touchdown

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chargers hit the road to face the undefeated, AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs, still looking for their first victory of the season.

They were unsuccessful, falling 22-6 on Sunday evening at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chargers are 0-6 to start the season for the first time since 2000, when they finished 1-16. They’ve also lost nine straight games since last season, tying a franchise mark for most consecutive losses.

“I truly believe and was confident that we would win this game,” coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters. “We have to address everything, guys, and especially offensively.”

The Chargers’ offense, already weakened by a series of injuries to its offensive line and receiving corps, struggled mightily, recording their second-lowest output of the season at 259 total yards. They also lost wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who was ruled out midway through the second quarter with a concussion. He had just one catch in his return from a foot injury that kept him out last week against Denver.

Additionally, it marked the first time the Chargers failed to score a touchdown this season, likely putting first-year offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s job in further jeopardy. They have just five touchdowns through six games.

Harbaugh did not give a conclusive answer when asked directly if McDaniel would continue calling plays, saying the team would review “everything.”

“I see the effort, I see the work being put in in the meetings, on the practice field, to get that to transfer to the field is what’s necessary,” Harbaugh said.

Chiefs quarterback and two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes was in exceptional form, completing 23 of his 30 passes for 272 yards. He did not score a touchdown, either, opting to hand off to running back Kenneth Walker for two scores. Walker finished with 128 yards in 19 carries.

Justin Herbert led the Chargers in rushing with 26 yards and threw for 204 yards on 22-for-37 passing. Quentin Johnston had a team-high 57 receiving yards — all from one catch.

The Chiefs had a chaotic first drive that included two offensive penalties, but took a 3-0 lead with a 44-yard field goal by Harrison Butker. After a Chargers punt, the Chiefs struck again with a 33-yard scoring run up the middle by Walker. The Chargers caught a small break with Butker missing the extra point, but they never got back to within a possession of the Chiefs.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert listens to a question during a news conference after a 22-6 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.

(Ed Zurga / Associated Press)

The Chargers did get on the board later in the first quarter with a 23-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker off an 11-play, 60-yard drive. The Chargers forced a punt on the Chiefs’ next possession and traded interceptions in the second quarter before giving up an 80-yard drive that ended with a two-yard run by Walker.

After another punt, the Chargers left the Chiefs with the ball and 25 seconds left in the half. Mahomes completed two more passes and Butker nailed a 50-yard field goal to push the lead to 19-3.

Starting from their own 45-yard line, the Chargers began the second half with their most promising drive of the game. Herbert completed passes to KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Johnston and Kimani Vidal to take them down to Kansas City one-yard line, but an offensive hold and two incomplete passes meant they had to settle for another field goal.

Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill, center, tackles Chargers running back Kimani Vidal during the fourth quarter Sunday.

(Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

The Chargers’ defense stopped Kansas City at the goal line in the third quarter, forcing a turnover on downs at the one-yard line before Caleb Murphy recovered a fumble on a Chiefs punt return. But the Chargers went nowhere on the ensuing possession.

Butker kicked a 30-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. The Chargers then had one final chance to score, driving to the Kansas City eight-yard line, but Herbert could not find a receiver on back-to-back throws and was sacked twice, leading to a turnover on downs.

In addition to McConkey’s injury, cornerback Deane Leonard left in the third quarter with a concussion.

Julian Sayin threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith on fourth down early in the fourth quarter Saturday, and No. 4 Ohio State survived what appeared to be the go-ahead score when Nick Marsh’s left foot was ruled to be out of bounds as the visiting Buckeyes beat No. 5 Indiana 19-15.

The victory ended Indiana’s winning streak at 22 and home winning streak at 19. They were the two longest active streaks in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

But the victory could prove costly for Ohio State (6-1, 4-0 Big Ten). Sayin appeared to injure his right arm during the fourth quarter, left the game and watched the final minutes from the sideline wearing a sling.

