Rams CB Josh Wallace using short-term memory as he steps into big role

• October 1, 2026

LOS ANGELES — In the second half of the Rams’ game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday night, cornerback Josh Wallace approached defensive coordinator Chris Shula.

Wallace was frustrated with himself. He had just missed a tackle for loss on receiver Jaylen Waddle, then was called for pass interference. But he was determined to put those moments behind him, and soon after delivering a quick message to Shula, he did just that with an interception.

“He came back to me after a couple of those plays and said, ‘Hey, I owe you one,’” Shula said. “And then he comes out and gets the pick and says, ‘I told you, Coach.’ He’s unfazed, he’s extremely smart, he’s a true professional.”

Much of the attention directed at Wallace in the aftermath of Sunday’s game was due to the pivotal second pass interference call that went against him, one in which he fought for position on an interception only for the Broncos’ game-winning drive to be extended.

The Rams requested an explanation from the NFL on the ruling, and were told that the play should not have been flagged, head coach Sean McVay said on Wednesday. But Wallace said Thursday he didn’t need that for any kind of closure.

“I kind of moved on after we watched it,” Wallace said. “You really can’t do nothing about it.”

Lost in the controversy was that Wallace actually had a really strong performance against the Broncos after he put those mistakes behind him. He was physical at the line of scrimmage and stayed with his covers, forcing quarterback Bo Nix to make difficult throws.

“Stud. Just complete football player, I thought he played awesome,” Shula said. “Couldn’t say enough good things about Josh Wallace. He comes in, he competes, he can move around, play different spots.”

The Rams (1-2) will likely need a bigger dose of Wallace the next couple of weeks. Outside corner Jaylen Watson left Sunday’s game with a dislocated shoulder. While he won’t be put on injured reserve, Watson won’t play this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles (2-1).

So the Rams will need to call on Wallace to play outside corner in Watson’s absence. It’s a position Wallace played in college, though he has largely focused on safety and nickel corner in his two-plus years with the Rams.

“It’s really just doing my job at the end of the day. All of us are able to play multiple positions,” Wallace said. “We gotta do our job and make plays when they come.”

One of the benefits of bringing Watson in during the offseason was that it allowed the Rams to tap into All-Pro Trent McDuffie’s versatility and ability to line up at outside corner or in the slot, shuffling the secondary around depending on matchups.

While Shula acknowledged that injuries always lead to some level of reevaluation of rotations and responsibilities, he insisted that the Rams still feel like they can play McDuffie in the slot in Watson’s absence.

“Luckily we got two guys that we feel with [Emmanuel Forbes] and with Josh that can come in and kind of fill those [outside] roles,” Shula said. “We don’t see it as a limitation at all of what we can do with Trent.”

Forbes, however, had a difficult night against the Broncos. He was knocked to the ground on a screen pass that led to a touchdown, not to mention penalties on defense and special teams.

“The competitive stamina to keep competing,” Shula said when asked what the coaching points were for Forbes coming out of Sunday. “We’re just keeping work with him and we trust in him and expect him to go out and make plays.”

INJURY REPORT

Wide receiver Puka Nacua (groin) was a limited participant in practice on Thursday after limited participation on Wednesday. But Nacua said he felt like he had no limitations after practice.

“I’m taking it one day at a time,” Nacua said when asked if would play against the Eagles. “But I felt great.”

Offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase said he was encouraged by what he saw from Nacua – who has missed the past two games – on Wednesday, particularly when he twisted to catch a pass from assistant wide receivers coach Rob Calabrese that went behind him during individual drills.

“He had to pirouette to make the play. You know, Rob Calabrese is usually a pretty accurate guy so I don’t know if he was testing him,” Scheelhaase joked. “But I did think he looked good, progressing along.”

​ Orange County Register 

Rubio waives human rights restrictions to release $320 million in military aid to Egypt

• October 1, 2026

By MICHELLE L. PRICE and MATTHEW LEE

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio has waived a restriction on $320 million in military aid to Egypt that had been previously withheld over human rights concerns, citing Egypt’s help in dealing with Iran since the conflict began earlier this year.

The State Department said Thursday that Rubio had signed off on the waiver “in the interest of U.S. national security.”

