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1. Defense fails USC in epic collapse
USC led Tulane by 15 points with a little over four minutes left in the Cotton Bowl before suffering one of the most improbable, epic collapses in college football history. The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi has more from Arlington, Texas.
Alex Grinch wasn’t supposed to be the story of the Cotton Bowl. The spotlight was supposed to be on Caleb Williams on a day where he took the field for the first time since winning the Heisman Trophy and showing why he was so deserving of the award. Despite being less than 100 percent and passing up many of the running lanes he effortlessly burst through this season, Williams completed 37 of 52 passes for 462 yards and a Cotton Bowl-record five touchdowns. He led USC to a 45-30 led with a little over four minutes left in the fourth quarter.
2. Penn State ends Clifford’s era by defeating Utah in the Rose Bowl
In a Rose Bowl of endings, the No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions finished with a victory over the No. 8 Utah Utes. The Sporting Tribune’s Kamran Nia has more from Pasadena.
With “The Grandaddy of Them All” being a part of the College Football Playoff next year and the expansion of the playoff to 12 teams the following year, Monday’s game was the Rose Bowl’s final run in its conventional form. History and excitement marked the last traditional run of the contest. Another conclusion was for Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford. The fifth-year senior and starter for the last four seasons excelled in his final game with the team en route to a 35-21 over the No. 8 Utah Utes. “[Clifford] has experienced it all with Penn State,” said Penn State head coach James Franklin, “I could not be more proud.” As the clock winded towards zero, the Rose Bowl Stadium rumbled with noise from the Nittany Lions fans as the win snapped an 11-game losing streak for them against top-10 opponents.
3. LeBron drops 43 as Lakers defeat Hornets, 121-115
The Lakers got their revenge against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday thanks to a 43-point performance from LeBron James. The Sporting Tribune’s Rey Moralde has more on the Lakers’ victory.
Well, 2023 is off to a good start for the Lakers as they held on for a 121-115 win over Charlotte. They ended their road trip on a 3-2 slate and are now 16-21 overall. After an ugly first quarter, the Lakers ran all over the Hornets. LeBron James got going in the second. It was kind of ridiculous how many one-footed jumpers he made in the game (he had, at least, four; I stopped counting after that). He went for 15 points in that second period. And then Austin Reaves emphatically snapped out of his mini-slump. He stole a lazy inbounds pass in the waning seconds of the half and made a jumper that beat the buzz(er). Buzz? Get it? Forget it.
4. TST’s NBA Power Rankings Week 12
The Nuggets and Nets continue to dominate the NBA, while MVP candidates Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic have the Pelicans and Mavericks as serious title contenders. Where do the Lakers land in this week’s TST NBA Power Rankings? The Sporting Tribune’s Brandon Deutsch has you covered.
LeBron James (28.5 points 8.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game with a TS% of 58.2) had to score 47 points and register 9 assists and 10 rebounds for the Lakers to beat a subpar basketball team in the Hawks. Without Anthony Davis, the Lakers may have the worst roster in basketball with James, Russell Westbrook (14.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game with a TS% of 48.8), and Thomas Bryant (11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game with a TS% of 73.4) being the only consistent players on the team as of late. Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves haven’t been great recently, and the Lakers’ defensive rating of 114.5 is now ranked 21st in the NBA. For the Lakers sake, Davis better return shortly otherwise the season will get even more out of hand.
5. Stidham shines in loss to 49ers
New Raiders starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham played well in a losing effort against the San Francisco 49ers. What does that mean for the Raiders’ future going into the offseason? The Sporting Tribune’s Ryan Sakamoto has more from Las Vegas.
Stidham came into the game as the unquestioned starter after quarterback Derek Carr was benched. A move that wide receiver Davante Adams said, “no one was excited about.” Stidham proved worthy, as he finished the game completing 67.6% of his passes while boasting a 108.1 passer rating. Aside from Stidham’s consistent arm-play, it was his innate ability to scramble for positive yards when plays broke down. It’s that dual-threat ability that had Raiders fans on their feet throughout the game. A prime example was early in the third-quarter, where Stidham worked some magic en route to a 60-yard touchdown to Adams on 3rd and 4 from the Las Vegas 40 yard-line.
6. Chargers look like legitimate contenders
The Chargers are finally getting healthy and looking like a Super Bowl contender as the regular season comes to a close. The Sporting Tribune’s Fernando Ramirez has more from the Chargers’ turnaround this season.
The last two games of the season for the Chargers are get in, play, work hard, and get out without injuries. They are preparing for their first postseason run since 2018. Sunday afternoon, they took care of the L.A. Rams 31-10. They have one final game to get through. The Chargers have a lot of things they need to tune up before they head to the postseason. On Sunday, they showed glimpses of some good and some bad that they needed to fix.
7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports
Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:
8. Ticket Time presented by TickPick
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:
Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings: $43
9. On the Air presented by Coca-Cola
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today:
7:00 p.m. – Dallas Stars at Los Angeles Kings – ESPN
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
On Friday’s show, hall of fame photographer Andy Bernstein joined the show and talked to Lakers legend Byron Scott and soccer announcer Andres Cantor.
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Fan in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher.
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That’s it for today. Talk to you tomorrow!
