Good morning. UCLA is 6-0. A Cal Poly transfer making his first FBS start ran the offense, the defense held Wisconsin scoreless in the first half, and the Bruins beat the Badgers 17-7 at the Rose Bowl. It was a big Saturday across the region. Vegas beat Pittsburgh 6-2, San Diego State kicked a 53-yard field goal with 57 seconds left to keep the Old Oil Can, Angel City and the Wave both won, and the Galaxy drew San Diego FC 2-2. The Kings lost again. Today is NFL Sunday: Cardinals at Rams at 1:05, then Chargers at Chiefs and Bills at Raiders at 1:25. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏈 6-0. Ty Dieffenbach threw for 264 yards in his first FBS start, and UCLA beat Wisconsin 17-7 — Brady Charette at the Rose Bowl.
🏒 700. Eichel had two assists in his milestone game as Vegas beat Pittsburgh 6-2 — Derek Hegna at T-Mobile Arena.
🏒 0-4-2. Alex Laferriere scored 31 seconds in, but Boston scored the last four and the Kings are the NHL’s only winless team — Jack Janes at Crypto.com Arena.
🏈 The Can stays. Cooper DiLeva’s career-long 53-yarder beat Fresno State 26-23 — Eric Evelhoch at Snapdragon Stadium.
⚽ Eight unbeaten. Angel City came back from 2-0 down to beat Denver Summit 3-2 — Michelle Chavez.
⚽ One point back. The Wave won 2-1 in North Carolina, their fifth straight, and are one point off first in the Shield race — Sebastian Sanchez.
⚽ A point, and El Tráfico next. The Galaxy drew San Diego FC 2-2 and sit in the first play-in spot — Rob Jalon at Dignity Health Sports Park.
🥊 Last-second knockout. Sebastian Fundora stopped Ermal Hadribeaj in the final seconds of the 12th to keep his WBC title — Michael Huezo at The Cosmopolitan.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — SATURDAY
🏈 College football: UCLA 17, Wisconsin 7 · San Diego State 26, Fresno State 23 · Air Force 41, UNLV 31 · New Mexico 21, Hawai’i 10
🏒 NHL: Golden Knights 6, Penguins 2 · Bruins 4, Kings 1
⚽ MLS: Galaxy 2, San Diego FC 2 · LAFC 1, NYCFC 1
⚽ NWSL: Angel City 3, Denver Summit 2 · Wave 2, Courage 1
🏒 AHL: Silver Knights 5, Reign 2
🥊 Boxing: Sebastian Fundora def. Ermal Hadribeaj by KO, Round 12 (retains WBC super welterweight title)
🏈 SIX AND OH
Five years ago, Ty Dieffenbach was watching from the stands. Saturday, with Nico Iamaleava out after his injury at Oregon, the senior Cal Poly transfer made his first FBS start at the Rose Bowl. He went 22-of-33 for a career-high 264 yards and opened the game with a 16-play, 84-yard drive that ended in a field goal.
“Five years ago, I’m sitting in the stands watching guys do this, and now I’m there, it was special to me,” Dieffenbach said.
Brady Charette writes that Wayne Knight scored from a yard out for his 11th rushing touchdown, and Wisconsin didn’t score in the first half. The Badgers got within three after a UCLA double pass was intercepted, but Anthony Woods finished a 97-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown with under 12 minutes left. UCLA converted 13 of 20 third downs. Wisconsin converted three of 11, and Colton Joseph completed six of 16 passes for 66 yards.
UCLA is 6-0 and 4-0 in the Big Ten, its first 6-0 start since 2022. Bob Chesney remains the only coach in program history to start his tenure this way. “It was just a battle,” he said. “These guys came to play.” Ellis, who caught two passes for 57 yards, put it another way: “It’s the Chesney train.”
GO DEEPER
› Brady Charette: UCLA keeps perfect season alive with 17-7 victory over Wisconsin (The Sporting Tribune)
› Jack Haslett: Nico Iamaleava may miss the rest of the season: Where does that leave UCLA’s quarterback room? (The Sporting Tribune)
TOGETHER WITH BETONLINE
Today’s TST Best Bets are brought to you by BetOnline.ag. Join here — new players get a 50% welcome bonus and up to $250 in free bets.
