 6-yard touchdown run by Josh Jacobs to pull within 10-7.
The Packers got the ball back on their own 36 with 27 seconds left. Jordan Love passed to Bo Melton for 19 yards to the Philadelphia 46. Love spiked the ball to stop the clock, then was incomplete on a short pass, forcing the long field goal attempt.
The Eagles (7-2), who lead the NFC East by three and a half games over the Dallas Cowboys, won their third straight after back-to-back losses.
Green Bay (5-3-1) fell a half-game behind the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears in the NFC North after losing two straight, scoring just one touchdown in each defeat.
Hurts completed 15 of 26 passes for 183 yards and a TD. Saquon Barkley carried 22 times for 60 yards.
Love connected on 20 of 36 passes for 176 yards. Jacobs finished with 74 yards on 21 carries.
Philadelphia got back-to-back long pass plays to go in front 10-0 with 10:35 remaining. On third and 7, Hurts hit Barkley with a quick toss to the left flat that he turned into a 41-yard gain to the Green Bay 36-yard line. Hurts then connected with Smith, who made a leaping grab over a defender at the goal line.
Green Bay answered on its ensuing possession, capitalising on a pass interference call for a first down at the Philadelphia 13. Jacobs’s touchdown cut the deficit to 10-7 with 5:49 left.
The Eagles punted on their next possession with Green Bay taking over on its own 10 with 2:18 remaining. On fourth and 1, Jacobs fumbled, and Philadelphia recovered at the Green Bay 35 with 1:26 left.
After a scoreless first half, the Eagles got on the board on their opening possession of the third quarter on Jake Elliott’s 39-yard field goal.
Neither team generated much offence during a mistake-filled first half. The Eagles had 125 yards total offence while Green Bay managed just 83 yards and was 0-for-5 on third-down conversions.
The Eagles wound up with a 294-261 edge in total yards.
Green Bay Packers place kicker Brandon McManus (#17) misses a field goal attempt against the Philadelphia Eagles on the final play of the game [Mike Roemer/AP]
SACRAMENTO — Gianna Kneepkens scored 20 points and No. 3 UCLA used a big third quarter to pull away from sixth-ranked Oklahoma for a 73-59 victory Monday night.
Bruins star Lauren Betts had nine points on four-for-11 shooting, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots while committing seven of her team’s 16 turnovers. The Bruins (3-0) dominated on the boards, 59-43, in a game played at Golden 1 Center, home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.
Oklahoma got a scare with 9:16 remaining when senior center and leading scorer Raegan Beers went down awkwardly fighting for a rebound with Betts and grabbed at her right knee. She returned shortly thereafter and wound up with seven points and 14 rebounds.
Zya Vann had 13 points and six rebounds for Oklahoma (1-1) and Payton Verhulst finished with 16. She knocked down a three-pointer to end the third quarter and pull her team to within 59-48.
Angela Dugalic came off the bench to contribute 16 points and 15 rebounds for UCLA, which shot just eight for 22 from deep but created opportunities with hustle and effort plays such as crashing the offensive glass.
The teams faced off in the second round of the 2023 NCAA tournament with UCLA winning 82-73 to reach the Sweet 16. The Bruins have won the last three meetings.
Oklahoma had a week between its 84-67 season-opening win against Belmont on Nov. 3, marking the longest break between the first and second games to start a full season — excluding the COVID-19 year — since 2002-03.
Oklahoma hasn’t beaten a top-five nonconference opponent since topping No. 3 Duke in the 2001 national semifinal.
Up next for UCLA: vs. North Carolina in the WBCA Challenge at Las Vegas on Thursday.
Jannik Sinner begins his ATP Finals title defence with victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime on home soil in Italy.
Published On 11 Nov 202511 Nov 2025
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Italy’s Jannik Sinner began his bid to retain the ATP Finals title with a resounding 7-5, 6-1 win over injury-hit Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in their round-robin clash at a packed Inalpi Arena in Turin on Monday.
The pair were meeting for the fourth time since August, and eight days after their last clash, with the outcome the same as Sinner eased into the match before overpowering Auger-Aliassime, who needed medical attention during the second set.
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Sinner extended his incredible indoor hardcourt winning streak to 27 matches, his last defeat on the surface coming against Novak Djokovic in the 2023 ATP Finals decider.
The 24-year-old is also in a battle with Carlos Alcaraz to end the year as world number one. Sinner must retain his title in Turin to have any chance, while the Spaniard can secure the prize by winning two more matches after victory in his opener.
Sinner began with intent by winning the first game to love and went on to give up just three points on serve in the opening set while forcing five break points, displaying an impressive mixture of sharp backhand and forehand shots down the line.
Auger-Aliassime hung in, smashing eight aces to Sinner’s one during the first set, often at just the right time as he saved four break points, but the Italian came through when it mattered, breaking to win the set.
“It was a very tough match until 6-5. I had some chances to break,” Sinner said.
“He played some very aggressive tennis, so I’m happy to overcome a very tough test today. Obviously, winning the first match is very important in this competition and this format.”
Sinner returns the ball to Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime during their ATP World Tour Finals match in Turin, Italy, on November 10, 2025 [Antonio Calanni/AP Photo]
Sinner stormed into a 3-0 lead in the second, and his opponent took a medical timeout for a problem in his left calf.
“I hope it’s nothing too serious,” Sinner said.
“I wish him obviously a very speedy recovery, and hopefully he is back to 100 percent physically.”
Auger-Aliassime saved two break points to avoid losing touch completely before Sinner sank the Canadian with another break to leave the Italian serving for the match, which he did in style, hammering home an ace to clinch the win.
While the Canadian struggled in the second set, Sinner began to enjoy himself, playing some deft drop shots to the delight of his home crowd, who rose to their feet to acclaim the win.
On Sunday, German Alexander Zverev beat American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(6) in the other Bjorn Borg Group match. All four players in the group will meet each other, with the top two qualifying for the semifinals.
