San Juan Hills football stays unbeaten in Bravo League with big win over Villa Park

• October 25, 2024

ORANGE – San Juan Hills stayed on track to win the first-ever Bravo League football championship outright with a 42-10 win over Villa Park in a league game Thursday at El Modena High.

The Stallions, No. 7 in the Orange County Top 25, are 4-0 in the new league and 8-1 overall. There is one week left in the regular season.

Villa Park, No. 13 in the county rankings, is 6-3 overall and 2-2 in league.

Stallions running back Elijah Ayala scored on runs of 39 and 50 yards in the first half. Troy Murphy returned an interception for a San Juan Hills touchdown in the first quarter.

The San Juan Hills defense limited Villa Park to 62 yards passing. The Spartans went into this week averaging 186 passing yards a game.

CIF Southern Section football playoffs brackets will be released Nov. 3. Teams will be placed into playoff divisions according to their Calpreps.com rating at the end of the regular season. If the playoffs were to have begun this week San Juan Hills and Villa Park would be in Division 3.

San Juan Hills clinched a share of the championship of the six-team league with Thursday’s win. All six league teams – Corona del Mar, Newport Harbor, Tesoro, Yorba Linda and San Juan Hills and Villa Park – are in the Orange County Top 25.

The Stallions conclude the regular season with a league game at Tesoro on Friday, Nov. 1. Villa Park’s final regular-season game is Friday, Nov. 1 against Newport Harbor at El Modena High.

San Juan Hills, like it did in a 26-16 league win over Yorba Linda this month, played a clean game. On Thursday the Stallions committed no turnovers and were penalized only three times.

Postgame with San Juan Hills running back Elijah Ayala who scored on runs of 39 and 80 yards and hard-hitting safety Grant Kitteredge after a 42-10 win over Villa Park … pic.twitter.com/Yzu7x1SFci

— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) October 25, 2024

San Juan Hills coach Robert Frith was pleased by that and the Stallions’ aggressive style.

“We know every team in this league has the capability to be very, very physical,” Frith said. “So we preached every day, every practice, in meetings, that you have to be physical. The most physical team wins this league.

“We talked about three things: Being the most physical team on the field, being extremely disciplined and playing for the brotherhood.”

Ayala, who went into the game averaging 64 rushing yards a game, had 135 rushing yards in the first half on five carries, most of them coming on 39- and 80-yard touchdown runs. He carried only twice for 7 yards in the second half.

San Juan Hills junior quarterback Timmy Herr completed 11 of 19 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

Murphy’s touchdown on his interception came on Villa Park’s first play from scrimmage. Murphy cut in front of the Villa Park receiver to pick off the ball at the 34-yard line and ran unchecked from there to the end zone for the touchdown.

Villa Park quickly tied it 7-7. A 38-yard run by Spartans quarterback Nate Lewis was the big play that led to a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Dominic Ancich.

Ayala’s 39-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter put the Stallions on top 14-7. A few minutes later Ayala popped through a large hole on the left side of the line to sprint his way for the 80-yard touchdown run and a 21-7 lead.

San Juan Hills put together a quick drive for another first-half touchdown. Starting at their 31 with 1:41 remaining, the Stallions’ excursion downfield included Herr passes of 13 yards to Ryan Matheson, 17 yards to Dean Kolasinski and 31 yards to Luke Frith. Herr ran 9 yards for a touchdown with nine seconds remaining in the second quarter for a 28-7 halftime lead.

The Stallions stretched the margin to 28 points early in the third quarter on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Herr to Jake Vuoso.

Lewis, who plays quarterback and safety for Villa Park, went into the game as the Spartans’ leading tackler. He is also the Spartans’ punter and kicked a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter to make it 35-10. Lewis tried a 52-yard field goal in the first half; his kick had plenty of distance but was wide left.

A 19-yard touchdown pass from Herr to Gavin Darst late in the fourth quarter completed the scoring.

