Good morning. UCLA is 10-0. In the rain at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins forced three turnovers, got a safety and held on to beat Illinois 22-14, their first 10-0 start in 28 years. Ty Dieffenbach hurt his arm before halftime and came back to throw the clinching touchdown. The Clippers held off Oklahoma City 113-112 on Darius Garland’s and-one with under a minute left, despite 40 from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Nashville beat the Golden Knights in a shootout, UNLV’s men stayed unbeaten, and Hawaii’s women won in triple overtime. Today: USC is at Indiana at 12:30, UNLV and San Diego State play conference football games, and the Ducks and Kings are both home at 7. Let’s get into it.
🚨 HEADLINES
🏈 10-0. UCLA forced three takeaways and beat Illinois 22-14 in the rain — Brady Charette at the Rose Bowl.
🏈 “That’s leadership.” Ty Dieffenbach came back from an arm injury to throw the clinching touchdown — Jack Haslett at the Rose Bowl.
🏀 And-one. Darius Garland’s late three-point play beat Oklahoma City 113-112 — Fredo Cervantes at Intuit Dome.
🏈 On IR after all. The Rams put Puka Nacua on injured reserve and expect Myles Garrett to play Sunday — The Sporting Tribune.
🏀 3-0. Cam Miles scored 17 as UNLV held off Stanford 76-68 — The Sporting Tribune at Thomas & Mack Center.
🏀 Triple overtime. Hawaii’s women beat Saint Mary’s 93-89 for Khalilah Mitchell’s first win — The Sporting Tribune.
See what else is trending at The Sporting Tribune.
📋 SCOREBOARD — FRIDAY
🏈 CFB: UCLA 22, Illinois 14
🏀 NBA: Clippers 113, Thunder 112
🏒 NHL: Predators 3, Golden Knights 2 (SO)
🏀 MBB: UNLV 76, Stanford 68 · WBB: Hawaii 93, Saint Mary’s 89 (3OT)
🏈 TEN AND OH
On UCLA’s first possession, Ty Dieffenbach hit Aidan Mizell for a 54-yard touchdown. That was about all the offense the Bruins needed. The defense did the rest: three takeaways, a safety and a turnover on downs to finish it. Scooter Jackson intercepted Illinois quarterback Katin Houser twice, extending his interception streak to four straight games and giving him a Big Ten-best five. Derrick Barksdale had the other, and Aiden Gobaira sacked Houser in the end zone for UCLA’s first safety since 2022. Illinois averaged 2.1 yards a carry. UCLA now leads the country with 30 takeaways.
Dieffenbach hurt his arm just before halftime, and Madden Iamaleava played into the third quarter. Dieffenbach came back late in the third and, eight plays later, threw a 26-yard touchdown to Semaj Morgan. “Once I got on the field, all of that pain went away with that adrenaline,” he said. “That’s leadership,” Bob Chesney said. “That stands out.” Jack Haslett writes that Dieffenbach called the crowd’s reaction “one of the best moments of my life.”
Mizell had six catches for 176 yards, more than half of UCLA’s receiving yards, a week after his two 75-yard touchdowns at Minnesota. Alex Hutton writes that at one point Mizell had more receiving yards than UCLA had passing yards. “We knew who he was, we knew what he’s capable of, and we just needed to get him healthy,” Chesney said. It’s UCLA’s first 10-0 start since 1998, in front of more than 45,000 in the rain. Michigan is next, the Bruins’ last regular-season road game.
GO DEEPER
› Brady Charette: No. 4 UCLA holds off Illinois 22-14, improves to 10-0 (The Sporting Tribune)
› Jack Haslett: Ty Dieffenbach fought through the pain to lead No. 4 UCLA past Illinois (The Sporting Tribune)
› Alex Hutton: Aidan Mizell powers UCLA offense with another explosive game (The Sporting Tribune)
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🏀 A WIN THE CLIPPERS NEEDED
Garland finished it. The Clippers led by 13 at halftime, then watched Oklahoma City come back behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 40 against the team that drafted him. With just under a minute left, Darius Garland drove for an and-one that gave the Clippers a 113-112 lead, and it held. Garland had 24 points and seven assists. “If you do the right things the right way, it’s going to eventually work out for you,” Ty Lue said. The Clippers are 3-8, and the win came in NBA Cup group play.
The Golden Knights’ streak ended in a shootout. Vegas led 2-1 going into the third and outshot Nashville 42-32, but Ryan O’Reilly scored twice for the Predators, and Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi scored in the shootout for a 3-2 Nashville win, its seventh straight. Rasmus Andersson and Victor Olofsson scored for Vegas, and Adin Hill made 30 saves. “Our puck management wasn’t as crisp in the third period,” Ryan Craig said. Vancouver visits Sunday.