Tuesday’s action features the Jimmy Connors Group, where Alcaraz takes on last year’s finalist Taylor Fritz, with both players on one win each, and Italian Lorenzo Musetti faces Australian Alex de Minaur.
Sinner shakes hands with Auger-Aliassime, right, after winning his group stage match [Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters]
As he tried to calm the concern after defeat at Nottingham Forest, manager Daniel Farke admitted Leeds United supporters could be described as “emotional”.
Which could go a long way to explaining why Joe Rodon has fitted in so well with them.
The Wales defender not only wears his heart on his sleeve, but displays it on his face.
You didn’t have to be a body language expert to see the 28-year-old’s City Ground frustration as Leeds managed to concede three goals for a second week in a row.
Nor what it has meant to be a match-winner in the Premier League after his first top-flight goals last month.
As Leeds’ former title-winning centre-back Jon Newsome puts it: “He wouldn’t make a very good poker player”.
But Rodon has become something of an ace in the pack at Elland Road, with his fan favourite status going beyond just simply showing what it means.
And you don’t make a near century of consecutive league appearances – and mentions alongside Norman Hunter as a result – for pure passion alone.
Instead, Rodon is showing why he had been tipped for the very top after breaking through at Swansea, and what Wales fans heading to Liechtenstein this weekend have known for some time.
“He has all the attributes to belong in the Premier League,” said boss Craig Bellamy. “When we were at Burnley [in the Championship], we wanted to bring him in. We felt he was a player for the high level.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) playoffs begin on Thursday with four teams – Cameroon, Gabon, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – slugging it out to decide which nation will progress to the FIFA intercontinental playoff tournament in March, which is the final hurdle for qualification into the World Cup 2026 in North America.
The four teams were the best runners-up across the nine African qualifying groups – and the playoff winner will keep alive their nation’s hopes of becoming the continent’s 10th representative at next year’s finals.
Here is all to know about the CAF playoffs:
Where are the African playoffs being held?
Morocco’s capital Rabat will host the African World Cup playoffs, using three different stadiums for the three matches.
Al Barid Stadium and Moulay El Hassan Stadium will be used for the semifinals.
The newly built Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which will host the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final on January 18, will be the venue for the CAF playoff final.
What time do the African playoff matches start?
The two sudden-death semifinal playoffs will be played at the following times:
Nigeria vs Gabon: Thursday, November 13 at 5pm (16:00 GMT) at Moulay El Hassan Stadium
Cameroon vs Congo DR: Thursday, November 13 at 8pm (19:00 GMT) at Al Barid Stadium
The winner-take-all final will be played at the following time:
CAF final (Teams TBD): Sunday, November 16 at 8pm local (19:00 GMT) at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium
How was the draw made for the CAF playoff matches?
The draw was based on the current FIFA world rankings of the four teams as of October 17.
Nigeria was ranked highest (#41), followed by Cameroon (#54), Congo DR (#60) and Gabon (#77).
Based on the rankings, FIFA implemented a No.1 (Nigeria) vs No.4 seed (Gabon) matchup for the first semifinal and a No.2 (Cameroon) vs No.3 (Congo DR) second semi.
Nigeria’s key forward Victor Osimhen is hoping to lead his nation to a seventh FIFA World Cup finals appearance in 2026 [File: Sodiq Adelakun/Reuters]
What does the African playoff winner still need to do for World Cup qualification?
The winner of Sunday’s CAF playoff must still overcome teams from other continents in a FIFA intercontinental playoff scheduled for March in Mexico to decide the final two qualifiers for the World Cup.
The intercontinental playoff will feature two teams from the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and one team apiece from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
How many African nations have already qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Nine African countries have already qualified via direct entry from the CAF group stage: Algeria, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia.
When and where is the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The tournament is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The first match will be played in Mexico City on June 11, while the final will be staged in New Jersey, the US, on July 19.
Due to the expansion of the tournament – from 32 teams to 48 – the 39-day event is the longest in its history.
The MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in the United States will stage the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on July 19 [File: Kena Betancur/VIEWpress via Getty Images]
What are the African squads for the CAF playoffs?
⚽ Cameroon:
Goalkeepers: Andre Onana (Trabzonspor, Turkiye), Devis Epassy (Dinamo Bucuresti, Romania), Simon Omossola (Saint-Eloi Lupopo, Congo)
Midfielders: Frank Anguissa (Napoli, Italy), Martin Hongla (Granada, Spain), Jean Onana (Genoa, Italy), Yvan Neyou (Getafe, Spain), Carlos Baleba (Brighton & Hove Albion, England), Arthur Avom (Lorient, France), Wilitty Younoussa (Rodez, France)
Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar (c) (Azerbaijan Neftci, Azerbaijan), Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (New York Red Bulls, US), Moumi Ngamaleu (Dynamo Moscow, Russia), Christian Bassogog (Al-Okhdood, Saudi Arabia), Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United, England), Georges-Kevin Nkoudou (Diriyah, Saudi Arabia), Frank Magri (Toulouse, France), Danny Namaso (Auxerre, France), Patrick Soko (Almeria, Spain), Karl Etta Eyong (Levante, Spain)
Defenders: Aaron Appindangoye (Sivasspor, Turkiye), Jonathan do Marcolino (Bourg-en-Bresse, France), Jacques Ekomie (Angers, France), Bruno Ecuele Manga (Paris 13 Atletico, France), Yannis Mbemba (FC Dordrecht, Netherlands), Johan Obiang (Orleans, France), Mike Kila Onfia (Hafia, Guinea), Anthony Oyono and Jeremy Oyono (both Frosinone, Italy)
Forwards: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Olympique de Marseille, France), Teddy Averlant (Amiens, France), Denis Bouanga (Los Angeles FC, US), Alan do Marcolino (Lusitania Lourosa, Portugal), Randy Essang Matouti (Khenchela, Algeria), Noha Lemina (Yverdon Sport, Switzerland), Bryan Meyo (Oympique Lyonnais, France)
⚽ Nigeria:
Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa), Amas Obasogie (Singida Blackstars, Tanzania), Maduka Okoye (Udinese, Italy)
Defenders: Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes, France), Semi Ajayi (Hull City, England), Calvin Bassey (Fulham, England), Benjamin Fredericks (Dender, Belgium), Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiakos, Greece), Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City, England), Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal), William Troost-Ekong (Al-Kholood, Saudi Arabia)
Midfielders: Alex Iwobi (Fulham, England), Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas, Turkiye), Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium), Frank Onyeka (Brentford, England), Alhassan Yusuf (New England Revolution, US)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For once, Luka Doncic had to serve the punishment. For not hitting any half-court shots during his pregame warmup, Doncic had to drop to the court and give his coaching staff push-ups.