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​ Orange County Register 

Sean McVay: Rams don’t expect to trade WR Cooper Kupp

• October 25, 2024

INGLEWOOD — Trade speculation surrounding the availability of Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp has been at a fever pitch this week. Some reports indicated teams had called the Rams to inquire about Kupp’s availability – standard operating procedure in the NFL. Others reported that the Rams had been proactive in their attempts to trade him.

After the Rams’ 30-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night, head coach Sean McVay did his best to put those rumors to rest.

“Teams reached out; some of the things that I’ve seen out there, they’re just not true,” McVay said. “We’ve addressed that with those individuals. Teams have called about him and really we let him know what the dialogue was there. And then there’s a lot of stuff out there where there’s not a lot of accountability to the reports. And that’s unfortunate. … I think a lot of the things that were out there, speculation, was exactly what that was. Speculation.”

McVay added, “I’m really glad to have Cooper Kupp back with us, and that’s what I expect to stay that way.”

Thursday was Kupp’s first game back after missing four contests with an ankle sprain. The 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl LVI MVP started a little slow, not bringing in his first two targets and going catch-less through the first quarter.

But to close the Rams’ second drive, quarterback Matthew Stafford found Kupp in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown after ducking two potential sacks to extend the play.

“Someone just recently did that duck through, ran up and made a play. Matthew was saying, it was literally this morning, he’s like, ‘I’m just too old to be making that move,’” Kupp said. “After he threw the ball, I was looking for him, like, ‘You huge liar.’ He needs a little self doubt there, he needs to doubt himself a little bit so he can see, ‘Oh yeah, maybe I can do it.’ But he was pumped after that. He had that Matthew Stafford walk going on the sideline.”

Kupp finished the game with five catches for 51 yards, and said it was fun to be back on the field with his teammates after a month away from game action.

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And there was also a certain satisfaction in putting together a winning performance in the midst of all the trade rumors.

“I’m not thinking about that stuff, I’m not weighing anything against that,” Kupp said. “But there’s something that’s kind of cool about all that stuff going on outside the facility, but on a short week, every minute spent preparing trying to get ready to come out here and play. … All that stuff is what it is. You guys got two more weeks to get those questions in.”

​ Orange County Register 

Warren Foegele scores 2 goals as Kings hold off Sharks in home opener

• October 25, 2024

LOS ANGELES — The Kings built a three-goal lead in the first period and rode it to a victory in their home opener, squeaking past the winless San Jose Sharks, 3-2, on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.

Warren Foegele notched two goals after Jordan Spence kicked off the scoring, while Alex Laferriere collected two assists. David Rittich made his fifth straight start and earned his third win, stopping 24 shots.

The Sharks, who fell to 0-6-2, got two power-play goals from top point producer Mikael Granlund, with Alexander Wennberg and Jack Thompson each recording assists on both goals. Mackenzie Blackwood had 27 saves.

It was a delayed homecoming as the Kings (4-2-2) played their first seven games on the road and had no preseason games in their own building, which revealed fresh flourishes to the fans on hand.

“We made it way more entertaining than it needed to be, from [a win/loss] perspective, but a win’s a win, and it was great to be in front of our [fans] and see some of the renovations,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said.

Just 4:31 into the match, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore teamed up for a takeaway that the Kings turned into a 1-0 edge. Moore hit the activated defenseman Spence for a searing wrist shot that beat Blackwood cleanly for Spence’s first goal of 2024-25.

Foegele piled on two more goals, at the 8:47 and 11:36 marks, to establish a commanding lead. After arriving from the Edmonton Oilers in free agency, he scored his first goal as a King in a 6-1 loss in Las Vegas on Tuesday night before adding Nos. 2 and 3 on Thursday.

First, his wraparound attempt was deflected skyward by the stick of William Eklund, but it landed near Foegele, who flicked a backhand shot off Blackwood’s left leg and into the net.

Then, he tipped in the attempt of Brandt Clarke, who had retreated from the top of the left circle all the way to the blue line to get a better shooting angle.