“I don’t have a ton of details, but it looks like Julian will be out several weeks,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said.

Indiana sure didn’t go down easily in the rematch of last year’s Big Ten championship game. Trailing 19-7 after Smith’s touchdown catch, the injured Josh Hoover responded by finding Nick Marsh on a 19-yard touchdown pass and Turbo Richard on the two-point conversion to make it 19-15 with 10:30 to go.

It looked like he did it again on fourth and four from the Buckeyes 27-yard line when he hooked up with a wide open Marsh in the front corner of the end zone. The fireworks even went off, but Marsh’s left foot came down out of bounds. It was first home loss in coach Curt Cignetti’s three seasons and the first top-five matchup in Memorial Stadium history.

While the game lived up to the hype, the quarterbacks did not.

Sayin was 15-of-29 passing for 235 yards with two interceptions for the second straight week. Hoover appeared to hurt his right shoulder during the third quarter but returned for Indiana and finished 20 of 40 for 296 yards with one touchdown and one lost fumble, his first turnover of the year.

Florida 27, at No. 7 Texas 24: Quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. threw two touchdowns to Lacota Dippre in his first career start, Jadan Baugh scored a fourth-quarter touchdown and the Gators rallied to hand the Longhorns their second consecutive loss.

Florida (5-2, 3-2 SEC) had risen as high as No. 8 after a 4-0 start under first-year coach Jon Sumrall before consecutive blowout losses, but delivered what could be a season-saving victory.

The Gators defense, ranked last the Southeastern Conference, shut down Texas quarterback Arch Manning and the Longhorns offense, holding Texas (4-2, 1-2) under 300 yards of total offense.

at No. 22 Louisiana State 31, No. 16 Mississippi State 0: Sam Leavitt threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, and the Tigers raced to a three-touchdown, first-half lead over the injury-depleted Bulldogs.

Jackson Harris had six catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns for LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC) before leaving the game with an apparent lower left leg injury in the third quarter.

Playing without dynamic starting quarterback Kamario Taylor and top running back Fluff Bothwell, the Bulldogs (4-2, 2-2 SEC) lost their second straight — each by more than 30 points.

at No. 24 Southern Methodist 23, Virginia 13: Kevin Jennings threw two touchdown passes while former SMU soccer player Brendan Baird boosted the struggling special teams with three field goals.

Kendrick Raphael ran for 124 yards as SMU (5-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast) improved to 10-0 at home in ACC games since rejoining a power conference league in 2024. The Mustangs are 17-3 overall in the ACC.

The Cavaliers (4-3, 2-2) were held to fewer than 300 total yards for a third consecutive game by an SMU defense that led a win over Boston College two weeks ago despite Jennings’ offense gaining only 218 yards. Virginia finished with 258 yards.

No. 25 Northwestern 24, at Michigan State 21: Jackson Kleather kicked three field goals, including the game-winning 34-yarder with two seconds left.

Aidan Chiles tied the score at 21 with 7:24 remaining on a one-yard run and threw to Alex Honig on a two-point conversion for Northwestern (5-1 overall, 2-1 Big Ten). After Matthew Smith blocked Michigan State’s 33-yard field-goal attempt by Liam Boyd, Chiles drove the Wildcats 64 yards in eight plays to set up the winning kick.

Chiles, who started 20 games at Michigan State the past two seasons before transferring to Northwestern, completed 18 of 27 passes for 226 yards and also had 16 carries for 25 yards.

The Spartans (2-5, 0-4) had led 21-13 early in the fourth quarter when Alessio Milivojevic tossed a 53-yard touchdown pass to Chrishon McCray. He completed 19 of 30 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns.

Etc.