“The Secretary’s determination reflects the importance of Egypt to U.S. national security interests, and the concrete security cooperation Egypt provides to the United States,” the department said.

In a letter sent to lawmakers whose contents were shared with The Associated Press, Rubio cited, in particular, Egypt’s “helpful role” in the war with Iran. Egypt has been a key mediator between the U.S. and Iran in the efforts to wind down the more than seven-month-long conflict.

The State Department maintained that the Trump administration would continue to raise human rights matters as part of its dialogue with Egypt “on the full range of issues in our bilateral relationship.”

“The waiver determination recognizes the importance of maintaining security cooperation with Egypt at a time of significant regional security challenges,” the department said.

The $320 million is part of an annual U.S. contribution of $1.3 billion in economic and military assistance to Egypt. Specifically, it is for foreign military financing, which provides money for recipient nations to purchase U.S.-produced weaponry.

Congress inserted the requirement over concerns about Egypt’s human rights record, which many experts regard as problematic. The State Department itself in recent years has pointed to credible reports of torture, arbitrary arrest, child labor and restrictions on expression.

But granting a waiver to Egypt has become routine for both Republican and Democratic administrations.

The Biden administration, for example, last issued a waiver in September 2024, citing Egypt’s assistance in U.S. efforts to bring an end to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

​ Orange County Register 

USC football braces for Washington without Desman Stephens

• October 1, 2026

USC’s defense was shell-shocked without middle linebacker Desman Stephens II.

Stephens was disqualified from the Oregon game in the second quarter due to a targeting call after delivering a punishing hit on sliding Ducks quarterback Dante Moore.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound junior celebrated as Moore remained down on the field for several minutes and was carted off and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was diagnosed with a concussion. USC went on to lose the game 41-27.

The Trojans’ defense scrambled to recover without one of its leaders, and someone who has often worn the green dot on his helmet that signifies in-helmet communication with defensive coordinator Gary Patterson on the sideline.

“That was kind of a little bit of an overlooked piece of the Oregon game,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley told reporters on a Thursday Zoom call.

“Losing him for the rest of that game was definitely a challenge,” he said. “You’ve always got to be ready for it, but when it happens in-game with one of your better players and one of your leaders – you’ve got to be able to adjust.”

The No. 18 Trojans (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) will again be without Stephens for Saturday’s game against Washington (3-1, 1-1) due to a one-game suspension issued by USC, and have been preparing throughout the week for his absence.

Riley credited linebackers coach Mike Ekeler and outside linebackers coach AJ Howard for preparing the position group for what could be a much-needed bounce-back win against the Huskies, who are coming off a 27-24 loss to Minnesota.

“I think they’ve got a good plan together,” Riley said. “Our guys know the rotations. They know who’s going to be playing, they know the subs. I feel like we’ve got a good plan together and having the whole week to know that (Stephens is out), I think the clarity has been very helpful for us throughout the week.”

Stephens is the team’s third-leading tackler with 19 total tackles in addition to 1.5 tackles for loss, half a sack and a pass breakup.

USC will still have Deven Bryant at linebacker, whose 27 tackles rank first on the team. The next most productive linebacker, statistically, is Jadyn Walker, who has 10 tackles.

The defense will be up against Washington’s Demond Williams. The undersized but powerful, dual-threat quarterback’s 1,129 passing yards are fourth in the Big Ten. His strong and compact 5-foot-11 frame has allowed him to escape high-pressure situations and run for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s a great quarterback but, really, the main focus is staying on us,” Trojans defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart said. “Us just playing good as one as a D-line. Us controlling rush lanes. He’s a great runner, he’s a fast quarterback, and he’s not that tall, so it’ll be hard to take him down.”

​ Orange County Register 

A 21-year-old Fortnite pro gives out computers to young gamers and plans for more through a new fund

• October 1, 2026

By JAMES POLLARD

NEW YORK (AP) — After dropping out in eighth grade to pursue esports, Cody Conrod wants to help others enter the increasingly expensive world of professional gaming.

The 21-year-old competitive Fortnite player, better known as Clix to his more than 8 million Twitch followers, already provides hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gaming equipment through an annual holiday giveaway. Through his new holding company, launched Thursday, he is formalizing those efforts into the Dr3amin Access Fund.