The exercise seemingly powered him up for the two-handed dunk to come.
Doncic dazzled in the Lakers’ 121-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday at Spectrum Center, scoring 38 points with seven assists, six rebounds and one emphatic third-quarter dunk to help the Lakers flush the memories of a blowout loss in Atlanta.
Austin Reaves returned from a three-game absence with 24 points and seven assists while Rui Hachimura scored 21 points with perfect three-for-three shooting from three-point range.
Reaves, who was out with a right groin strain, announced his presence by throwing a lob to Deandre Ayton for the Lakers’ first basket. After Charlotte (3-7) blitzed the Lakers with eight three-pointers in the first quarter to take a 40-36 lead, Reaves answered by scoring seven of the Lakers’ first 10 points in the second. He gave the team a jolt of energy by racing for a transition layup to beat the halftime buzzer, giving the Lakers (8-3) a two-point lead.
“He’s an All-Star-level player,” coach JJ Redick said before the game. “He’s, along with Luka, an incredibly dynamic offensive player. I think our depth increases, the lineup optionality increases, so not having him in the lineup really, really hurts us.”
The Lakers went 2-1 in games without Reaves, but the 20-point loss to Atlanta on Saturday was so striking that Redick was left questioning the identity of his team. The Lakers looked lifeless. Redick waved the white flag by the middle of the third quarter after the starting unit let the deficit balloon to 25.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves shoots over Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges during the first half Monday.
(Chris Carlson / Associated Press)
With Doncic and Reaves back, the Lakers wouldn’t repeat their third-quarter woes.
The Lakers started the second half with an 11-4 run that forced the Hornets to call a timeout. Reaves then assisted a three-pointer from Hachimura that pushed the lead into double digits. Doncic hit a step-back three to put the Lakers up by 12. Doncic’s assist to Hachimura extended the lead to 17.
A driving, two-handed dunk was the exclamation point, stunning the Charlotte crowd as he hung on the rim and screamed. With two dunks this season, he already doubled his total from last year.
Doncic assisted a Reaves three with 8:01 remaining in the fourth quarter and Reaves put up his arms and threw his head back in relief. He had missed his first seven three-point attempts and finished two for 10 from three-point range.
Reaves’ return gets the Lakers one player closer to their full roster. LeBron James is scheduled to practice with the South Bay Lakers this week as he progresses through his return from right sciatica.
Rookie Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery) is also nearing his return as Redick estimated the forward could make his NBA debut during this road trip, which continues Wednesday at Oklahoma City and ends with a back-to-back set in New Orleans on Friday and Milwaukee on Saturday.
Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton played in their recent victory over Las Vegas Raiders despite being diagnosed with testicular cancer a few days earlier.
The 31-year-old had surgery last Friday to remove a cancerous tumor that was in its early stages – a day after he made nine tackles in the Broncos’ 10-7 win over the Raiders at Mile High Stadium.
In a post on his Instagram account,, external Singleton said his health concerns started over two weeks ago following a drug test that showed elevated levels of the hormone hcG in his system.
A visit to a urologist, who performed an ultrasound last week, revealed the presence of testicular cancer.
Singleton said he is on the road to recovery after an operation and predicted he will return to the field in “the coming weeks” as he awaits additional test results but has “a great prognosis”.
“I wrestled with sharing such personal information publicly,” Singleton said.
“But the fact is, if it helps one person decide to pay closer attention to their body, then it is well worth it.
“Early detection and regular screenings save lives and can save loved ones from a lot of grief.”
Rob Gronkowski spent nine years as a member of the New England Patriots.
On Wednesday, that stint will become nine years and one day as the fun-loving and ever-popular tight end will sign a one-day contract with the Patriots so he can officially retire as a member of the team with which he won three of his four Super Bowl rings.
“I am signing a one-day contract with the Patriots this week coming up to retire as a Patriot and be a Patriot for life,” the “Fox NFL Sunday” analyst announced during this week’s broadcast.
The next day, the Patriots revealed when the ceremonial signing would take place.
“The greatest tight end in @NFL history is retiring a Patriot!” the team posted Monday on X. “Watch @RobGronkowski sign his one-day contract this Wednesday at 12:15 PM LIVE on Patriots digital & social.”
A second-round draft pick for New England in 2010, Gronkowski quickly became a key and beloved member of a Patriots dynasty that was already going strong under coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. He retired after the 2018 season but returned to the NFL in 2020 to join Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Two seasons and one Super Bowl victory later, Gronk retired again.
Last summer, the idea of Gronkowski re-retiring with the Patriots was floated publicly by Susan Hurley, the founder and president of the CharityTeams fundraising firm for nonprofits. Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Gronk Playground in Boston, Hurley threw in a personal plea toward Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who was also in attendance.
“Can we just make it official and sign [Gronkowski] for a day so he can retire as a Patriot?” Hurley asked. “What do you say?”
Kraft and Gronkowski both indicated their approval in the moment, with Gronkowski telling reporters that Hurley was the spark behind the idea of his ceremonial signing.
“The reason we’re really going to do that is because of Susan Hurley,” Gronkowski said. “She wants to see that happen and has been dreaming about it happening for a while.”