🏒 EICHEL’S 700TH
Jack Eichel set up the first two goals in his 700th NHL game. Derek Hegna writes that Rasmus Andersson scored 66 seconds in and Noah Hanifin added another, both off Eichel passes. Mark Stone scored on the power play two nights after his hat trick, Trevor Connelly and Shea Theodore scored, and Brett Howden hit the empty net. Vegas has scored at least five goals in three straight games. Adin Hill made 22 saves and is 4-0.
“It was a great win,” Eichel said. “Great win for the team and happy we got two points tonight.” Tampa Bay comes to T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday to finish the homestand.
In Los Angeles, the losing streak hit six. Alex Laferriere scored 31 seconds in, and the Kings outshot Boston 12-6 in the first period. Then, Jack Janes writes, they went the next 59 minutes without a goal. David Pastrnak tied it on a breakaway early in the second, Marat Khusnutdinov scored the go-ahead goal with just over six minutes left, and Boston added two empty-netters for a 4-1 win. The Kings are 0-4-2, the only winless team in the NHL, and they’re averaging two goals a game. “We know these guys played last night and we let them kind of outwork us in our own building the last two periods,” Laferriere said. “I don’t think just pushing it away is going to do any good,” Peter Laviolette said. The Kings start a five-game East Coast trip Tuesday in Washington.
GO DEEPER
› Derek Hegna: High-octane offense delivers as Golden Knights celebrate Jack Eichel’s 700th game (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Golden Knights defeat Penguins, 6-2, at T-Mobile Arena (The Sporting Tribune)
› Jack Janes: Frustrating loss makes it six consecutive losses to start Kings season (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Bruins defeat Kings, 4-1, in Los Angeles (The Sporting Tribune)
⚽ SOCCER SATURDAY
Angel City was down 2-0 after 18 minutes in Denver and won 3-2. Michelle Chavez writes that Sveindis Jónsdóttir, Taylor Suarez and Ally Sentnor scored in an 11-minute stretch before halftime. “We never give up and we played with our hearts today,” Jónsdóttir said. Angel City is unbeaten in eight and fifth with 43 points, and it needs to win its last two (Bay FC at BMO Stadium on Saturday, then Boston Legacy on Nov. 1) to host a playoff game.
The Wave are chasing the Shield. Melanie Barcenas scored in the fourth minute and Trinity Byars in the 52nd for a 2-1 win in North Carolina. Sebastian Sanchez writes that San Diego (17-3-8, 54 points) has won five straight, has clinched a top-four finish, and is one point behind first after Gotham lost to Washington. Two games left, starting at home against Boston Legacy next Sunday.
The Galaxy got a point. Joao Klauss scored from about 30 yards in the fourth minute, Anders Dreyer tied it on a penalty, and Erik Thommy and Gabriel Pirani traded goals before halftime. Rob Jalon writes the 2-2 draw leaves the Galaxy eighth, the first play-in spot, with three games left, and the next one is El Tráfico against LAFC. “The important thing now is to rest well and think about LAFC,” Ruiz said. LAFC drew 1-1 at NYCFC on Saturday.
GO DEEPER
› Michelle Chavez: Angel City defeats Denver Summit 3-2; extends unbeaten streak to eight (The Sporting Tribune)
› Sebastian Sanchez: San Diego Wave close gap in NWSL Shield race with win in North Carolina (The Sporting Tribune)
› Rob Jalon: Galaxy grind out 2-2 draw against San Diego FC (The Sporting Tribune)
🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
Active today across Southern California — brought to you by Ike’s Sandwiches, home of the world famous Arash Markazi sandwich, which has fried chicken, purple slaw, wasabi mayo, honey mustard, and cheddar on a Dutch Crunch roll. Just ask for the 500 at any Ike’s location.
🥞 Norms — two free buttermilk hotcakes after the Galaxy scored at home against San Diego FC. Redeem through NORMS Rewards in the app, at norms.com or in store at Southern California locations.
🏟️ THREE GAMES, ONE SUNDAY
Cardinals at Rams at 1:05 on FOX. The Rams are 2-3 after the overtime loss to Buffalo, with Blake Grupe as the new kicker. “You don’t want to try to chase a ghost,” Sean McVay said of facing a familiar division rival.