Fortnite, one of the world’s most popular video games, features last-one-standing showdowns where players hunt down each other’s customizable avatars across an ever-shrinking map. Content creators have found loyal audiences by live streaming their exploits on platforms such as Twitch, the livestreaming platform owned by Amazon, and clipping the most eye-catching segments into viral short-form videos.

But the equipment needed to compete at higher levels is pricey — and getting pricier. The massive data center buildout has pushed up the costs of computers, graphics processors and memory chips. Conrod recommends a setup that can handle at least 120 frames per second for a GPU-intensive game such as Fortnite. And even sub-$500, entry-level PCs are becoming scarcer, according to Joost van Dreunen, a longtime games industry researcher and adjunct assistant professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

“Anybody who is starting up early in their career, anybody who is building their first PC, is having an increasingly difficult time finding hardware and components for it,” he said.

Conrod understands the squeeze. His parents couldn’t afford a “crazy gaming computer” when he started playing when he was five. As Fortnite took the gaming world by storm, with publisher Epic Games offering $100 million tournament prizes, Conrod said he had to make do with a “worst of the worst” computer running 30 frames per second.

After months spent begging his parents to help buy a roughly $1,600 computer, Conrod said, his dad wrote up a contract: the teenager would have three months to pay him back by working for his plumbing company throughout the summer.

Conrod ultimately needed just two weeks’ worth of Fortnite earnings to honor the deal.

“If I never had that PC, if I never had access to that computer, this career — this setup that you see — would not be a thing,” Conrod said, speaking from his Dallas bedroom where he streams to thousands of viewers for hours at a time.

By age 14, it was time for another conversation. He’d made nearly $200,000 through the Fortnite World Cup and felt he couldn’t balance classes with his career. Waking up for middle school at 6 a.m. to then compete in tournaments at 6 p.m. left him exhausted. “You can’t be tired when you’re playing,” he explained. Reaction times, he said, have to be “crisp.” After some hesitation, his parents agreed to let him go all-in on competitive gaming.

Esports is still a place where it’s “very hard to make a living,” according to van Dreunen. The real money is clustered at the top, he said, and there’s no “healthy” talent ecosystem. There’s also the stigma — many people still don’t view competitive gaming as a legitimate career, both he and Conrod emphasized.

Conrod hopes that by lifting the financial burden of buying a computer, he can get more parents to let their children test the professional limits of their hobby. “They also have to get good grades if they’re in school,” he added, noting that he made the “still delusional but a little less delusional” move to drop out only when he’d won “a good amount of money.”

Full Box Inc., his new holding company, is inspired by MrBeast’s sprawling media empire, which houses the YouTube megastar’s food brands, production company and philanthropy. Full Box Inc. encompasses Clix’s clothing brand, clipping agency and game studio, among other endeavors.

He’s still figuring out the funding model for the Dr3amin Access Fund. Some proceeds from his clothing brand will support the initiative. Other brands will have the opportunity to donate during his end-of-year giveaway, Clixmas. And he’ll give some, too; last year he said he personally contributed about $100,000 as Clixmas gave away five custom PCs daily throughout the month of December.

Conrod got some proof of concept this past weekend. His team took fourth place — and $120,000 — among 50 duos at the Fortnite Global Championship in Belgium. Among his competitors was a gamer known online as Joshreyli. They’d met two years ago during the first-ever Clixmas when Conrod challenged his audience to eliminate him during a one-on-one match in exchange for a computer. Josh won, got the PC and has since earned six figures as a pro, according to Conrod.

“It’s like a full-circle moment of what helps me want to do more stuff like this,” Conrod said. “Those stories fire me up.”

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

​ Orange County Register 

Déjà vu? Different team, same problems for Lincoln Riley at USC

• October 1, 2026

Life keeps interrupting USC’s dream of a College Football Playoff appearance. Or, at least, its defense does.

The CFP remains a dream in the purest sense, nebulous and unattainable. The Week 4 loss to Oregon was the latest obstacle to the Trojans’ success — a missed opportunity for a signature win that could have snapped what was then a four-game losing streak to their West Coast rival.

USC lost the game 41-27 and allowed 504 yards of offense without forcing a turnover or getting a sack.

Last season’s Oregon game was a CFP eliminator. This year’s matchup was a chance for the Trojans to potentially knock the Ducks out of the playoffs while also providing a strong indicator as to how the rest of the season will go.