Hurley died Nov. 1 at age 62 after a long battle with ovarian cancer.
Patriots spokesperson Stacey James told The Times in a statement that the Patriots were initially planning on honoring Gronkowski’s “legendary contributions to our franchise and the bond he shares with Patriots Nation” with a ceremonial contract upon his induction to the team’s Hall of Fame. Gronkowski is eligible for that honor starting next year.
However, James said, “we chose to expedite the honor when Susan Hurley, a former Patriots cheerleader and dear friend of Rob’s, made it her dying wish to see Rob retire a Patriot. Her love for the team and for Rob was deeply moving, and we were looking forward to hosting her for the announcement. Sadly, she passed earlier this month. While she won’t be present, her presence will surely be felt.”
Gronkowski posted a lengthy tribute to Hurley last week on social media.
“We lost a good one over the weekend,” Gronkowski wrote. “Susan Hurley has known my family and I for a long time, she became a good friend of ours and supported our foundation more than words can express over the years.
“But even beyond our team, Susan took care of so many charity teams for the Boston Marathon and their bibs, helping raise so much money to give back to charities. She always did it out of love, her love of the game, her love of people, her love of helping others, and her love for the kids.
“She always had a smile on her face and the utmost positivity, staying an inspiration for runners and charities every single day, even while she was fighting cancer. Her strength and resilience were truly inspirational, and she will be greatly missed.
“Without Susan, there would be no Gronk Playground. I’m thankful that her legacy can live on through the playground, making a huge impact not only on all the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation kids she helped, but all the kids she continues to inspire every day.”
Top seed Luke Humphries beat Nathan Aspinall to book his place in the knockout stages of the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton.
England’s Humphries averaged 102.62 in a superb display as he maintained his 100% record to top Group A.
Michael Smith, who beat American Alex Spellman 5-2, went through in second place.
It means an early exit for Aspinall, who can consider himself unfortunate to have come up against Humphries – who hit a nine-darter on Sunday – in this kind of form, given his 100.01 average and five 180s might often have been enough to win against a different opponent.
Former world champion Humphries will now face Jurjen van der Velde of the Netherlands in round two, which begins on Wednesday.
Chris Dobey will face 2023 world champion and fellow Englishman Smith in the next round after clinching first place in Group B with a 5-1 win over Martin Lukeman, despite averaging only 81.
Wales’ Gerwyn Price is also safely through after a 5-1 victory over Switzerland’s Stefan Bellmont that sees him win Group D following Ricky Evans’ 5-2 loss to fellow Englishman James Wade.
Meanwhile, already-eliminated Stephen Bunting suffered a third final-leg defeat on the spin as he lost 5-4 to Group C winner Luke Woodhouse.
Germany’s Martin Schindler is through after beating Alexis Toylo of the Philippines 5-2.
The final group games in the bottom half of the draw will take place on Tuesday with world champion Luke Littler having already qualified for the second round.
The International Olympic Committee pumped the brakes on a report Monday that the body was poised to ban athletes born male from competing in women’s Olympic events, saying that “no decisions have been taken yet.”
A report in The Times of London stated that the ban on transgender women in female competition would be implemented early in 2026 “after a science-based review of evidence about permanent physical advantages of being born male.”
The IOC insisted the report was premature but did not refute that a new policy was forthcoming.
A spokesperson confirmed that medical and scientific director Dr. Jane Thornton updated IOC members last week at a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on the initial findings of a working group studying the issue. However, the spokesperson said in a statement that “the working group is continuing its discussions on this topic and no decisions have been taken yet. Further information will be provided in due course.”
New IOC president Kirsty Coventry succeeded Thomas Bach in June and three months later formed the Protection of the Female Category working group made up of experts as well as representatives of international federation to study the issue.
The findings and a new policy could be announced as soon as the IOC session, scheduled in February ahead of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Under Bach, the IOC declined to apply a universal rule on transgender participation in the Olympics, and transgender athletes remain eligible to participate. Each sport’s international federation is allowed to set its own rules.
However, Coventry said in her first news conference after becoming IOC president that she believes Olympic sports should do away with the current piecemeal approach to setting rules on transgender inclusion and instead implement a policy that applies to most or all sports.
“We understand that there will be differences depending on the sport,” she said. “But it was very clear from the members that we have to protect the female category, first and foremost to ensure fairness.
“We have to do it with a scientific approach and with the inclusion of the international federations who have done a lot of work in that area.”
President Trump signed an executive order early this year banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports in U.S. schools and said he intends to apply the policy at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. The order directs the Secretary of State to attempt to change IOC rules on transgender participation and also directs immigration officials to refuse admission to transgender women from other countries for the purposes of sports participation.
California Department of Education officials refused to comply with the order. However, Trump’s announcement prompted the U.S Olympic and Paralympic Committee to change their rules and ban transgender athletes from taking part in women’s sports.
The most recent Olympics controversy over gender eligibility occurred at the Paris Games last summer when boxer Imane Khelif of Algeria won the women’s welterweight gold medal a year after being disqualified from the World Championships for reportedly failing a gender eligibility test.
The IOC allowed Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting to compete in the women’s division because their passports identified them as female. Yu-ting had been banned by the suspended International Boxing Assn. (IBA).
In an attempt to identify athletes raised as female but who sometimes carry physical advantages of males — called Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) — international boxing this year introduced mandatory tests for athletes in the female category to detect a gene on the Y chromosome that triggers the development of male characteristics.
Other sports have created a range of thresholds to ban or allow transgender athletes to compete as women. World Athletics, the international governing body for track and field, bans transgender athletes who have undergone male puberty. World Rugby forbids transgender athletes from competing at the highest level. And World Aquatics allows transgender athletes who transitioned before the age of 12 to compete as women.