Joe Jackson ran for 159 yards and a touchdown, Avery Johnson threw for 203 yards and another score, and host Kansas State overcame a multitude of mistakes to beat bitter rival Kansas for the 18th consecutive time, 35-24 on Saturday. … Elijah Brown threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns Friday night to help Washington break a three-game losing streak with a 38-26 victory over Purdue. …

Mike Hawkins Jr. threw for a career-high 464 yards and Jack Cassidy kicked a 35-yard field goal as time ran out to lift host West Virginia to a wild 45-42 win over Cincinnati. … Quarterback Cale Hellums ran for 195 yards and five touchdowns and Army raced past visiting Florida Atlantic 56-24.

A look at the top performers from high school football games across the Southland this week.

RUSHING

• Vaughn Reinert, Torrance: Rushed for 223 yards and five touchdowns in defeat of West Torrance.

• Maleek Nolley, Cajon: Rushed for 266 yards and four touchdowns in win over Beaumont.

• Coy Collins, Villa Park: Rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns in win over Tustin.

• Jacob Gallegos, San Dimas: Rushed for 204 yards and four touchdowns in defeat of Chino.

• Jason Brown, Muir: Rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns in win over Monrovia.

• Ceasar Reyes, Garfield: Rushed for 324 yards and seven touchdowns in win over South Gate.

• Cyrus Aviles, Fullerton: Rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns in win over Portola.

• Edward Rivera, Compton: Rushed for 246 yards and five touchdowns in defeat of Long Beach Cabrillo.

• Matix Frithsmith, Hart: Rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns in win over Castaic.

• Luke Zapko, Oak Park: Had four rushing touchdowns in win over Buena.

• Nico Funez, Valencia: Rushed for 215 yards and two touchdowns in win over Canyon Country Canyon.

• William Biddle, L.A. University: Rushed for 264 yards and scored five touchdowns in defeat of Fairfax.

PASSING

• Lincoln Jahn, Inglewood: Passed for four touchdowns in win over Redondo Union.

• Reagan Toki, Orange Lutheran: Completed 14 of 16 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown in win over JSerra

• Demarco Hernandez, Sierra Canyon: Passed for 201 yards and two touchdowns in defeat of Chaminade.

• Evan McCalister, Valencia: Passed for four touchdowns in win over Canyon Country Canyon.

RECEIVING

• Jalen Flowers, Palos Verdes: Caught three touchdown passes for 184 yards and had interception in win over Mira Costa.

• Ben Hanna, Villa Park: Caught six passes for 130 yards and passed for a touchdown in defeat of Tustin.

• Luke Frith, San Juan Hills: Caught eight passes for 128 yards and one touchdown in win over Yorba Linda.

DEFENSE

• Rayshawn Brandon, Santa Margarita: Returned and interception 51 yards for touchdown in win over St. John Bosco.

• Jayden Harris, Charter Oak: Returned and interception 80 yards for touchdown in win over Glendora.

• Eric Wright, South East: Had eight solo tackles in loss to Roosevelt.

• King Berry, Lawndale: Had interception and ran for a game-winning touchdown in win vs. South Torrance.

• Derrick Coleman Jr., Gardena Serra: Made two interceptions, including a pick six, in shutout of Loyola.

• King Rich Johnson, Orange Lutheran: Returned interception 20 yards for touchdown in win over JSerra.

• Noah Carter, Dana Hills: Had two sacks in defeat of Laguna Beach.

• Simote Tupou, St. John Bosco: Had consecutive sacks in loss to Santa Margarita.

• Bailey Hill, Hart: Had two sacks in defeat of Castaic.

• Zayne Reed, Agoura: Had three sacks in his first game of the season in win over Camarillo.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Jaden Walk-Green, Corona Centennial: Made a 43-yard field goal and took a high snap on a field goal for a 16-yard touchdown in win over Norco.

• Noah Guillen, Bishop Amat: Made a school-record 52-yard field goal in defeat of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

• Galileo Chen, Portola: Had a 97-yard kickoff return for touchdown in loss to Fullerton.

• Alejandro Carranza, King/Drew: Made two field goals in the first half during King/Drew’s win vs. Crenshaw.