“(Foegele) had an outstanding game tonight, and I thought he was our best player in Vegas last game, too, but, really, it takes three people on the line,” Hiller said. “That (Alex) Turcotte line with Laferriere and Foegele, continues to lead us.”

In addition to the offensive fireworks, Andre Lee fought Luke Kunin. The rookie felled Kunin to win his first regular-season bout in the NHL.

After out-shooting San Jose by 10 shots on goal in the first period, the Kings produced something less than a stalemate through the final 40 minutes.

In the second frame, the Sharks clawed back a goal with the extra man just past the midpoint of the game. It was Granlund taking sole possession of the team scoring lead when he glided from the left point into the faceoff circle to let fly with a shot that quickly entered and exited the net. Granlund scored the lone goal in San Jose’s loss to the Ducks on Tuesday and now has eight points in his past five games.

The Kings have given up three power-play goals in their last two games, and exacerbating that minor funk is a major one on the power play. They have not converted in more than five games and have failed to cash in on 15 consecutive opportunities overall.

“We started off pretty good, and we’ve been getting chances,” Laferriere said. “Last game, I missed (Adrian Kempe) backdoor, and there’s other things that we just need to bounce our way, and I think once that happens we’ll keep getting goals.”

In the third period, the Sharks opened up their game looking to climb into the contest but stopped just short, leaving their dressing room dejected afterward.

As the two-minute mark approached, San Jose stormed the Kings’ net but was unable to score, and there was a four-man scrum once the goal crease was cleared.

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Though no penalty was called there, one was whistled on Kevin Fiala with 1:05 to play after he committed an ill-advised tripping penalty in the offensive zone while pursuing an empty-net goal. He scored an empty-netter two games ago against the Ducks, but committed a cardinal sin to crack the door open for San Jose.

“Extremely (frustrating),” Hiller said. “In those moments, you have to deliver … those are high-leverage moments, and you can’t be hit-and-miss.”

Granlund converted again, giving him his fifth power-play point in his four most recent appearances, but it would be just a bit too late for a comeback as the Kings hung on to win, 3-2.

“We did everything we could at the end … we were close, but not close enough, and that’s what it is,” Sharks forward Fabian Zetterlund said.

Next up, the Kings will welcome Utah HC for its first visit to Crypto.com Arena, in a Saturday matinee beginning at 1 p.m.

​ Orange County Register 

Dodgers-Yankees World Series matches power-and-patience powerhouses

• October 25, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Before the 2001 World Series pitting the Arizona Diamondbacks against the New York Yankees, Curt Schilling colorfully dismissed the idea of having to deal with “mystique and aura” when facing the Yankees.

But there’s another pairing of powerful forces at work in this year’s World Series matchup between the Dodgers and Yankees.

Power and patience.

Both teams have built their lineups around those twin pillars.

“Yeah, very similar,” Yankees DH Giancarlo Stanton said. “That’s what we’ve said all year is the keys to success. We both do them very well. That’s what it’s about. That’s what takes you deep into important games, deep into the playoffs and ultimately here.

“The juggernauts are here now.”

Indeed, the Yankees and Dodgers had the two lowest chase rates in baseball this season (the Milwaukee Brewers matched the Dodgers). Theses two teams had the most walks in the majors and finished first and third in home runs (the Baltimore Orioles slipping into second place). They were second and third in on-base percentage (behind the Arizona Diamondbacks), first and fourth in slugging percentage (the Dodgers on top).

“It’s the power-patience thing,” Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler said of the fuel that drives both offenses. “Guys that take balls and hit strikes for homers.

“Both of these organizations are kind of ahead of the curve in terms of development and scouting and things like that to find players that can do both of those things. I feel like our two teams are as similar, especially offensively, as you’re going to see.”

Max Muncy and Juan Soto are the very model of the modern embodiment of those two principles. Muncy has a career on-base percentage of .352 and four seasons with at least 35 home runs. Soto is the active leader with a career OBP of .421. He has hit 27 home runs or more in five of his six full seasons in the big leagues and led his league in walks three times.