Very few transgender athletes have taken part in the Games. New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first openly transgender athlete to compete in a different gender category in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
“I don’t think we need to redo all the work that’s been done — we can learn from the international federations and set up a task force that will look at this constantly and consistently,” Coventry said. “The overarching principle must be to protect the female category.”
Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is a target for Real Madrid and Manchester City, Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo is open to joining Napoli, Brazil winger Vinicius Jr closer to Real Madrid exit.
Manchester City and Real Madrid are both interested in Liverpool and Hungary midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, 25. (AS – in Spanish), external
Manchester United and England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, is open to a January loan move to Napoli but the Red Devils will not allow him to leave on a permanent deal. (Teamtalk), external
Real Madrid’s Brazilian winger Vinicius Jr, 25, wants to be paid the same as French striker Kylian Mbappe, 26, and his contract stand-off with the club will continue which is pushing him closer to a Bernabeu exit. (Sport – in Spanish), external
Chelsea have contacted Italian club Como about the availability of 21-year-old Argentina playmaker Nicolas Paz. (Caught Offside), external
Liverpool and Scotland left-back Andy Robertson, 31, will leave Anfield when his contract expires next summer and has already held talks with Celtic. (Fichajes – in Spanish), external
Wolfsburg are exploring a possible January move for West Ham striker Niclas Fullkrug with Augsburg also interested in the 32-year-old Germany international who has been given permission to leave the Hammers. (Florian Plettenberg), external
Bayern Munich have no interest in cutting short 24-year-old Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson’s loan move from Chelsea but it is unlikely the Bundesliga side will buy him at the end of the season. (Bild – in German), external
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has the fully backing of the club’s Saudi owners and new chief executive David Hopkinson despite a disappointing start to the season. (The I), external
Antonio Conte will not resign as Napoli coach but will meet with the club’s owner Aurelio de Laurentiis in the next few days to find a solution to their struggles this season. (Il Mattino – in Italian), external
USC and Baylor jumped into the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll after big opening week victories.
The Bears began the season with a victory in Paris over then-No. 7 Duke to replace the Blue Devils in that spot Monday, climbing nine places. The Trojans edged then-No. 9 North Carolina State by a point Sunday to move up 10 spots to eighth overall.
While USC will be missing star JuJu Watkins all season as she recovers from an anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered last March, coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s team has a new young star in Jazzy Davidson, who hit the go-ahead shot with 8.2 seconds left.
Connecticut, South, Carolina, UCLA and Texas remained the top four teams in the poll after relatively easy opening week wins. The defending champion Huskies received 30 first-place votes from a national media panel while the Gamecocks got the other two.
Louisiana State and Oklahoma stayed at fifth and six, respectively. The Sooners faced UCLA on Monday night in Sacramento, a site of one of the NCAA regionals next spring.
Maryland moved up one place to ninth. N.C. State, which besides falling to USC beat Tennessee by three points in the opener, dropped to 10th. The Lady Vols fell to 12th and the Blue Devils 15th.
In and out
No. 25 Washington entered the top 25 for the first time in two years. The Huskies were hosting Montana on Monday night before heading to Utah on Saturday. Richmond dropped out of the poll after losing at Texas.
Banner raising
UConn unveiled its 12th championship banner on Sunday when the Huskies beat Florida State. The team took to the court before the game wearing custom white-and-gold tracksuits that read “National Champions XII” on the back.
Happy anniversary
The women’s basketball poll celebrates its 50th anniversary this month with the first rankings coming out in late November 1976. Founded by Mel Greenberg, the poll was a coaches’ poll until 1994-95 when it became one voted on by national media.
Games of the week
No. 2 South Carolina at No. 9 USC, Saturday. The Gamecocks will head west to face the Trojans in a home-and-home series dubbed “The Real SC”. Saturday’s game will be played at Crypto.com Arena and next year’s game will be played in Greenville, S.C.
No. 17 Texas Christian at No. 10 N.C. State, Sunday. The Wolfpack continue their difficult non-conference schedule facing the Horned Frogs, who added transfer Olivia Miles from Notre Dame this offseason.
“I couldn’t ask for a better horse – Guchen gave me such a great feeling and I will remember this day forever.
“I just wanted to get round safely and repay the trust that Kim and Mat have had in me.
“I am really proud to be the first black British female jump jockey. When I was growing up I looked up to Khadijah Mellah and I hope that now other young people will look up to me as well and know that they can also reach their dreams.”
“I have watched Aamilah progress over the years and I could not be more excited and proud to see her race today,” said Mellah.
“Visibility is so important and I am excited for her to have the opportunity to display her talent and hard work.”
Fellow academy co-founder Naomi Lawson said the organisation was aiming to “ensure that young people from diverse ethnic communities have the chance to shine in the sport”.
She added: “Only around 2-3% of licensed jockeys come from these communities, far below the national average, so we hope that Aamilah is the first of many to come through the ranks and succeed.”
The City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Co. requested a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeking to prevent UCLA from leaving the Rose Bowl or terminating its stadium lease until pending litigation against the school is resolved.
The filing contends that the plaintiffs would suffer “immediate and irreparable harm if the status quo is not preserved during the pendency of this lawsuit.” A hearing has tentatively been scheduled for Wednesday morning.
UCLA responded in a statement that it was still evaluating options for its football home, though someone familiar with the university’s thinking on the matter later confirmed to The Times that if the Bruins decided to leave for SoFi Stadium, they would want to do so for the 2026 season.
In their Monday filing, the plaintiffs contended that: “there is no way to sugarcoat it: UCLA has confirmed its imminent departure, severely destabilizing Plaintiffs’ core operations. Those operations are structured around and contingent upon UCLA. Without confirmation that UCLA intends to honor its contractual commitments — at least during the pendency of this litigation — Plaintiffs are deprived of the ability to plan and manage the stadium’s schedule and their ongoing business operations, including cultivating and securing future business partners and opportunities, retaining personnel, and maintaining confidence among the many vendors and sponsors who rely on UCLA Football.
