The Sports Report: Miller Moss puts on a show during USC Holiday Bowl win
Howdy, I’m your host, Iliana Limón Romero, filling in for Houston Mitchell, who probably is rewatching holiday episodes of “The West Wing.” Let’s get right to the news.
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: The wait was worth it.
After toiling in the background for three seasons, dutifully working his way up from third-string while transfers came and went at his position, USC quarterback Miller Moss shined in his first career start, throwing for 372 yards and six touchdowns on 23-of-33 passing in USC’s 42-28 victory over No. 15 Louisville in the Holiday Bowl on Wednesday at Petco Park.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
The redshirt sophomore’s touchdowns were the most ever thrown by a USC quarterback in his debut. As the final seconds ticked off, a parade of teammates enveloped Moss in celebratory slaps and hugs.
One hug wasn’t enough for Caleb Williams. The Heisman Trophy winner who watched the game from the sideline after opting out of the bowl game, wrapped Moss in a long embrace and when the signal-callers broke and slapped hands twice, Williams pulled him in again.
Williams’ arrival two seasons ago kept Moss hidden in the shadows. But the Bishop Alemany alumnus stuck with his childhood team. Even when the previous coaches recruited other players at his position in high school, when Lincoln Riley came and when Williams followed, Moss stayed. On Wednesday, he got to savor his decision and celebrate the power of the program he long believed in.
“It’s a good, positive moment,” said Moss, who was named the Holiday Bowl’s offensive most valuable player. “I still think more so for the team than for me personally. These six weeks weren’t about any individual, they were about us and the people that wanted to be here and wanted to play this game and wanted to come together.”
Dodgers
From Mike DiGiovanna: The Dodgers unveiled yet another Tokyo giant on Wednesday, officially adding highly touted Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto to a $1.025-billion Pacific Rim portfolio that is anchored by two-way star Shohei Ohtani.
Yamamoto’s introductory news conference in Dodger Stadium resembled the one announcing Ohtani’s 10-year, $700-million deal two weeks ago with about 100 media members in attendance — Ohtani had 300 — and fans watching Yamamoto don his blue-and-white No.18 Dodgers jersey on live television in the U.S. and Japan.
The blockbuster deal continued what manager Dave Roberts called a “monumental offseason,” the Dodgers signing Ohtani to a record contract, acquiring Tyler Glasnow from Tampa Bay and signing the veteran right-hander to a five-year, $136.5-million extension and signing the 25-year-old Yamamoto to a 12-year, $325-million deal.
CHARGERS
From Jeff Miller: In a Chargers season that’s going nowhere, he is — as a professional athlete — traveling there in a rather unlikely way.
On a bicycle.
CJ Okoye doesn’t have a car. Or a driver’s license. He never even has operated a motor vehicle.
He does have an electric bike, however, that he has ridden all season to get to his job as a Chargers defensive lineman.
“I’ve seen him zooming through the building on it a couple times,” linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. said. “It’s like, ‘Damn, CJ!’ ”
LAKERS
From Broderick Turner: Lakers guard Gabe Vincent, the team’s top free-agent acquisition during the summer, had successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Wednesday. The Lakers announced that he will be reevaluated by team doctors in approximately eight weeks.
The Lakers signed Vincent to a three-year contract worth $33 million during the offseason, viewing him as a top priority to help their backcourt.
But an issue with the knee has kept Vincent, 27, from being able to contribute much. He’s played just five games, averaging 5.4 points on 37.5% shooting and just 11.8% on three-pointers, with 3.0 assists in 25.4 minutes per game.
HIGH SCHOOLS
From Eric Sondheimer: Theo Ottosson is the reigning Mission League player of the year in soccer from Harvard-Westlake. The only problem is finding space at home for his award.
His parents have way more trophies.
His dad, Paul, has won three Academy Awards for sound editing and sound design, including for the 2008 movie “The Hurt Locker.” His mother, Karen, is one of the world’s most accomplished musicians playing the erhu, a Chinese two-stringed instrument. As a boy, Ottosson used to travel to Europe and Asia watching his mother give concerts.
Ottosson, 16, is just getting started earning trophies and plaques. He’s a 6-foot-1, 160-pound junior striker who scored 26 goals as a sophomore in leading Harvard-Westlake to the Mission League championship. In his second game this season, he scored four goals. His coach, Mike Erush, said, “He wants to play at the highest level possible.”
During an afternoon when school was out, Ottosson showed up to practice after taking a driver education class and also checked on his fantasy football team that includes Patrick Mahomes at quarterback and Ja’Marr Chase at receiver. Knowing football and fútbol is just one interesting aspect of his personality.
