Galaxy looks to shore up defense as season winds down

• September 29, 2023

On one hand, the goal-scoring chances that the Galaxy struggled to convert early in the season are going in.

However, keeping goals out has been the struggle heading into Saturday’s meeting against the Portland Timbers (7:30 p.m., Apple TV+).

In its past three games, the Galaxy has scored nine goals but allowed 10.

“We can’t keep conceding goals like this,” defender Maya Yoshida said. “It’s very frustrating to be honest. We should have done better.”

As for the reasons, Yoshida listed several causes.

“Communication, tactics, concentration, reading the game, especially the last two games, we’ve conceded the last minutes before halftime,” he said. “This is very clear and simple, easy to improve this kind of part because this is all about concentration to finish the game.”

Despite the leaky defense, the Galaxy (8-11-10) is still in playoff contention, starting the week six points behind FC Dallas (40 points) for the final playoff berth. The Galaxy has fallen behind 3-1 in each of its last two games, but has rallied to secure points, first defeating Minnesota United (4-3) and tying Austin FC (3-3).

“Far too many,” Vanney said of the goals allowed. “The low-hanging fruit for us is to eliminate the goals that we’re giving up and I think there are multiple reasons behind that. It starts with, again, us being more aware and diligent and responsible about how we lose the ball and where we lose the ball and our organization and discipline behind it to handle transition moments. And we have to make better decisions defensively in some of the transition moments.”

Familiarity has also been a problem, especially for Yoshida. In his short time with the Galaxy, he’s been teamed with Jalen Neal, Chris Mavinga and Eriq Zavaleta at the center back tandem and he could add Tony Alfaro to the list this week.

“In the game the other night, we were passive in our ability to get to the ball, but we were still had our wide guys were too high in the defensive posture, which just opened up all kinds of space between our lines and they were able to slip balls between us,” Vanney said. “If we can clean this up, I think our chance creation, our goal scoring, those things over this stretch have been very solid, but collectively we have to work together better and be individually more responsible in some of these moments.”

Coming off the last two games, Vanney and company would settle for a simple 1-0 win against the Timbers.

“Always chasing games makes things difficult,” Vanney said. “Having to score four goals to win a game is going to be a really difficult feat. We have to be able to win games 1-0, 2-1, like that, 2-0 would be nice and that would come from us being more stable on the defensive side.”

Injury update

Douglas Costa (hamstring) will be available. Fellow midfielder Riqui Puig’s status (ankle sprain) was unclear as of Friday afternoon.

Final stretch

After Saturday’s home game against Portland,  the Galaxy will head out on a two-game road trip (Oct. 4 against Seattle and Oct. 7 against Minnesota). After that, its final two games are at home games (Oct. 14 against Real Salt Lake) and MLS Decision Day on Oct. 21 against FC Dallas.

Portland (11-11-9, 42 pts) at Galaxy (8-11-10, 34 pts)

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Dignity Health Sports Park

How to watch: Apple TV (MLS Season Pass)

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​ Orange County Register 

The Hobbit restaurant temporarily closing for renovations

• September 29, 2023

Shortly after announcing the retirement of owners Mike and Debra Philippi, the Hobbit, a prix-fixe restaurant in the city of Orange, will halt service starting Saturday, Oct. 9, according to office manager Jodi McGuire.

The storied restaurant will undergo a renovation over the next few weeks with an anticipated re-opening date in early December.

“After 50 years at the helm, it’s with great joy (that) Debra and I announce our retirement,” Mike Philippi said in a written statement posted to his restaurant’s website. General Manager Matthew McKinney will take over as the Hobbit’s new owner and operator.

Named after J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, the restaurant has achieved acclaim since it opened in 1972 for its unique three-act concept and dining experience. Located in a converted Spanish Revival-style home on Chapman Avenue, the Hobbit raked up numerous awards, including Wine Spectator’s Best of Award of Excellence and top ratings in the Zagat Guide.

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Mike Philippi, doing double duty as co-owner and executive chef, prepared food in the French manner with entrees like wild mushroom-stuffed filet mignon or beef wellington making frequent menu appearances. “The drill is this: At 7 p.m., guests arrive at the wine cellar, which stocks more 1,000 labels, for hors d’oeuvres and a flute of Champagne, over which they decide on the wine to have with dinner,” the Orange County Register wrote in 2016. Guests then head upstairs for the first course, followed by a “palate-cleansing sorbet” to make way for the main course, conversation and dessert.