“At the end of the day, the whole point of hitting is you want to swing at strikes and you want to take balls. That’s really just the most basic philosophy you can have,” Muncy said. “It’s obviously a lot harder to do than to just say, ‘Hey, we’re going to swing at strikes and take balls.’ But that’s something that we’ve preached for a long time here, and we finally got a group buying into it.

“It’s shown. We’ve had a lot of guys on base a lot of time (in the postseason). There’s a lot of chances to score runs and ultimately that’s the key to winning the game.”

You can preach it – but can you teach it?

“Some guys you try to teach it to and they lose their aggressiveness,” Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates said to that. “They go up there trying not to swing at bad pitches and that’s a very passive mindset and you end up not hitting the pitch you’re supposed to hit. I think not chasing is a result of being so fixated on what you’re looking to hit and then as a byproduct you don’t swing at the bad ones, so to speak.

“When you have this broad focus at the plate just trying to hit the ball in general, pitchers are too good, you can’t cover it all. I think when you hyper-focus on whatever plan you have, as a byproduct you don’t swing at bad pitches. Then sure enough, if it’s four balls before three strikes, you’re walking to first base, but you didn’t set out to walk.”

Pitchers in this World Series will be walking that thin line most dangerously when facing the Big Three on each team – Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman on the Dodgers, Stanton, Soto and Aaron Judge on the Yankees.

“Oh, there’s going to be focus on the big three in each lineup,” Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon said. “There has to be a ton. You have to respect those guys. They need to be on your mind. They’re going to be pitched smart.”

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But this Series might be decided by how much power and patience the supporting casts for either team shows.

The Dodgers drew 42 walks as a team in their six-game NLCS victory over the New York Mets, the bottom half of the lineup turning it over to the MVP trio at the top often enough to score an NLCS record 46 runs.

The Yankees’ big three (Soto, Stanton and Judge) combined for 10 of the 13 home runs the Bronx Bombers have hit in their nine postseason games. But supporting cast members Anthony Volpe (.459) and Gleyber Torres (.400) have been on base often enough to score 15 runs between them.

“If you look at the NLCS, Tommy Edman was the MVP. Max Muncy got on base 15 times in a row or something like that,” Buehler said. “This isn’t the NBA. The ‘Big Three’ thing is real. We have three of the best players in the world. They have three of the best players in the world. But at the end of the day, it’s a 9-on-9, 15-on-15, 26-on-26 game.”

​ Orange County Register 

California Democrats need to clean up the Coastal Commission

• October 25, 2024

If Democrats are going to “save democracy,” as Vice President Kamala Harris’s lawn signs promise, they could start by cleaning their own backyard.

The California Coastal Commission, an unaccountable government agency tasked with “protecting and enhancing California’s coast,” has tremendous power. But its power is often used counterproductively, by blocking desperately needed housing, fighting desalination efforts, and, most recently, denying a request by SpaceX to increase its rocket launches.

While all of its decisions are infected with progressive politics, the commission’s SpaceX denial was overtly political. In the hearing where the denial was decided upon, commissioners made comments signaling the denial was a reaction to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s politics, including his support for former President Donald Trump.

“Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] while claiming his desire to help hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet,” said Commissioner Gretchen Newsom at a public meeting, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

Commissioner Mike Wilson condemned Musk for “standing next to a candidate who ‘openly promotes and is working to normalize that language … and we have to push back against that,’” according to SF Gate.

Certainly, these commissioners are not the first politicians to give someone a hard time purely to nurse a political grudge, but usually politicians have enough sense to keep it to themselves. Instead, the commissioners gave Musk ammunition for a lawsuit, the defense of which taxpayers will be forced to fund.

For this alone, they should be removed from office.

But they won’t be.

Legally, there are complications with removing them from the commission, but those complications are a side issue. The main issue here is that it is a standard practice for the California Legislature to peel away its own power and hand it to the governor in the form of powerful commissions and boards that have no real accountability. They aren’t elected and they’re rarely challenged or given any oversight.