We looked at data from five different statistical and analytical websites to separate dream from reality, starting with ESPN’s FPI projection that USC has just a 9.1% chance of making the CFP with Saturday’s game against Washington on the horizon.

This offense is as advertised

Riley has been labeled an offensive mastermind by the college football world, and that’s largely proven true this season.

ESPN analytics ranks the Trojans seventh in the FBS in terms of offensive efficiency, and Pro Football Focus lists them as having the fourth-best offense in the FBS.

They outperform the national average in almost every offensive category, according to Hudl IQ analytics. The offense gains 9.3 net yards per pass versus the national average of 6.9 yards and the offensive line holds a 2.8% sack percentage compared to the 5.4% average of other teams.

“Teams fall apart,” quarterback Jayden Maiava told reporters, “but this team is such a tight team that we all bought into each other, and we’re all playing for each other out there. I’ve never seen a team as tight as this team.”

Maiava sets the tone for the offense and is having the best season of his career as a potential second-round NFL Draft pick. He currently leads the FBS in passing yards (1,499) and is tied for first in passing touchdowns (14).

His leadership and on-field performance, which has been influenced by an intense offseason, have the offense performing at a high enough rate to compensate for a lackluster defense. How long that style of play will be effective remains to be seen, especially with tough Big Ten competition still on the schedule.

The defense is underperforming

USC’s defense is average, at best, when compared to the rest of the FBS. It falls short of or is in line with the national average in almost every category.

The Trojans’ defensive efficiency is slotted 116th out of 138 teams in ESPN’s rankings, and Pro Football Focus holds the defense slightly higher at 97th. The tackling, in particular, is concerning and is fifth-worst in the FBS, according to PFF.

NCAA rules limit the number of live periods that a team can have during the season, but players have said that tackling drills are still an emphasis during practice and individual periods.

“It’s a mentality,” cornerback Jontez Williams said. “When we get out there, we’re acting like it’s a person and we’re taking it to the ground.”

The defense is weak in a variety of areas: against the run, in coverage, and it is struggling to get to the quarterback and force turnovers. The Trojans have recorded eight sacks and three interceptions in five games.

The secondary has fallen to the bottom of the Big Ten, statistically, at 14th out of 18 teams with 12 passes defended and nine pass breakups.

Injuries have added to the defensive inconsistency. Defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart finally got back into the lineup against Oregon, only for Alex VanSumeren, another d-tackle, to leave the game early due to injury.

Wednesday’s Big Ten availability report lists both Stewart and VanSumeren as “questionable” for Saturday’s game against Washington. Safety Alex Graham, who has been valuable at nickel this season, is also questionable.

Lincoln Riley déjà vu

The stuggles on defense in big games during Riley’s tenure at USC are similar to what Oklahoma experienced under his guidance. Riley has cycled through three different defensive coordinators in four seasons, but the results haven’t changed.

Riley is 5-15 against ranked teams at USC and 2-6 against ranked Big Ten teams in the last two seasons. Not a great return on investment, considering his $11.5 million annual salary.

The 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons were some of the Sooners’ lowest defensive periods, and also demonstrated a similar imbalance between offense and defense to what USC is now experiencing.

Oklahoma reached the 2018 Rose Bowl semifinal, only to fall 54-48 in double overtime to Georgia. The Sooners gave up 527 total yards of offense and had even led the Bulldogs 31-17 at one point while quarterback Baker Mayfield passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns in the game.

The next season, OU allowed 40+ points in four straight games — all wins — against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas and West Virginia in 2018. The offense performed well enough to get the Sooners a Big 12 championship win. With an opportunity in the CFP semifinal vs. No. 1 Alabama, the Sooner lost 45-34, allowing 528 yards.

In 2019, Oklahoma had a defensive letdown for its only regular season loss, falling 48-41 to an unranked Kansas State team that collected 426 yards of offense to upset Oklahoma. The Sooners bounced back and had another opportunity in the CFP semifinals, but No. 4 Oklahoma gave up a stunning 693 yards against No. 1 LSU in a 63-28 Peach Bowl loss.

Riley’s hasn’t figured out a way to deliver a big defensive breakthrough performance in a big game for USC, but should have more chances ahead against a tough schedule.