Jameson Della Bella ran for 86 yards and two touchdowns while Robert Holohan ran for a touchdown and threw for one more as Palisades dominated Hamilton 35-18 Friday night in a Western League showdown.

The Dolphins’ defense was up to the task against Hamilton’s highly touted quarterback Thaddeus Breaux, intercepting two of his passes and sacking him four times.

“It was fourth down, we had to make something happen, I saw him throw and I just ran full speed and dove for it,” said safety Aidan Wilson-Turner, who picked off a pass over the middle at Palisades’ 18-yard line to keep the Yankees off the scoreboard late in the first half.

Breaux, a sophomore who has received a scholarship offer from UCLA, threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s 46-30 loss to Palisades but was 27–of-44 passing for 217 yards Friday — most of that yardage in the fourth quarter with the outcome long decided. He threw scoring passes of eight, 11 and four yards.

“The defensive line did a great job putting pressure on him,” Wilson-Turner added. “Our job in the secondary was to stay deep, playoff off them and stay true to our zones.”

Palisades (4-3, 3-0) took a major step toward defending the league title with only games at fifth-place Fairfax and at home versus last-place Westchester remaining.

Thaddeus Breaux threw for three touchdowns in Friday’s loss at Palisades.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Hamilton, which fell to 3-5, 2-1, last won the league in 2014.

Della Bella’s six-yard run gave Palisades a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter and the Dolphins increased their advantage to 35-0 early in the third quarter on Holohan’s 13-yard pass to Go Moriya and his four-yard quarterback keeper.

Matthew Stafford knows how to finish.

The Rams quarterback gave another masterclass last Sunday when he led the Rams to victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. It was Stafford’s 40th fourth-quarter comeback victory, leaving the 18th-year pro one shy of tying Ben Roethlisberger for third on the all-time list behind Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

But through four games, this has not otherwise been a prodigious start for the reigning NFL most valuable player and future Hall of Famer.

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Gary Klein breaks down what to watch for when the Rams face the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium on Monday night.

Stafford, 38, has passed for six touchdowns, with six interceptions, for a team that is 2-2 going into its game on Monday night against the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium.

Stafford is tied with the Chargers’ Justin Herbert for second-most interceptions in the NFL, trailing only the New England Patriots’ Drake Maye, who has seven.

And while Stafford’s numbers are more middling than fall-off-a-cliff poor, they rank among his slowest statistical starts.

Only twice in his career has Stafford had six passes intercepted in the first four games.

As a rookie in 2009, the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft had three passes intercepted in his first game, two in the second, none in the third and one in the fourth.

The same pattern repeated in 2022 during the Rams’ infamous Super Bowl hangover that ended with a 5-12 record, and Stafford on injured reserve.

Last season, in the Rams’ first four games, Stafford passed for eight touchdowns, with two interceptions, en route to a 3-1 start and what eventually became his run to a first MVP award.

So Stafford acknowledged that he personally has “room for improvement.”

“Some really bright moments, and some stuff I’m really proud of,” Stafford said, “and stuff that I definitely wish I could take back and help us be in a better position to win games. That comes with the position.”

The Rams’ — and Stafford’s — season began poorly after the team’s misguided decision to arrive in Australia the day before they played the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener. Stafford passed for only 155 yards, with an interception, in a 27-7 defeat.

Stafford rebounded by passing for four touchdowns, with an interception, in a 28-6 victory over the New York Giants at SoFi Stadium.

In the next game at Denver, Stafford completed 30 of 55 passes for 390 yards and two touchdowns. But Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga intercepted two passes, one he returned for a touchdown and another in the end zone in the final seconds of a 30-26 Rams defeat.

Against the Eagles, Stafford completed 32 of 51 passes for 317 yards, with two interceptions.

“He was at his best in the most important moments,” coach Sean McVay said. “That’s the competitive greatness — to find a way in spite of some different things that maybe didn’t go our way.”