For example, over the weekend Gov. Gavin Newsom (no relation to commissioner Newsom), said “I’m with Elon” when asked about the conflict. The fact that he said that publicly speaks to just how absurd the commission’s comments were.

But Newsom also said he’s not helping Musk’s defense and gave no indication he’ll push for any changes on the board.

The fact is that Newsom and other lawmakers like these unaccountable bodies.

First, it’s a central feature of progressive ideology that they’ll solve society’s problems if they can just get a bunch of experts to make decisions for the general public.

Second, and most importantly, these unaccountable bodies save lawmakers from having to be accountable for unpopular decisions while maintaining a certain degree of deniability.

To look at this from another angle, the California Air Resources Board is considering tweaking the state’s gasoline blend which could add another $0.47 per gallon, and is refusing to answer questions or submit to oversight.

Democratic Assemblymember Wendy Carillo took to X to pan CARB’s lack of transparency as one of her “biggest frustrations,” saying the whole mess was a “direct result of laws ceding legislative oversight to Administration.”

And yet, they keep ceding.

When Democrats in the Legislature got concerned there were too many Republicans on the South Coast Air Quality Management District, they fought to add seats to the board and seize power from it.

And when they didn’t like decisions made by the Orange County Board of Education, Democrats in the legislature added seats and changed the election process to favor Democrats.

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The truth is that they could find ways to rein in the California Coastal Commission, CARB or any other government agency if they wanted. They just don’t want to, even as they campaign across the country calling for democracy.

At a rally for Harris this week in Detroit, rapper Eminem said: “I also think that people shouldn’t be afraid to express their opinions, and I don’t think anyone wants an America where people are worried about retribution of what people will do if you make your opinion known.”

Eminem was talking about Harris’s opponent, Trump. But neither Eminem nor Harris seemed to appreciate the irony that what they were campaigning against was precisely what was happening in Harris’s backyard.

If Harris is serious about protecting Americans from an oppressive government that retaliates against its political opponents and if Newsom and Democrats in the Legislature want to back her up, then they should all start by cleaning up the California Coastal Commission.

Matt Fleming is an opinion columnist for the Southern California News Group. Follow him on X @FlemingWords

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Thursday, Oct. 24

• October 25, 2024

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Scores and stats from Orange County games on Thursday, Oct. 24

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to the Register.

The deadline for submitting information is 10:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 p.m. Saturday.

THURSDAY’S SCORES

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

CIF-SS PLAYOFFS

DIVISION 4

Round 1

Sonora def. Culver City, 25-23, 25-20, 25-23

El Dorado def. San Dimas, 25-10, 25-19, 25-22

Sage Hill def. Linfield Christian, 3-1

Glendale def. Portola, 25-23, 26-24, 25-20

DIVISION 5

Round 1

La Habra def. Troy, 3-0

Moorpark def. Pacifica Christian, 25-27, 25-16, 25-18, 25-16

PC: Roberson 36 assists. Wondercheck 19 kills, 5 blocks. Rieke 5 aces. Leepert 17 digs.

DIVISION 6

Round 1

Crossroads def. Pacifica, 3-0

Diamond Bar def. Samueli Academy, 25-19, 25-18, 25-14

DIVISION 7

Round 1

Laguna Beach def. Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary, 25-10, 25-21, 25-11

Godinez def. Nordhoff, 25-13, 25-17, 25-15

St. Paul def. Rancho Alamitos, 3-0

DIVISION 8

Round 1

Katella def. Estancia, 25-15, 25-23, 14-25, 25-14

La Quinta def. Big Bear, 25-13, 26-24, 25-17

Granite Hills def. Western, 3-0

DIVISION 9

Round 1

Calvary Chapel/Downey def. Bolsa Grande, 3-0

Glenn def. Santiago, 3-1

DIVISION 10

Round 1

Magnolia Science Academy def. Eastside Christian, 3-0

GIRLS TENNIS

TRINITY LEAGUE

Mater Dei 9, Orange Lutheran 9 (MD wins on games, 74-73)