When the Hobbit opens its doors again later this year, it will still maintain its six-course prix-fixe menu, starting at 7 p.m. sharp, with only one seating per evening.

“It has been our greatest pleasure and honor watching our guests, friends and family create unique memories year after year — celebrating special occasions, accomplishments, or those ‘just because’ moments,” continued Mike Philippi, adding, “Who knows, we may run into each other sipping Hobbit bubbles and enjoying hors d’oeuvres in the wine cellar. You never know who you may run into.”

​ Orange County Register 

2 men arrested, accused of stealing $50,000 from distracted elderly Huntington Beach woman

• September 29, 2023

Orange County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men from Riverside accused of distracting an elderly woman while one of them stole an envelope from her purse containing $50,000 at her home in Huntington Beach last week, officials said.

Ionut Marius Andrei, 42, and Stefan Romero Oprea, 38, approached the 79-year-old woman after she came home from a bank where she had withdrawn the money on Tuesday, Sept. 19, the Sheriff’s Department said in a news release on Friday, Sept. 29.

While one of the men spoke to the woman at her front door asking for directions to a nearby hospital, the other “reached through her right rear window and stole the envelope from her purse,” the release said.

Both men were arrested on Tuesday, Sept. 26 and are being held without bail in Orange County jail. Both were charged with one count each of burglary, taking property and grand theft, and two counts of theft from an elder adult.

Both pleaded not guilty to all the charges, court records show.

Authorities describe this type of crime as “bank jugging,” in which thieves pay “close attention to bank customers … to observe if the customer withdrew cash,” then follow the victim home where they distract them or intimidate them as they attempt to take the money.

The burglary charge filed this week against Andrei and Oprea stems from an earlier incident in Lake Forest that officials said they tied to the men.

On Wednesday, Aug. 16, sheriff’s investigators said, the men approached a 72-year-old man at his garage in Lake Forest, with one of them asking for directions to a hospital. While they spoke, another man went to the victim’s car and stole $5,000 in cash from the center console.

Andrei and Oprea are due back in court on Monday, Oct. 9.

Investigators encourage anyone who may have experienced a similar crime to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 714-647-1829. Anonymous information may be provided through Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

Sheriff’s officials say if possible, people should avoid carrying large amounts of cash and seek other ways to transfer funds. Anyone who believes they are being followed after leaving a bank should call 911.

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​ Orange County Register 

Cook’s Corner posts emotional video sending condolences to mass shooting victims

• August 28, 2023

The general manager of Cook’s Corner, in an emotional video Sunday, offered condolences to all affected by the “most horrific act by one man who has changed the lives of so many,” after a gunman last week shot his estranged wife at the roadhouse grill and then continued firing, killing three people and injuring six.

The video was posted on general manager Rhonda Palmeri’s Facebook page. She sighed heavily as it began, and her voice cracked and she looked to be fighting back tears at times.

“I would like to send my most sincere condolences to the families of Tonya, Glen and John, and all the injured, and those fighting for their lives and the friends and family of Cook’s Corner who were here Wednesday, August 23 for the most horrific act by one man who has changed the lives of so many,” she said.

“We would like to thank everyone for all your love, support and prayers.”

John Leehey, 67, of Irvine, Glen Sprowl Jr., 53, of Stanton and Tonya Clark, 49, of Scottsdale, Arizona were killed when retired Ventura Police Department Sgt. John Snowling marched into the iconic biker and family restaurant Wednesday evening and without uttering a word, opened fire on his wife and others, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said.

“The outpouring of love and support from our community has truly been amazing,” Palmeri went on to say in the video, also praising “the quick actions of our first responders and Orange County law enforcement.”

Palmeri said “a private, intimate gathering with family and friends” is being planned for those who were at Cook’s Corner that terrible evening.

“We still do not have an opening date planned yet,” she added. “We will notify the community as soon as possible.”

More than 70 Orange County sheriff’s vehicles and 100 deputies responded to Cook’s Corner after getting the initial 911 call at 7:04 p.m., Barnes said last week. Two minutes later, they encountered Snowling and by 7:08 p.m., deputies had shot him. He died in a barrage of police bullets after pulling a 12-gauge shotgun on the deputies.

Seven deputies shot and killed him. At least one of Snowling’s rounds hit a sheriff’s SUV. In all, 75 casings were found.

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The tragedy has sent the community of Trabuco Canyon reeling.