“Equally troubling is the precedent UCLA is setting. Stadium and arena public-private partnerships, and the financing that makes them possible, turn on enforceable, long-term contracts, with terms that typically follow the public debt incurred. UCLA’s attempt to break its contract decades early critically undermines these structures.”
“For me to be thrown out first is nothing short of despicable, and I think they have covered themselves in a huge embarrassment by treating me with such disrespect,” Murphy told ITV.
“I always pride myself on conducting myself as professionally as I can, try to treat the game with an incredible amount of respect.
“There are three other players in this tournament who weren’t even in China last week. The way I have been treated by Matchroom in this tournament is nothing short of despicable.”
In response, Matchroom said it spoke to Murphy afterwards and “share his frustrations”.
A statement read: “Our priorities are the players, we take pride in the fact they consider this event prestigious and want to prepare for it.
“For transparency and fairness, the groups [for the draw] are based on seeding. Scheduling is always a challenge every year, but we take on board the points and always strive to improve for next year and the future.”
Lei, ranked 31st in the world, opened up a two-frame lead before Murphy reduced the deficit.
However, Lei responded with a break of 61 to take the fourth frame with Murphy unable to respond in the fifth.
Meanwhile, England’s Judd Trump booked his place in the quarter-finals with a 4-1 win over Bai Yulu of China.
Reigning women’s world champion Bai, 22, won the opening frame of the first meeting between the players.
But men’s world number one Trump held his nerve to win the next two frames with breaks of 84 and 71, to secure a quarter-final meeting with Murphy’s conquerer Lei.
From Gary Klein: This is no hot streak or a flash in the pan.
So don’t look away. Pay attention.
Otherwise, risk missing the master class that Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is conducting this season.
One that has the 17th-year pro squarely in the conversation for his first NFL most valuable player award.
“I see those people say stuff like that,” Stafford said Sunday after passing for four touchdowns in the Rams’ 42-26 victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, “and all I can think about is like I’m just lucky to have unbelievable teammates.”
Stafford, 37, is playing as if he were in the middle, not near the end, of a possible Hall of Fame career.
On Sunday he tossed touchdown passes to receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams and tight ends Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson as the Rams avenged an overtime loss to the 49ers in Week 5 and improved to 7-2.
Not for the Chargers, whose defense put the clamps on the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 25-10 victory before a sea of black-and-gold-clad fans and a national TV audience.
Neither team had many offensive highlights — or first downs, for that matter — but the Chargers did enough to win their third game in a row, something they hadn’t done since the first three games of the season.
You might call the Chargers inhospitable, seeing as the Steelers came into the game averaging 25.3 points. You might call the Steelers inhospitable for filling SoFi Stadium with Pittsburgh fans.
The Terrible Towels were everywhere, but there were precious few opportunities to swirl them. By the fourth quarter, thousands of those fans were streaming for the exits. The Steelers were held to 11 first downs, converted two of 11 third downs and generated 221 total yards.
Aaron Rodgers looked every bit of his 41 years. He was sacked three times, intercepted twice, brought down in the end zone for a safety and he finished with an anemic passer rating of 50.6.
Jazzy Davidson scored 21 points and made the go-ahead layup with 8.2 seconds left as No. 18 USC took down No. 9 North Carolina State 69-68 on Sunday in the third-annual Ally-Tip Off.
Davidson’s late game heroics — where she cut hard to the basket and caught Kennedy Smith’s inbounds pass in stride — capped off an impressive second half for the USC freshman, as she scored 18 points on seven-of-13 shooting after halftime.
The Trojans (2-0) were also bolstered by Londynn Jones’ 19 points. Smith added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Chad Baker-Mazara scored 20 of his career-high 26 points in the first half to lead seven USC players in double figures and start the Trojans off and running to a 114-83 victory over Manhattan on Sunday.
Baker-Mazara made seven of 13 shots, including three of four from three-point range, and all nine of his free throws to help the Trojans (2-0) score more points than they’ve had since 1998. He added seven rebounds.
Ezra Ausar scored 17 points on seven-for-10 shooting for USC and Rodney Rice pitched in with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jacob Cofie totaled 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Terrence Williams II added 10 points and seven boards. Reserves Jaden Brownell and Jordan Marsh scored 13 and 11, respectively.
Kevin Fiala broke a tie with 8:08 left with his 500th NHL point to help the Kings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on Sunday to open a six-game trip.
Fiala got around defenseman Erik Karlsson and shot over goalie Sergei Murashov. Fiala also had an assist. The 29-year-old Swiss winger has 218 goals and 282 assists in 667 regular-season games with Nashville, Minnesota and the Kings.
Corey Perry tied it 2-2 for the Kings at 4:49 of the third. He also had an assist.
Rookie Beckett Sennecke had his first two-goal game, Leo Carlsson extended his scoring streak to 10 games with two power-play goals, and the Ducks beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 on Sunday night for their seventh straight victory.
Cutter Gauthier and Chris Kreider had two assists apiece and Lukas Dostal made 23 saves for the first-place Ducks, who have scored 33 goals during their longest winning streak in two years. Anaheim wasn’t even slowed by playing at Vegas on Saturday, instead beating both of the Western Conference’s 2024-25 division champions during its first back-to-back set of the season.
The 19-year-old Sennecke had already solidified his spot on the Ducks’ roster before he scored in the first and second period against Winnipeg. He has six goals and five assists in his first 15 NHL games, answering any questions about whether the former No. 3 overall pick was ready to make the leap from juniors to the NHL.
1940 — The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 7-3 in a penalty-free game at Forbes Field. Philadelphia’s George Somers hits a 36-yard field goal in the first quarter. Coley McDonough of the Steelers scores on a one-yard rush in the third quarter.
1945 — Top-ranked Army shuts out No. 2 Notre Dame 48-0 at Yankee Stadium. Glenn Davis scores three touchdowns and Doc Blanchard scores two, while the Cadets roll up 441 yards to the Irish’s 184.