SUNSET LEAGUE

Fountain Valley 17, Edison 1

Huntington Beach 13, Marina 5

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

St. Margaret’s 10, Laguna Beach 8

COAST LEAGUE

La Quinta 14, Western 4

Century 13, Bolsa Grande 5

CRESTVIEW LEAGUE

Yorba Linda 11, Crean Lutheran 7

EMPIRE LEAGUE

Valencia 17, Laguna Hills 1

GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE

Katella 13, Kennedy 5

NORTH HILLS LEAGUE

La Habra 11, Sonora 7

ORANGE LEAGUE

Orange 15, Santa Ana Valley 3

Savanna 15, Loara 3

OLYMPIC LEAGUE

Village Christian 16, Whittier Christian 2

NONLEAGUE

Whitney 11, Los Alamitos 7

​ Orange County Register 

Alyssa Thompson scores her 1st USWNT goal in victory over Iceland

• October 25, 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — Alyssa Thompson scored her first goal for the United States, Jaedyn Shaw provided the go-ahead goal in the 85th minute, and the Americans beat Iceland, 3-1, in an exhibition match on Thursday night.

Sophia Smith also scored for the U.S. in its first game since winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics this summer under new coach Emma Hayes.

The 19-year-old Thompson, the Harvard-Westlake product who was left off the Olympic roster, made her third start for the U.S. She has scored five goals in her last eight games for Angel City FC of the National Women’s Soccer League.

Thompson whipped the ball across the face of Iceland’s goal and into the far upper corner in the 39th minute.

“Coming onto the field and wearing in the jersey in the beginning, I was like, this is surreal,” Thompson said. “And being able to get my first goal, I just can’t describe how I feel. I’m just so happy.”

Iceland tied it on Selma Sol Magnusdottir’s goal from distance in the 56th minute. It was the midfielder’s fifth international goal and it was just the third goal allowed by the U.S. in 11 matches under Hayes, who took over in May.

Shaw’s goal went between the legs of Iceland goalkeeper Telma Ivarsdottir. Smith scored from distance about three minutes later.

Smith had been hampered since the Olympics by an ankle injury that has sidelined her with her NWSL club, the Portland Thorns.

“I’ve obviously been dealing a little bit of an injury coming off the Olympics so honestly the thing that felt the best was just being out on the field with my friends again and representing this country,” Smith said. “But obviously the goal on top makes it feel extra special.”

Shaw, who like Smith came into the game in the second half, went to Paris with the United States but didn’t play because of a muscle injury.

“It was a really tough month for me, but it was also the best month of my life, and I learned a lot from it,” Shaw said of the Olympics. “It just made me hungrier to come back and produce the same, if not more.”

The starting lineup included six players who faced Brazil in the gold medal match in Paris. Defender Emily Sonnett started in her 100th national team appearance.

Yazmeen Ryan made her first appearance for the U.S., entering as a second-half sub.

The U.S. and Iceland will play another exhibition on Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee. The Americans will then face Argentina in Louisville, Kentucky, next Wednesday.

Trinity Rodman will miss the three matches while she recovers from a back injury. Crystal Dunn was left off the roster because of a personal commitment.

The U.S. will finish out the year with a trip to Europe, playing England at Wembley Stadium on Nov. 30 and the Netherlands in the Hague on Dec. 3.

​ Orange County Register 

Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua spark Rams’ offense to victory over Vikings

• October 25, 2024

INGLEWOOD — Team introductions had a different kind of energy ahead of the Rams’ game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.

Puka Nacua, making a surprise return after missing five games, was all smiles as he ran onto the field, ready to play football again. He was followed by Cooper Kupp, typically stoic as he prepared to play for the first time since Week 2, but greeted with a little extra enthusiasm by an angsty fan base in the wake of trade rumors surrounding the former Super Bowl MVP. And then finally Matthew Stafford, pounding his chest and leaping in in the air as he took the field behind his two favorite targets.