Zeke Rich, an engineer and motorcycle rider, called Cook’s Corner “neutral ground” where anyone from any background was welcome. The colorful bar has long been among the most iconic Western-style roadhouses in Southern California.

Bikers who frequent Cook’s Corner said they are planning a memorial, but details, including a date and time, are to be determined.

A community prayer service was held at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest last week. A long procession of bikers rode their motorcycles to the church campus, some wearing Cook’s Corner hats and shirts, and greeting and hugging one another before heading inside.

At Cook’s Corner, lives remembered: A hero, a noted urban planner and a mom who loved to dance

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​ Orange County Register 

Laguna Hills senior center director takes the snobbery out of wine

• August 28, 2023

The scene was surreal. Aimee Roberts, director of the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills, stood in the building’s parking lot, swinging a sword as she decapitated a bottle of Champagne and some of the bubbly came gushing out onto the pavement.

Roberts was demonstrating the art of sabrage, a technique for opening a Champagne bottle with a saber, for members of the senior center’s monthly wine club.

“The first night I ever spent in California years ago, I saw someone standing in the setting sun performing a sabrage and I thought it was so fantastic,” she said.

Roberts had won a trip to the Napa and Sonoma wine regions as a working member of the wine industry in Texas at the time. A recent trip to the Champagne region of France refreshed her memory of the showy sabrage, which she thought would be fun to demonstrate at the wine club.

The method is used for ceremonial occasions and dates to the time of Napoleon, when the sword wielder was often seated on horseback, she said.

The person slides the saber along the seam of the bottle to the lip to break away the top of the neck, leaving the bottle open and ready to pour. Glass shards are blown away with the force of the Champagne bursting from the bottle at 60 to 90 pounds of pressure per inch.

“It’s an exhilarating experience,” she said.

Roberts, who has been the senior center director for two years, came up with the idea of the wine club during the pandemic.

“Many of my neighbors in Laguna Niguel were older, and when I asked them what would be a fun activity, they suggested this,” she said.

The activity fit right in with Roberts’ background working many jobs in the wine industry, including earning the designation of certified sommelier.

She was trained by master sommelier Fred Dame, earning her entry level badge in 1999 and the higher level of “certified” in 2006. At the time, it was a male-dominated profession, she said.

Being a sommelier requires a good working knowledge of wines, regions, pairings and wine service.

“It turns out that I have a good sense of smell, which helps,” said Roberts, who now belongs to the wine organization Court of Master Sommeliers.

After moving to California, she worked with fine wines as a salesperson for a large distribution company.

At the same time, she was volunteering with Meals on Wheels at the Laguna Niguel senior center and enjoyed her work with seniors. She was told that the Florence Sylvester Senior Center in Laguna Hills was looking for a director.

“I had a strong background in science, and the mission of Age Well (which runs the center) fit in with my personal beliefs and goals,” she said.

So in June 2021, she left the wine industry to join the senior service system.

Birthing the center’s wine club in March 2022 became a way to blend both her passions.

“Since the (Laguna Woods) Village’s Wine Lovers Club focused on regional wines, I decided to focus on varietal wines that come from many regions around the world,” Roberts said.

She started with the major varietals, working her way to the “more nuanced” ones offered lately. At each club meeting, which requires advance registration and costs $25 per person, four samples of the featured varietal are poured for tasting along with a curated selection of cheese, crackers, charcuterie and chocolates.

Roberts offers tasters information and background on the wines, their characteristics, prices, availability and more.

The wines are usually priced at $35 to $55 a bottle and are not found at the typical grocery store. Roberts wants participants to taste special wines that are accessible but of a higher grade than the average.

“I hope it’s fun to have a little more knowledge,” she said. “My experience has been that people are uncomfortable ordering wines, and I want them to feel more comfortable doing that.

“Wine shouldn’t be snobby,” she added with a laugh.

Roberts enjoys the process of planning each month’s tasting, from the research, to picking the wine, buying it and “teaching” about it in an informal and interesting way.

Based on the number of people attending the monthly sessions, the club has been a great success. It has grown from 24 attendees to 48, with a waiting list each time.

“I like to see what people like,” she said, asking at the end of each tasting which wine was the participants’ favorite.

“I tell people that they know what they like and shouldn’t be intimidated by others.”

The wine tastings take place on the first Friday of each month at a cost of $25 per person, payable in cash or check at the door. Reservations are required; call the senior center at 949-380-0155.

Laguna Woods Wine Lovers Club is for those who love wine and want to learn more

Laguna Woods Village residents who enjoy wine don’t have to venture outside the gates to sample wines from around the world.