1963 — Don Meredith of the Dallas Cowboys passes for 460 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
1963 — Detroit’s Gordie Howe becomes the leading career goal scorer in the NHL with his 545th in a 3-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
1974 — Hernri Richard and Gut Lafleur score two goals apiece to lead the Montreal Canadiens to an 11-1 over the Washington Capitals. Jack Egers gets the Capitals only goal.
1978 — Larry Holmes knocks out Alfredo Evangelista in the seventh round to retain the WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas.
1984 — Wyoming’s Kevin Lowe rushes for 302 yards, and Rick Wegher of South Dakota State rushes for 231 to set an NCAA record for most yards gained by two opposing players. Wyoming wins 45-29.
1984 — Wild Again holds off Slew O’ Gold and Gate Dancer to capture the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in the inaugural Breeders’ Cup at Hollywood Park.
1984 — Maryland completes the biggest comeback in NCAA history, overcoming a 31-0 halftime deficit to beating Miami 42-40 in the Orange Bowl. Led by back-up quarterback Frank Reich, the Terrapins score on six consecutive drives in the second half and stop Hurricane running back Melvin Bratton’s two-point conversion attempt on the goal line late in the fourth quarter.
1990 — The Phoenix Suns shatter the NBA record with 107 points in the first half of a 173-143 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
1991 — Martina Navratilova beats Monica Seles for the California Virginia Slims tournament, her 157th title, equaling Chris Evert’s record for career victories.
1996 — Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino surpasses 50,000 career yards passing in a 37-13 win over Indianapolis. Marino also reaches 4,000 completions, another NFL first, with his 10th completion of the game.
2001 — San Jose State beats Nevada 64-45, setting an NCAA single-game record for total offense with 1,640 yards. San Jose State has 849 yards to Nevada’s 791, eclipsing the previous record of 1,563 yards set by Houston and TCU on Nov. 3, 1990.
2007 — San Jose center Jeremy Roenick scores his 500th NHL goal at the expense of his former team in a 4-1 win over Phoenix.
2007 — Navy and North Texas set a major-college record by combining for 136 points in the Midshipmen’s 74-62 win. The previous record for college football’s top tier of competition was 133 points in San Jose State’s 70-63 win over Rice on Oct. 2, 2004.
2007 — Notre Dame loses for the ninth time this season, a school-record, falling 41-24 to Air Force. The last time the Irish lost to two military academies in the same season was 1944.
2012 — Ka’Deem Carey of Arizona rushes for a Pac-12 record 366 yards and ties the conference record with five TDs in the Wildcats’ 56-31 rout of Colorado.
2013 — Marc Marquez becomes the first rookie in 35 years to win the MotoGP championship after protecting his points lead in the Valencia Grand Prix. Needing a top-four finish to secure the title, the 20-year-old Marquez finishes third on his Honda behind race winner and defending champion Jorge Lorenzo. The last rookie to win the title was American Kenny Roberts in 1978.
2017 — John Carlson and T.J. Oshie score rare home power-play goals, and Braden Holtby becomes the second-fastest goalie in NHL history to 200 victories in Washington’s 4-1 win over Pittsburgh. Holtby stops 27 of the 28 shots he faces to pick up victory No. 200 in his 319th game, second only to Hall of Famer and six-time Stanley Cup winner Ken Dryden, who did it in 311.
Compiled by the Associated Press
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 [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
A 99-yard touchdown return from New York Jets running back Kene Nwangwu and Keenan Allen’s history-making catch for the Los Angeles Chargers top the best plays from week 10 of the NFL season.
Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where we’ve spent the last 48 hours thinking far too much about a fake punt from the second quarter of Friday’s 38-17 win over Northwestern. The play was diabolical. The fallout since has made it all the more fascinating, transforming a random trick play into a sort of college football Rorschach test.
So let me take you back to Friday night, with USC facing fourth and six near midfield. Lincoln Riley sent out his punt team. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Every soul in that stadium not on USC’s sideline assumed the player lined up to punt, wearing the USC punter’s usual No. 80 uniform, was Sam Johnson … the punter. In part because USC is one of the few schools still without names on the back of their jerseys. But then the purported punter cocked back to throw. Right away, as he completed the pass in the face of pressure, I clocked that this No. 80 was left-handed. And I could’ve sworn Johnson punts with his right foot.
Fight on! Are you a true Trojans fan?
So I consulted the game-day roster. And wouldn’t you know it — listed next to Johnson with the same No. 80 was Sam Huard, the Trojans’ third-string quarterback. Later, Riley confirmed Huard had been listed as No. 80 on the official roster for three weeks.
“You guys gotta pay attention,” he said. “I’m glad none of y’all put it on Twitter.”
He’s right. None of us in the press box noticed that one number on the roster amid the 100-plus printed in tiny type on our game-day card had changed. But changing a third-string quarterback’s number weeks ahead of time to pull off a first-half fake punt against a middling Northwestern team hadn’t been on my bingo card.
USC also didn’t put the change on its online roster. Nor did USC’s sports information department update the weekly game notes with Huard’s new number. Both of which probably would’ve made the stunt feel a little less bush league.
“It hadn’t shown up anywhere else,” Northwestern coach David Braun said of the number change after, “but they did legally submit that. It was on the game-day roster that was here present at the Coliseum. The lesson I’ve learned from that for the rest of my career is that we will go over that with a fine-tooth comb, and look for any of those potential issues.”
But while his fake punt probably didn’t make Riley any new friends in the conference, I don’t believe it broke any rules either.
The Big Ten and I don’t have the same interpretation. Though, the statement the conference issued Sunday morning was especially vague.
The Big Ten pointed to NCAA Football Playing Rule 9, Section 2, Article 2, labeled “Unfair Tactics,” which states that “two players playing the same position may not wear the same number during the game.”
It then notes that “if a foul was identified when [Johnson] entered the game as a punter, a Team Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty would have been assessed resulting in a 15-yard penalty from the previous spot.”