Stafford was asked this week how he managed to stay calm, not feel rattled and still take shots at clutch plays after committing turnovers in a hostile environment.

His answer: Trust his preparation and live with the results.

“The world’s going to have an opinion on how I played every single play of every single day — that’s something I’m used to,” he said. “Are there areas I want to be better that [reporters] don’t even pick up and talk about? Absolutely. Are there the obvious ones? For sure.”

Last season, starting in Week 4, Stafford put together a personal-best streak of eight games without an interception. He passed for 25 touchdowns during that stretch. In 17 games, he passed for a career-best 46 touchdowns, with eight interceptions.

Stafford has endured throughout his career by never getting too high or too low. So that won’t change.

“I want to do everything I can to put our team in the best position to succeed,” he said. “I’ve done that sometimes this year and other times I have not.

“I want to make sure that I do that at a more consistent clip moving forward.”

USC coach Lincoln Riley kept his offense on the field on fourth and four at the USC 13.

The decision was so confounding, Penn State coach Matt Campbell burned the Nittany Lions’ final timeout with 4:15 remaining. Riley grinned with his team protecting a 31-23 lead in front of a rowdy crowd of more than 106,000 fans decked in all white at Beaver Stadium Saturday night.

USC punted after the timeout and Riley watched his maligned defense recover Penn State receiver Brett Eskildsen’s fumble on the Nittany Lions’ first snap of the ensuing drive.

With no timeouts remaining, Penn State had no room for error while trying to stop USC. The Trojans burned as much clock as they could and were again prepared to snap the ball on fourth down when the Penn State defense jumped offside, effectively sealing the Trojans’ win.

Riley has long been scrutinized for clock management and late-game decision making, but in one of the most hostile environments in the country, he helped the No. 19 Trojans work their way to a 31-23 win.

USC (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) had the better record and national ranking, but Penn State (3-3, 0-3) was favored to win by 1½ points in a sign of the plunging confidence in Riley and his Trojans.

“We came in here against the odds,” Riley said during his postgame on-field interview with NBC. “Everybody in the country counted us out and said we weren’t going to win a tough road game.

“Trojans came [to] play. Great environment here. Tonight the white-out game went cardinal and gold.”

Quarterback Jayden Maiava, who had struggled at times the past few weeks, completed 21 of 33 passes for 301 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked once.

Trent Mosley, who returned after missing the past two games with an injury, and Tanook Hines delivered a series of highlight catches to support Maiava. Mosley hauled in nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, while Hines added four catches for 82 yards and another touchdown.

King Miller ran for 102 yards in 19 carries and scored off a Maiava option pitch.

USC wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt catches a touchdown pass ahead of Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas during the second half of the Trojans’ 31-23 win Saturday.

(Barry Reeger / Associated Press)

The teams traded touchdowns and field goals early, entering halftime tied 17-17.

Riley made the curious decision to open the third quarter with an onside kick, but his defense limited Penn State to a field goal.

Miller ran for a 13-yard touchdown on USC’s next drive.

Penn State mounted a long drive that the Trojans’ defense again limited to a field goal, giving USC a 24-23 lead with 14:52 left in the fourth quarter.

Maiava then led a 10-play, 71-yard scoring drive. On the final snap of the drive, Maiava had time to sit in the pocket, scan the field and connect with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt for a 10-yard touchdown. USC hit the extra point and led 31-23 with 11:11 left in the fourth quarter.

USC’s defense forced a Penn State punt and Riley worked the clock to protect the win.

Desman Stephens II returned from his one-game suspension for his hit on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and led the Trojans with nine tackles.

Freshman Luke Wafle delivered five tackles and one massively important sack of Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht for a loss of 10 yards with six minutes left in regulation.

It was raining in State College late in the fourth quarter. The Trojans’ defense danced on the sideline as the song “Umbrella” played in the stadium and the Trojans lingered on the field to soak up a big road victory.