And, for a night at least, everything was right with the Rams’ offense. The screen game to Nacua, in full effect. Running lanes for Kyren Williams, open. A first-quarter touchdown, scored for the first time this season. Kupp in motion, pulling defenses in different directions. Four touchdown passes, thrown by Stafford after three in the first six games.

And that was what the Rams needed to overcome one of the NFL’s top defenses, beating the Vikings, 30-20.

In their returns to the field, Nacua finished with seven catches for 106 yards while Kupp added five for 51.

On their first two drives of the game, the offense looked like the offense the Rams (3-4) imagined when they planned for the 2024 season. Offensive linemen pulled outside to block for Nacua screens, as Kupp pulled defenses in the wrong direction with motion. Williams gashed defenses that had to account for the two big-name receivers.

The Rams got some help from third-down penalties on the Vikings’ defense to keep drives alive. But they scored on both their first possessions. Williams was able to slip out of the backfield for a touchdown catch, while on the second drive Stafford ducked under a sack attempt to extend the play and find a sliding Kupp for a touchdown.

After the first score, the first first-quarter touchdown allowed by the Vikings (5-2) this season, Stafford took a long look at the Rams’ sideline before running to the end zone to celebrate. It was game on.

The Rams needed that offensive fire, because the Vikings were just as in-sync on their first two possessions. The offensive line erased the Rams’ pass rush, and receiver Justin Jefferson was able to get open at will.

It took eight and 10 plays, respectively, for the Vikings to drive 70 yards on each of those first two drives, both ending in touchdowns to the flat to Josh Oliver and Trent Sherfield Sr. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed his first eight passes for 97 yards.

The Rams’ defense began to calm down from there. Rookie Jared Verse spooked Darnold into a third-down throwaway, then bull rushed through the tight end on the first play of the next drive to sack Darnold for a 10-yard loss. The play, which Verse celebrated by doing the Vikings’ overhead “Skol” clap, set the Vikings back and led to a punt.

Meanwhile, the Rams’ offense stalled in its own way, with the third and fourth offensive line penalties out of six in the game. Then Stafford threw his fourth interception in four weeks to open the second half.

The Vikings were able to take advantage, to a point. Jefferson gained 27 yards on a sideline catch he tipped to himself. But the receiver slipped coming out of his break on third-and-goal, and Minnesota settled for a field goal.

That opened a window for the Rams, and they took advantage. Eighteen- and 19-yard gains by Tutu Atwell and Nacua, respectively, were followed by an end zone shot to Demarcus Robinson streaking down the field. The cornerback in coverage was called for pass interference, but it didn’t matter, as Robinson came to the ground with the ball and the go-ahead touchdown.

The Vikings again stalled in the red zone through their own mistakes. Darnold was able to escape a blitz and draw in the Rams’ linebackers, creating an opening for Jalen Nailor. But the third-down pass bounced off Nailor’s hands, and again the Vikings kicked a field goal.

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That gave the Rams the ball back with 12:47 to play and a one-point lead. And Stafford went back to work, completing passes to Blake Corum and Hunter Long – the eighth and ninth targets to make catches on Thursday – to complete first downs. Then facing fourth-and-inches, Nacua set the edge against a linebacker to spring a first-down run by Williams.

All Stafford needed was a clean pocket and good misdirection route by Robinson, who got open in the corner of the end zone for his second touchdown of the night. Robinson chucked the ball into the crowd of 72,127 and Stafford (279 yards passing) stuck his tongue out at the Rams’ sideline as they secured an eight-point lead.

Another Verse sack, with some help from Michael Hoecht, stalled another Minnesota drive and gave the Rams the ball back with 4:11 to play. On third down and the Vikings bleeding timeouts, Stafford found Kupp down the sideline for a 27-yard conversion. But a screen to the veteran receiver on third-and-12 only gained 8 yards.

The Rams had to punt, but Ethan Evans pinned Minnesota at its own 5-yard line. Two plays later, Byron Young sacked Darnold in the end zone, getting away with a facemask penalty to secure the win.

​ Orange County Register