Meeting the second Wednesday of each month in Clubhouse 5, the Wine Lovers Club features worldwide regional wines paired with appropriately themed dinners. It seeks to introduce participants to varieties they may not have tried before in the company of people they may not have met before.

The idea behind the club, founded in 2019, is to foster fellowship along with wine knowledge.

“The goal is to meet people, drink wine and break bread together,” said club President Judy Okonski, who has helmed the Wine Lovers Club since its inception.

“We started with 35 people and now have more than 300 members, with more than 200 attending each meeting,” Okonski said. “Our secret is that we give people time to visit.”

The club not only teaches wine education but also sponsors several trips a year to places like Temecula or San Diego wineries and one cruise each year.

Integral to the monthly experience is Jeff Champion, a sommelier and certified wine specialist, who offers information on the featured region of the world and the wines from that locale.

Members receive an email in advance, detailing the wines that will be featured and where to buy them. Attendees can buy those bottles to bring to the dinner or bring any beverage of their choice. Occasionally, a specific vineyard is spotlighted and the club provides the featured wines.

Members usually bring their own appetizers to enjoy and share during the social portion of the evening before Champion’s formal presentation, which is followed by the dinner served buffet-style.

“Usually, I pick a regional wine and then try to pair the food that should be served with it,” Champion said at the start of the June meeting. “This time, however, I started with the food and looked for the best wines to go with it.”

The result was an evening titled “Italy: Through the Eyes of Lasagna.”

Champion described the variations on that classic Italian dish as it is prepared in the Marche, Tuscany and Puglia regions of Italy.

“Every region, and even every family, has its own recipe,” Champion said.

He then detailed varieties of both red and white wines that pair well with the lasagna from each area through a slide presentation before a meal of lasagna, salad and garlic bread was served.

Village resident Ron Askew, attending the monthly event for the first time, said he enjoys wine and fellowship and appreciates the casual atmosphere he has encountered.

Long-time member Jackie Sieber originally joined the club to go on last fall’s sponsored cruise along the California coast and plans to cruise the Mexican Riviera with the group this fall.

She has kept coming back. “The food is good and the price is reasonable, and I like to learn about the wines,” she said as she and partner Tom Mitchell uncorked their own bottle of wine.

“We went to Italy in  2017 and just now opened what we brought back with us,” she said with a laugh.

For information on the Wine Lovers Club, visit the website via lagunawoodsvillage.com or call Okonski at 949-837-2273. Membership is $35 per year, with monthly events usually priced at $15  per member and $20 for non-members, payable in advance.

​ Orange County Register 

Simone Biles wins a record 8th U.S. Gymnastics title a full decade after her first

• August 28, 2023

By WILL GRAVES AP Writer

SAN JOSE — A decade later, Simone Biles is still on top.

The gymnastics star won her record eighth U.S. Championship on Sunday night, 10 years after she first ascended to the top of her sport as a teenage prodigy.

Biles, now a 26-year-old newlywed considered perhaps the greatest of all time, posted an all-around two-day total of 118.40, four points clear of runner-up Shilese Jones. Florida junior Leanne Wong claimed third, bolstering her chances of making a third straight world championship team.

Biles is all but assured of returning to the gym where she captured her first world title in 2013. Over the course of two electric nights at the SAP Center, she served notice that even after a two-year break following the Tokyo Olympics, in gymnastics there is the one referred to as the GOAT and there is everyone else.

Biles became the oldest woman to win a national title since USA Gymnastics began organizing the event in 1963. Her eight crowns moved her past Alfred Jochim, who won seven between 1925-33 when the Amateur Athletics Union ran the championships and the events in men’s competition included rope climbing.

Yes, really.

“I don’t think about numbers,” Biles said. “I think about my performance. And I think overall, I hit 8 for 8. I guess it’s a lucky number this year.”

The sport has come a long way over the last century. No one has spent more time at the far end of the Bell curve than Biles, who has spent 10 years using her singular talents to push boundaries in more ways than one.

Peaks aren’t supposed to last this long. Most elite gymnasts at 26 — at least the ones who haven’t retired — are simply hoping to hold on to what they have.

Biles isn’t interested in that. Never has been. She finds repetition boring. She insists this time she’s doing it “for herself” and her markedly different approach to her job offers tangible proof she’s not lying.