So if the penalty had been called, it would have been on the ensuing drive, when Johnson would’ve punted from USC’s 41-yard line, as opposed to Northwestern’s 44. But that’s all the statement really says.
You can feel how badly the Big Ten wants to chastise USC for what it probably feels is a play unbecoming of the conference. Most people, I assume, feel that way. But what the conference very notably doesn’t say here is that a foul was committed. Or that a penalty should have been called.
That’s because, in this case, I’m sure Riley could argue about semantics until he turns blue in the face.
The number change was technically within the rules. And technically, there’s no rule that a quarterback can’t line up 13 yards behind the center. We’re only assuming, in this case, that the player is a punter. Players line up in different positions all the time.
College football coaches have been manipulating rules like this for the better part of a century. Remember last season when Oregon coach Dan Lanning purposefully put 12 men on the field to drain the clock on Ohio State’s comeback attempt?
That felt a little bush league at the time too. But you can’t tell me that Lanning’s and Riley’s ploys weren’t also kind of brilliant.
And really, if you think about it, that kind of captures Riley in a nutshell. Intermittently brilliant. Consistently brash. And definitely not here to make friends.
What’s happening with Notre Dame?
Since USC made an amended offer to Notre Dame in August to maintain the series for another two seasons, there hasn’t been much obvious movement in negotiations. It’s not hard to figure out why. USC has no interest in budging on its current offer, and Notre Dame has no incentive to cave to its rival’s demands … yet.
However, the Irish did recently make a notable change to their schedule that creates some flexibility in 2026. Notre Dame confirmed last week that its road game against Florida State was struck from next season’s schedule, which leaves a pretty gaping vacancy that USC would fit into quite nicely.
I still believe the rivals will come to an agreement. Right now there’s no official deadline for scheduling the game. But it’s safe to assume that USC would like to know its nonconference slate before rolling out its season-ticket plans for next season. That’s in January, less than two months away.
—Could the Big Ten really force through its $2-billion private equity deal without USC and Michigan’s support? Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger reported Sunday that the other 16 Big Ten schools are discussing a plan to move forward without USC and Michigan, both of whom made clear they’d vote against the proposed plan to sell a 10% stake of the conference to UC Investments. This, to put it nicely, is a pretty bold gambit from commissioner Tony Petitti. To put it less nicely, I find it patently insane. When the conversation started around a potential private equity deal, the Big Ten told its members it wanted consensus. And now, after that didn’t work out his way, Petitti is just going to move the goalposts? Big Ten sources who spoke to Dellenger had the gall to suggest that USC and Michigan could “risk their future within the conference beyond 2036.” L-O-L. As if the Big Ten’s media or corporate partners — or the private equity fund investing — would be cool with dropping two of the conference’s three biggest brands. USC’s stance hasn’t changed. And it shouldn’t, no matter what sort of toothless plan the conference concocts from here.
—USC’s defense is starting to make the right adjustments. Which was D’Anton Lynn’s strength last season. In one of my first newsletters last season, I wrote about how Lynn’s superpower as an inexperienced defensive coordinator was his ability to make adjustments. That wasn’t happening early this season, as USC’s defense looked lost in the second half in losses to Notre Dame and Illinois. But Lynn seems to have found his stride again. In each of the last two weeks, USC’s defense has given up just a field goal in the second half. Northwestern managed only 103 second-half yards, while Nebraska had 106. The ability to clamp down after halftime could come in handy over the next few weeks. We’ll see if it sticks.
—Riley shut down rumblings of him considering other jobs. The report in question was less an actual report than a juicy bit dropped in with no explanation at the end of a podcast. But when asked about it Friday, Riley suggested it had no merit. “You guys know what I sacrificed to come here,” he said. “I’m where I need to be.” Reassurances from coaches are historically unreliable. But let’s think about this logically: Riley hasn’t really done much at USC to warrant Louisiana State or Florida making him an even larger offer with a friendlier deal than the one he has. This feels more to me like the work of an agent seeking to get his client more money. Riley just happens to have recently gotten new representation with Wasserman.
—The Southeastern Conference is dominating the Big Ten when it comes to TV ratings. According to new data from Nielsen, eight of the 10 most-watched teams in college football this season are from the SEC, while Ohio State is the only Big Ten school on the list. That might seem surprising on its face. But the conference hasn’t had many big- games, and its piecemeal media setup, with games on different networks, doesn’t help. But ultimately, TV ratings don’t matter much. The Big Ten media rights deal pays out more money to its member schools, and that’s all that really matters.
—JuJu Watkins is now part-owner of a women’s soccer franchise. Watkins announced last week that she would join former USC quarterback Caleb Williams as an investor in the Boston Legacy Football Club. She’s the first college athlete to invest in a women’s pro franchise, another accomplishment you can add to her already stellar portfolio.
Olympic sports spotlight
USC announced late last week that Galen Center will be sold out for Sunday’s much-anticipated match against No. 1 Nebraska, which means more than 10,000 packing USC’s arena for a women’s volleyball game.
That says a lot about how far women’s college volleyball has come in recent years, and USC is on a hot streak, having won eight matches in a row. The Cornhuskers are the best team in the sport and haven’t lost all season. Women’s college volleyball is exploding in popularity, and Sunday should be one of the most anticipated matches of the Big Ten calendar.
Rachel Sennott and Odessa A’zion in HBO’s “I Love LA.”
(Kenny Laubbacher / HBO)
“I Love LA” might seem like standard HBO comedy fare on the surface. Because it mostly is. Rachel Sennott, who also wrote the show, plays Maia, a twentysomething reconnecting with friends in Los Angeles and finding her way after moving from New York.
A good group-hang comedy is great feel-good TV, and this show has some potential in that department. Plus, it’s willing to poke fun at L.A. and its Gen Z influencer culture, which I can appreciate. I’m not totally sold just yet. But I’m willing to keep watching.
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 [email protected], and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