“We felt like we let one get away the other day (against Oregon),” Riley said. “I don’t think there’s a team we’re going to play this year that we’re going to walk out there and not believe we’re going to win. You’ve got to have that first, and when you have that, the breakthrough wins are coming.”

​ Orange County Register 

Lakers hire Derrin Horton as Lawrence Tanter’s successor as PA announcer

• October 1, 2026

EL SEGUNDO — Lawrence Tanter’s voice bellowed over one of the most memorable moments of Derrin Horton’s life.

Walking into their wedding reception, Horton and his wife, Elise, heard the words of their vows turning official straight from the iconic-baritone voice of the Lakers’ longtime public address announcer.

“‘For the very first time, Mr. Derrin and Elise Horton!’” Tanter announced in a recording he had sent in specially for the longtime KTLA sports anchor.

“It was so special to me,” Horton said.

Horton is now taking up the mantle that Tanter – who died last week after retiring from his role with the Lakers in June – immortalized at Lakers games for 43 years. Horton, a seven-time Emmy Award winner with more than 35 years of broadcasting experience, has been hired as the Lakers’ new public address announcer, the team announced on Thursday afternoon.

“It’s a dream,” Horton said Thursday, speaking with local media for the first time since taking over for Tanter. “I mean, are you kidding me? The Lakers? …”

“When I heard about LT and the opportunity here, I reached out and I had a chance to communicate with LT. He was such a legend, and I considered him to be a friend. So now to be here, obviously, there’s no way you can fill his shoes, and so you just come here with a passion and a goal to be informative and entertaining and be a part of ‘Showtime’.”

It’s been a long time coming for Horton, who spent 15 years as the sports anchor at KTLA during a sports broadcasting and voiceover career that’s taken him across the country since graduating from Syracuse in 1991. As a high schooler at Holy Cross in Flushing, New York, Horton wasn’t good enough, he said, to make the varsity basketball team.

So, instead, he stayed involved by grabbing the microphone. His first gig in broadcasting? Being the public address announcer of Holy Cross’ basketball games.

“To actually come back to the first passion that I ever had, and the Lakers?” Horton said. “Are you kidding me? Like, I mean, I still remember when I got that email, and it said, ‘Welcome to the Lakers,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, my god!’ You can’t act like it’s not a big deal.’”

Horton knows the expectations that come with the role Tanter once held. He said he’s been speaking with Chris Cunanan, the director of game entertainment for the Lakers, about tempering down his in-game voice because he’s entering the role as a longtime fan.

“I’ve been talking Lakers basketball in Los Angeles for 30 years,” Horton said. “(Fans) already kind of know where I’m coming from, but obviously this is a whole different assignment.”

During his audition process, Horton admitted that he was trying to emulate Tanter’s voice and cadence. Those were his instincts; it’s what Horton and Lakers fans around the world have known for so long.

Horton realized through the process that there’s no way to emulate Tanter.

Lakers president and chief business officer Lon Rosen – who was once part of the hiring process for Tanter – watched from the perch during Horton’s audition.

“Hey!” Rosen said to Horton. “Knock it off! I want to hear your voice.”

So, Horton let his natural voice out of the bag.

“That’s what I want,” Rosen responded to Horton’s natural cadence. “Just be yourself.”

Horton called Rosen’s response to his audition a special moment on the journey to landing a job that he made clear several times Thursday he considers a pinch-me accomplishment.

Horton said his focus is on the fundamentals and the simplification of being energetic and entertaining.

The rest, he said, will come over time.

“I’ll never be – nobody could be, who could be LT?” Horton said. “His legacy was built over five decades. I’m going to miss him. … I was hoping to talk to him before the first game and to get some thoughts from him, but, we’re going to miss him, and I hope I do him proud.”

AT THE BUZZER

The Lakers are hiring former NBA guard Pooh Jeter as their director of scouting as they continue to build out their front office, ESPN’s Andscape was first to report on Thursday morning.

Jeter most recently served as a player development coach with the Portland Trail Blazers and as an assistant general manager of Portland’s G League franchise, the Rip City Remix.