Rather than let the world in to her journey as she eyes a third Olympics, she’s kept most of her training under wraps, more interested in sharing glimpses of her life far away from the gym.

“I like to keep (my goals) personal, just so that I know what I’m aiming for,” Biles said. “I think it’s better that way. I’m trying to move a little bit differently this year than I have in the past. I think it’s working so far, so I’m going to keep it secretive.”

There appears to be more balance in her life, leaning into the “it’s just gymnastics” mantra that helped fuel her rise.

Age hasn’t caught up to her yet, though she played it relatively safe — by her standards — on Sunday. She tweaked her right ankle in training on Saturday, leading her to opt out of doing the Yurchenko double pike vault that she nailed almost flawlessly during the opening night of the competition on Friday.

The 14.850 she received for her Cheng vault was still the highest of the night on the event. So was the 14.8 she earned on beam. The 15.400 that drew a standing ovation when she finished too.

Next stop is Antwerp in late September, where Biles will try to add to the 25 medals — 18 of them gold — she’s captured so far in her unparalleled career.

Jones figures to be on the plane too. The 21-year-old is a marvel on bars, where she thrives despite being tall (5-foot-6ish) for someone who opts to do this for a living. The crowd erupted when she nailed her dismount, her 15.000 score was tops in the meet on the event and put 10 months filled with injuries that have slowed her training firmly behind her.

Who joins Jones and Biles at worlds remains very much up in the air.

Reigning Olympic champion Sunisa Lee, who has spent most of the year battling a kidney issue her doctors are still trying to get a handle on, could have a chance as a specialist after putting together a solid balance beam routine.

Wong, one of several athletes trying to compete at the NCAA and elite levels at the same time, put together two stellar nights that included an elegant bars routine and a floor exercise that makes up for in precision what it lacks in power.

Jade Carey and Jordan Chiles, teammates of Biles’ at the 2020 Olympics, who have also spent the last two years splitting time between college and elite, weren’t quite as sharp. Chiles fell off both the bars and beam. Carey finished in the top 10 on just one event — vault — where the Americans figure to be loaded.

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​ Orange County Register 

‘It gave me chills:’ Hundreds pack local park to cheer El Segundo’s big Little League win

• August 28, 2023

A crowd of El Segundo residents who packed a local park erupted when Louis Lappe hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the final inning on Sunday, Aug. 27. The 12-year-old’s dramatic solo shot into the left field stands lifted the seaside city’s headline-making team over Curacao to snag the Little League World Series’ international championship in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, as the world watched on live TV.

The 6-5 victory sent the hundreds of well-wishers at George Brett Field into a frenzy as they rooted for their team more than 2,600 miles away.

Related: El Segundo wins Little League World Series on dramatic homer

“It gave me chills,” said resident Lisa Dornblaser, following the victory.

“They won the right way, with their heads up,” said another resident, Trevor Koppel. “They represented the town and the country very well.”

There were plenty of nail-biting moments throughout the six-inning game on Sunday, none more tense than when Curacao tied the game 5-5 with a grand slam home run in the top of the fifth inning. But Lappe — the team’s 6-foot-1 post-season star known as “The Natural” —  has risen to the occasion throughout the World Series.

Of course, he wasn’t the only hero on this amazing team, which racked up one stirring win after another, moving from local to regional to national titles..

El Segundo City Councilmember Ryan Baldino said “you could not have scripted a better ending to that game.”

“I knew that (batting) order is strong,” Baldino said. “Our kids have played so well and I’m just happy right now. I don’t think I slept in a week. So happy for these boys.”

Chris Pimentel, also an El Segundo councilmember, said the players and coaches have all worked “really hard to have success.”

“Also, part of baseball is being able to bounce back and be resilient, they have all those things,” Pimentel said. The El Segundo team did precisely that, going on an undefeated streak after losing early in the double-elimination tournament.

El Segundo defeated a team from Needville, Texas, 6-1, on Saturday to win the U.S. crown. The same team of Texans handed El Segundo its only loss in the World Series.

The win advanced the El Segundans to Sunday’s championship against Curacao, the Caribbean champions, who had won the International division on Saturday.

El Segundo won Saturday on the strength of Lappe’s five RBIs — and he also gave up just three hits while pitching. Another El Segundo standout, Brody Brooks, hit a homer in Saturday’s game.

The field where Sunday’s watch party took place was named after George Brett, a Hall of Fame third baseman who played at El Segundo High School. He graduated in 1971 and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals, where he spent his entire record-setting career.