UNLV’s men are 3-0 for the first time since 2022-23. Cam Miles scored 17 and made four 3-pointers, and Issac Williamson hit a 3 with 1:55 left to beat Stanford 76-68. UNLV plays No. 15 Kansas on Tuesday in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas. And Hawaii’s women beat Saint Mary’s 93-89 in triple overtime, the program’s second triple-overtime game ever, for Khalilah Mitchell’s first win. Ritorya Tamilo had 24 points and 12 rebounds.
GO DEEPER
› Fredo Cervantes: Clippers rally past Thunder behind Darius Garland’s late and-one (The Sporting Tribune)
› TST Images: Thunder at Clippers (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: Predators rally for 3-2 shootout win to snap Knights’ four-game win streak (The Sporting Tribune)
› UNLV holds off Stanford to stay unbeaten (The Sporting Tribune)
› Hawaii outlasts Saint Mary’s in triple overtime for Khalilah Mitchell’s first win (The Sporting Tribune)
🏈 SUNDAY’S STORYLINES
Nacua goes on IR, and Garrett will play. The Rams placed Puka Nacua on injured reserve to make room for receiver Brennan Presley. “There was never going to be a time that he was going to be able to return prior to [the four-week period] anyways,” Sean McVay said. Myles Garrett, who had three sacks in his return, is questionable but expected to play at Arizona. Garrett and Aaron Donald will face rookie Carson Beck in his first NFL start. Rookie CJ Daniels Jr. gets a bigger role. “Trust doesn’t just show up on a Sunday,” offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase said.
The Raiders’ problems go beyond quarterback. Steve Carp writes that whoever plays quarterback, the 4-5 Raiders still can’t run the ball or tackle consistently, and Fernando Mendoza debuts Sunday against Seattle, the NFL’s stingiest defense at 244 yards a game. Carp sees a path to the playoff conversation with winnable games ahead against Cleveland, Tennessee, Arizona and the Chargers.
GO DEEPER
› Rams put Puka Nacua on injured reserve, expect Myles Garrett to play at Arizona (The Sporting Tribune)
› Rams look to rookie CJ Daniels Jr. with Nacua, Adams sidelined (The Sporting Tribune)
› Steve Carp: Raiders’ issues remain despite QB change (The Sporting Tribune)
🍔 THE DEALS BOARD
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No deals are active this morning. Tonight’s triggers: a Ducks home win over the Islanders gets $2 McGriddles tomorrow, and a Kings goal in the final minute of the second period against Calgary gets a free McFlurry tomorrow. On Sunday, a Rams interception at Arizona gets a free Famous Star at Carl’s Jr.
🏟️ SIX GAMES, ONE SATURDAY
USC at Indiana at 12:30 on CBS. The Trojans visit the defending national champions with their playoff path still in their own hands. “We’re one of the few teams that sits here right now controlling our destiny in so many ways,” Lincoln Riley said this week.
UNLV at New Mexico at 4:30 on ESPN. After losing to Wyoming, the 5-4 Rebels need a win to stay in the Mountain West title race, and it would also make them bowl eligible. Utah State at San Diego State at 6:30 on USA, with the Aztecs chasing bowl eligibility. North Dakota State at Hawaii at 9 on CW.
Flames at Kings at 7 on ABTV, the last game of a seven-game homestand. The Kings (5-10-2) have lost three straight. Islanders at Ducks at 7 on Prime Video. The Ducks (9-8-1) had their five-game winning streak snapped Wednesday.
Also: USC and UCLA boxers meet tonight in Rivals in the Ring at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, and Louie Rabaut previews today’s Desi Arnaz Stakes at Del Mar, where Bob Baffert’s Holmby is the 4-5 morning-line favorite.
GO DEEPER
› Louie Rabaut: Del Mar Saturday: Holmby returns in Desi Arnaz (The Sporting Tribune)
📺 WATCHLIST — SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14
🏈 CFB: USC at Indiana — Memorial Stadium — 12:30 p.m. — CBS
🏈 CFB: UNLV at New Mexico — University Stadium — 4:30 p.m. — ESPN
🏈 CFB: Utah State at San Diego State — Snapdragon Stadium — 6:30 p.m. — USA
🏒 NHL: Flames at Kings — Crypto.com Arena — 7:00 p.m. — ABTV
🏒 NHL: Islanders at Ducks — Honda Center — 7:00 p.m. — Prime Video
🏈 CFB: North Dakota State at Hawaii — Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex — 9:00 p.m. — CW
🎟️ GOING TO A GAME?
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🏒 Islanders at Ducks — Honda Center — $47
🏒 Flames at Kings — Crypto.com Arena — $35
🏈 Seahawks at Raiders (Sun.) — Allegiant Stadium — $247
🌴 TST TRIVIA
UCLA clinched its 10-0 start at the Rose Bowl. In what year did the Rose Bowl stadium open?
Answer at the bottom.
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Trivia answer: 1922.
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