Just three weeks ago, the Lakers hired former Miami Heat executive Eric Amsler as an assistant GM to help run the team’s scouting department, the NBA draft process and player evaluation. Earlier in the offseason, the Lakers hired assistant GM Rohan Ramadas to focus on salary cap, analytics and data.

“The biggest change for us is probably Rohan and that side of things with data, strategy and analytics,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Wednesday. “There’s some cool stuff we’re rolling out for player development, some stuff that, frankly, we – Rob and I – envisioned two years ago and just didn’t have the manpower to do it. I think it’ll be really beneficial for the players.”

​ Orange County Register 

Chargers’ Mike McDaniel accepts blame for poor offense

• October 1, 2026

EL SEGUNDO — Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel actually played the blame game Thursday.

As in, he blamed himself for the Chargers’ sputtering, inconsistent offense.

“Responsibility, yeah, I’m fully responsible,” McDaniel said as part of a longer answer as to whether he feels accountable for the Chargers’ 0-3 record, quarterback Justin Herbert’s struggles and the offense’s general inability to meet preseason hopes or expectations, whether internal or external.

“Who else is going to lead the direction of the offense?” McDaniel asked.

In fact, there has been plenty of blame to go around, as McDaniel explained during his regularly scheduled Thursday question-and-answer session. After all, he’s not to blame for a series of avoidable penalties that sidetracked a promising possession to start the second half Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

The players who were penalized were to blame.

McDaniel wasn’t penalized for an illegal block in the back. Or a holding penalty. Or two false starts inside the 10-yard line. Instead of scoring a touchdown after they had a 1st-and-goal from the 3-yard line and then a 2nd-and-goal from the 1, the Chargers were forced to kick a field goal.

It also wasn’t McDaniel’s fault that Herbert threw an ill-advised pass intended for wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a 3rd-and-5 play from the Bills’ 23-yard line with the Chargers leading 13-10 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, after linebacker Daiyan Henley recovered a fumble at Buffalo’s 34.

It was the last of the Chargers’ five takeaways against the Bills.

And so it went during a 24-16 loss.

All that is in the past, according to McDaniel, but it’s also a prologue for what comes next, which is a date with the Super Bowl champion Seahawks on Sunday in Seattle. It’s simply not possible to forget where the Chargers are in the standings and what has sent them spiraling.

“Well, it’s the first time in my career, I think, that I can recall, to be plus-four (in turnovers) and lose,” McDaniel said. “How do I think we played? In my mind, it’s pretty clear. You want to be the reason to win, but we (the offense, including the players and coaches,) were the reason we lost the football game. You’ve got to pull your weight in this league.”

The Chargers’ latest defeat continued a troubling pattern. They failed to score more than two touchdowns for the third consecutive game. Herbert threw a 1-yard scoring pass to running back Keaton Mitchell and Cameron Dicker kicked three field goals to account for their scoring.

What’s more, Dicker’s 33-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining Sunday represented the Chargers’ first points in a fourth quarter this season. They were outscored 14-3 by the Bills in the fourth quarter, by 9-0 by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth in Week 2 and by 10-0 by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth in Week 1.

The Chargers’ oft-repeated mantra is, “You need to be your best when your best is needed.” But that’s been a bust so far during McDaniel’s marriage with Herbert, who has been quick to blame himself for the offense’s overall lack of production during the three losses.

Herbert said Wednesday he blamed himself for the false starts near the goal line Sunday in Buffalo, chalking it up to his own cadence, saying, “It’s just my fault.” He also accepted responsibility for trying to squeeze the pass between two defenders to get it to Valdes-Scantling near the goal line.

Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson intercepted it and returned it to the Bills’ 42.

“I just haven’t played well and need to play better,” said Herbert, who has completed 59.1% of his passes (well below his seven-season career completion percentage of 63.6%) for 627 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions this season.

Asked for his opinion of Herbert’s play, McDaniel said, “There’s good and bad. When you’re 0-3, it’s going to be hard to get a direct answer about how somebody’s played because I’m not going to absolve anybody from responsibility nor am I going to blame anybody. Collectively, we haven’t been good enough.”

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Anita consensus picks for Friday, Oct. 2, 2026

• October 1, 2026

The consensus box of Santa Anita horse racing picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Eddie Wilson, Kevin Modesti and Mark Ratzky. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Friday, October 2, 2026.

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​ Orange County Register