Jon and Jamie Morra were in attendance at Brett Field on Sunday with their children, 9-year-old Anna, 7-year-old Will and 2-year old Andrew.

Jon was playing toss with Will, who played Little League this season. So did Anna.

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“This is so exciting, I’ve never lived in a town where the kids have done this well in any sport,” Jon said.

Chau Berman said her son, Travis, grew up playing ball with most of the boys on the now championship team.

“I can’t even imagine representing the country in the World Series, it’s pretty unbelievable,” Berman said.

Before the game began, Baldino said the “whole town has been alive this entire week.”

“We’re so proud of everything these boys have done,” Baldino said. “This team has been together for a long time. They grew up here. I watched these kids grow up on this baseball field here.”

What’s next? The big homecoming.

“I can’t wait for them to come home and see all the support that they’ve gotten in town and just around the Southern California,” Berman said, “and just to see how much of an impact they made on our little town.”

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​ Orange County Register 

USC football is 1-0, but there’s little defense for an inconsistent defense

• August 28, 2023

In the Coliseum parking lot adjacent to BMO Stadium, planting their rows of cardinal-and-yellow tarps on a sweltering Saturday afternoon tarmac, the Psychos convened.

Grills sizzled in front of USC-branded lawn chairs, a plain sign atop a red-draped plastic serving table reading “9,031 DAYS SINCE UCLA WON THE PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP.” Shots of Fireball were bestowed freely and happily upon any weary traveler who asked. This is the “Psychogate,” the vision of one Roy Nwaisser – self-and-fan-dubbed “USC Psycho” – who’s been to every single Trojans home and road game for three decades.

It’s the kind of fan lifeblood that’s pumped year-in and year-out no matter success or failure or sanctions, the kind Coach Lincoln Riley was hired to inspire beneath Hollywood glam and donor money. And excitement poured from taps here Saturday, the dawn of the second year of the Riley era that had Nwaisser – who’s seen it all – as optimistic as he’s been “in a long time,” he said.

But a taste far worse than tailgate tri-tip still lingers on these Psychos’ tongues: the pitfalls of 2022, when a deflated defense led to a massive collapse in the Pac-12 championship game and the Cotton Bowl.

“Did we do enough to fix those issues?” Nwaisser said. “We’ll see.”

Saturday’s 56-28 victory over San Jose State, plain and simple, wasn’t enough. A 1-0 start wasn’t enough. Riley knew it. Quarterback Caleb Williams knew it, choosing his words carefully in the postgame presser like he was still cycling through on-field progressions.

“Walking off the field, there’s a bit of frustration that a couple of the coaches, or myself, the players that have been here and seen and know how it should go … in the first half, I just felt like we weren’t hitting on certain calibers that we’re going to hit on here soon,” Williams said postgame.

“We were a bit inconsistent tonight, especially in the first half,” Williams said, to a later question. “That was the key sense of frustration was inconsistency, I would say.”

The factors Williams pointed to – a couple of dropped balls, a fumbled snap, the offensive line missing a couple of defensive read cues – concerned the offense. But the major inconsistencies for USC on Saturday came yet again on defense, the unit that’s supposed to bring glory back to the Coliseum, the unit that the Psychos and every Trojans fan know their season will hinge on this fall.

Too often, key USC penalties extended San Jose State drives. Too often, Spartans quarterback Chevan Cordeiro turned the Trojans into Swiss cheese, scampering for gain after first-half gain as attempts to contain him with a quarterback spy simply fell short.

“A couple of times, just flat-out outran us,” Riley said. “I mean, he’s a good player – that part was disappointing.”

An analysis of defensive stock risers/fallers after Week 1:

Rising

Jamil Muhammad, rush end: The transfer from Georgia Southern didn’t start Saturday, but he made some massive second-quarter hits to stop a San Jose State run and send awry a Cordeiro pass.

Mason Cobb, linebacker: He showed impressive agility and awareness in chasing Cordeiro from the linebacker spot.

Solomon Byrd, defensive end: He was quiet in Saturday’s first half, but generated third-quarter pressure that led to a sack.

Falling

Domani Jackson, cornerback: The former Mater Dei High star surrendered some catches in one-on-one situations and was partly responsible for a major defensive breakdown to end the first half that led to a touchdown grab, which Riley called “inexcusable” postgame.

Tackett Curtis, linebacker: He made a couple of nice tackles, but he didn’t have a significant impact in his first USC game and was tested in pass coverage.

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​ Orange County Register