Chargers at Chiefs at 1:25 on CBS. The Chargers are 0-5 and Kansas City is 4-0 coming off a bye. The Chiefs are 8.5-point favorites, and Fernando Ramirez picks them 23-17.
Bills at Raiders at 1:25 on CBS. The Raiders’ run game has struggled, and their two rookie cornerbacks, Treydan Stukes and Hezekiah Masses, are trying to bounce back after New England put up 536 yards. Now comes Josh Allen.
📌 AROUND THE MARKETS
The Old Oil Can stays in San Diego. Starting quarterback Jayden Denegal left in the first half with a leg injury, and freshman Stone Saunders, back from a clavicle injury, led a 10-play drive that set up Cooper DiLeva’s career-long 53-yard field goal with 57 seconds left. Kai Wallin’s sack ended Fresno State’s last chance. “Rivalry games are different,” Sean Lewis said. “It’s exactly what this team needed at the right time.” The Aztecs (3-4, 2-1 Pac-12) go to Colorado State next.
UNLV lost its first conference game. Air Force ran for 430 yards, 126 of them in the fourth quarter, and won 41-31. Derek Hegna has Jackson Arnold throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns, both to Kayden McGee, but a fourth-quarter fumble set up the go-ahead drive. UNLV is off until Halloween against Northern Illinois.
Hawai’i let a 10-0 halftime lead get away. New Mexico scored 21 straight in the second half and won 21-10. Hawai’i forced three turnovers but turned them into three points. The Rainbow Warriors are 1-6 and have lost four straight. “We’ve got to clean up the little things,” Titan Lacaden said.
Fundora at the bell. Sebastian Fundora knocked out Ermal Hadribeaj in the final seconds of the 12th round at The Cosmopolitan to keep his WBC super welterweight title. “I like that we knocked him out at the last second,” Fundora said.
GO DEEPER
› Eric Evelhoch: Stone cold Aztecs keep Old Oil Can with last-minute win over Fresno State (The Sporting Tribune)
› Derek Hegna: UNLV bombarded in fourth quarter as Air Force runs away with victory (The Sporting Tribune)
› Paul Brecht: New Mexico rallies from 10-point halftime deficit to hand Hawai’i fourth straight loss (The Sporting Tribune)
› Michael Huezo: Fundora knocks out Hadribeaj in final seconds of Round 12 to retain WBC title (The Sporting Tribune)
› Sabrina McClain: Reign fall to 0-2 at home with loss to Silver Knights (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18
🏈 NFL: Cardinals at Rams — SoFi Stadium — 1:05 p.m. — FOX
🏈 NFL: Chargers at Chiefs — Arrowhead Stadium — 1:25 p.m. — CBS
🏈 NFL: Bills at Raiders — Allegiant Stadium — 1:25 p.m. — CBS
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
Get-in prices across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawaii — brought to you by TickPick, the no-hidden-fee ticket marketplace.
🏈 Cardinals at Rams — SoFi Stadium — $69
🏈 Bills at Raiders — Allegiant Stadium — $378
🌴 TST TRIVIA
Jack Eichel, who played his 700th NHL game Saturday, went No. 2 in the 2015 NHL Draft. Who went No. 1?
Answer at the bottom.
🎧 THE SPORTING TRIBUNE TODAY
The Sporting Tribune Today airs weekdays at 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET on SportsGrid, hosted by Grant Mona and John Browner and built on reporting from our staff across Southern California, Las Vegas and Hawai’i.
📺 Watch on television. SportsGrid TV is available on DIRECTV and MyFree DIRECTV (Channel 4105 HD), Samsung TV Plus (2362), Local Now (2024), Vizio WatchFree (640), LG Channels (469) and The Roku Channel (250). You can also search “SportsGrid” on YouTube TV, FuboTV, Sling TV, Plex and Amazon Prime Video.
📻 Listen on radio and podcast. The show airs on SportsGrid Radio, distributed through Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, iHeartRadio and TuneIn — and continues across our regional partners through Westwood One Sports.
› Listen to the latest episode
Trivia answer: Connor McDavid, to the Edmonton Oilers.
Thanks for reading! Follow us on X and Instagram, or drop us a line at tips@thesportingtribune.com.