BOWL SCHEDULE
All times Pacific
Wednesday’s results
Military Bowl
Virginia Tech 41, Tulane 20
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
West Virginia 30, North Carolina 10
Holiday Bowl
USC 42, No. 16 Louisville 28
Texas Bowl
No. 20 Oklahoma State 31, Texas A&M 23
Thursday’s games
Fenway Bowl
8 a.m., ESPN
No. 24 SMU vs. Boston College
Pinstripe Bowl
11:15 a.m., ESPN
Miami vs. Rutgers
Pop-Tarts Bowl
2:45 p.m., ESPN
NC State vs. Kansas State
Alamo Bowl
6:15 p.m., ESPN
No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Arizona
Friday
Gator Bowl
9 a.m., ESPN
No. 22 Clemson vs. Kentucky
Sun Bowl
11 a.m., CBS
No. 19 Oregon State vs. No. 16 Notre Dame
Liberty Bowl
12:30 p.m., ESPN
Iowa State vs. Memphis
Cotton Bowl
5 p.m., ESPN
No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Missouri
Saturday
Peach Bowl
9 a.m., ESPN
No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 11 Ole Miss
Music City Bowl
11 a.m., ABC
Auburn vs. Maryland
Orange Bowl
1 p.m., ESPN
No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 6 Georgia
Arizona Bowl
1:30 p.m., The CW
Toledo vs. Wyoming
Monday
ReliaQuest Bowl
9 a.m., ESPN2
No. 13 LSU vs. Wisconsin
Citrus Bowl
9 a.m., ABC
No. 17 Iowa vs. No. 21 Tennessee
Fiesta Bowl
9 a.m., ESPN
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 23 Liberty
Rose Bowl
2 p.m., ESPN
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama
Sugar Bowl
5:45 p.m., ESPN
No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas
Monday, Jan. 8
1:30 p.m., ESPN
College Football Playoff National Championship Game
THIS DATE IN SPORTS
1944 — Maurice Richard has five goals and three assists to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 9-1 rout of the Detroit Red Wings.
1947 — The Chicago Cardinals behind Elmer Angsman’s two 70-yard scores and Charlie Trippi’s 44-yard TD run and 75-yard punt return beat the Philadelphia Eagles 28-21 for the NFL title on a frozen Comiskey Park field.
1952 — Doak Walker’s 67-yard third-quarter touchdown run leads the Detroit Lions to a 17-7 victory over the Cleveland Browns for the NFL championship.
1954 — Tony Trabert and Vic Seixas give the United States a 3-2 victory over Australia for the Davis Cup.
1958 — The Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants 23-17 in overtime to win the NFL championship at Yankee Stadium. Quarterback Johnny Unitas takes the Colts 80 yards in 13 plays, the last a one-yard carry by Alan Ameche at 8:15 of sudden death overtime. The regulation game ends 17-17 when Baltimore’s Steve Myhra kicks a 20-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in the game. The game is widely known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” With a national television audience watching, this game is believed to have made the NFL a challenger to baseball as the national pastime.
1968 — Arthur Ashe leads the United States to its first Davis Cup title since 1963 with a 4-1 victory over Australia.
1975 — The Dallas Cowboys beat the Minnesota Viking 17-14 on Roger Staubach’s desperate 50-yard pass to Drew Pearson in the final minute of an NFC Divisional playoff game. Staubach connects with Pearson down the right sideline with 24 seconds remaining after the Cowboys had second-and-10 with no timeouts left. Staubach later tells reporters he got knocked down on the play, closed his eyes and said a Hail Mary. The term “Hail Mary” is born.
1988 — Division II Alaska-Anchorage, behind Michael Johnson’s 20 points, pulls the biggest surprise of the college basketball season by stunning No. 2 Michigan 70-66 in the opening round of the Utah Classic.
2000 — Robby Portalatin becomes the fourth bowler to roll a 900 series according to the American Bowling Congress. Portalatin, a 28-year-old worker for an auto parts company, accomplishes the feat at Airport Lanes in Jackson, Mich.
2003 — Jamal Lewis becomes the fifth player in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a season. He gained 114 yards on 27 carries in Baltimore’s 13-10 overtime victory against Pittsburgh, finishing the year with 2,066 yards — second-most in NFL history.
2003 — San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson rushes for a career-high 243 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-14 win over Oakland. Tomlinson also becomes the first halfback in NFL history to catch 100 passes.
2008 — The Detroit Lions lose to the Green Bay Packers 31-21, making them the first team to go winless through a 16-game season.
2008 — The New England Patriots become the NFL’s first team with an 11-5 record to miss the playoffs since Denver in 1985 and the first since the NFL expanded to six playoff teams per conference in 1990.
2008 — The Cleveland Browns lose to Pittsburgh 31-0, setting an NFL record by failing to score a touchdown for six straight games.
2015 — Keenan Reynolds wraps up his record-setting college career at Navy in spectacular fashion, running for three touchdowns and throwing for another to lead the Midshipmen past Pittsburgh 44-28 in the Military Bowl. Navy (11-2) sets a record for wins in a season and Reynolds finishes as the NCAA career leader with 88 touchdowns and 530 points. His 4,559 yards rushing are the most by a quarterback in NCAA history.
2018 — UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes of Brazil moves up in weight and KOs dominant featherweight Cris “Cyborg” Justino just 51 seconds into the opening round at the Forum, Inglewood, CA; first female to win UFC titles in multiple weight classes.
Compiled by the Associated Press
And finally
Watch USC coach Lincoln Riley get doused in eggnog to celebrate the Trojans’ Holiday Bowl win over Louisville.
Until next time...
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
