Sports
How a surprising corps of receivers helped UCLA's Ethan Garbers thrive
This doesn’t match the job description.
UCLA’s running backs have done most of their running after making catches.
T.J. Harden and Keegan Jones have both logged more receiving yards than rushing yards. Their touchdown total through the air has equaled theirs on the ground. Their longest receiving play of the season has gone for more than twice the yardage of their longest rushing play.
That’s just life for a Bruins running back in 2024, though they don’t seem to mind, almost considering it a perk of their responsibilities.
“It’s fun catching the ball out of the backfield,” said running back Jalen Berger, whose biggest play last weekend during the Bruins’ 35-32 victory over Rutgers came on a nine-yard touchdown catch, on Tuesday. “I feel like all three of us are versatile running backs and we just want to help out any way we can.”
They’ve done plenty just by blocking and serving as checkdown options for quarterback Ethan Garbers. Harden made a block that helped free Garbers for his 49-yard touchdown run — by far the team’s longest carry of the day — and the running backs combined to make three of the team’s four touchdown catches after the Scarlet Knights curiously refused to cover them out of the backfield.
UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers outruns a defender for a 49-yard touchdown against Rutgers.
(Ed Mulholland / Getty Images)
“We got the iPads on the sideline so [Garbers] could see that,” Berger said. “So every time we ran out the backfield, they never covered us so we were just wide open for touchdowns.”
Garbers was the biggest beneficiary, compiling career highs in completion percentage (84%), passing yards (383) and touchdown passes (four) on the way to being named the Big Ten offensive player of the week.
Relying on the running backs for checkdowns was a winning formula for the quarterback who entered the game with more than twice as many interceptions as touchdown passes this season, largely as a result of trying to force too many passes into coverage.
“You finally saw it where Ethan wasn’t pressing, he was kind of letting the game come to him,” UCLA coach DeShaun Foster said. “You know, I felt like there was a few games he wanted to get out there and make plays, just being the captain that he is and being a senior, you want to come out there and play hard and make plays, so I think he finally let the game come to him and you see what he did.”
Garbers could thank an offensive line that largely held up and a corps of running backs who continue to be some of his best options. Harden is the team’s second-leading receiver with 26 catches for 238 yards and Jones ranks fifth with 12 catches for 179 yards. Berger has six catches for 35 yards.
Berger’s 127 rushing yards make him the only member of the trio to compile more yards on the ground than through the air. Harden has run for 180 yards at 2.9 yards per carry, and Jones has run for 105 yards and at 5.3 yards per carry. Those numbers are reflected in a UCLA run game that’s averaged just 64.6 yards per game, ranking last in the country.
“They’re not exactly getting the yardage they would like running the ball,” Foster said of his running backs, “but they’re still able to affect the game.”
Bad finish
Rutgers received a major assist in its comeback efforts from UCLA’s secondary.
On three consecutive plays late in the game, Bruins defensive backs committed penalties. It started with safety Ramon Henderson tackling a player out of bounds before cornerback Jaylin Davies committed pass interference on back-to-back plays that Foster described as “a little too handsy.”
“They’re probably going to call plays like that in the red zone,” Foster said of the pass interference penalties, “so probably try to keep your hands off them.”
Rutgers went on to score a touchdown with 1 minute 23 seconds left and would have had a chance to win the game had it recovered an onside kick snagged by UCLA’s Grant Gray.
Foster said closing out games and coming out of halftime with a flourish were among the things his team would work on during the bye week. The Bruins have been outscored, 50-23, in third quarters this season.
Bravery time
Foster said he went for it on fourth and one at UCLA’s 18-yard line in the second quarter against the Scarlet Knights because “I just felt we can get a yard.”
So why didn’t he go for it on fourth and one at the Bruins’ 12-yard line a week earlier against Minnesota when getting a yard could have sealed a victory?
“Where I was at and how we were playing,” Foster said, referring to his offense’s struggles against the Golden Gophers, “so I didn’t think that we had the … [momentum] to get the yardage at the time. You know, early in the game and being aggressive, that was just something that I wanted to do, especially being on the road.”
Etc.
Foster said he hoped the bye week could help his team get back several players who have been sidelined by injuries. But the Bruins were without defensive tackle Siale Taupaki for at least the start of practice Tuesday after he left the Rutgers game with an unspecified injury. Wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. and left tackle Reuben Unije also did not participate in the portion of practice open to reporters. … The Bruins’ game against Nebraska on Nov. 2 in Lincoln will start at 12:30 p.m. PDT and air on the Big Ten Network.
Sports
Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones
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Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever.
The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.
Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.
Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries.
A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.
When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”
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Sports
Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational
William Hudson, a 14-year-old freshman golfer, shot 71 on Monday at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills to win the Servite Invitational.
“It was very important to me and my school,” Hudson said.
Some think it’s the first time a St. John Bosco student won an invitational title.
Hudson is a straight-A student who picked up his first golf club when he was 3. He has a daily routine involving practicing at 6 a.m. before heading to school. He’s also enrolled in a school entrepreneur program that involves taking classes at a junior college that will qualify for college credits.
“They are long days, but I get through it,” Hudson said.
He comes from a family that enjoys golf. His great-grandfather played until his death at 98 last year.
“I love how it can take me to interesting places and meet interesting people,” Hudson said. “I can play for the rest of my life. It’s a lifelong sport.”
It’s looking like another strong year for golfers in Southern California, with several individual champions returning, including Jaden Soong of St. Francis and Grant Leary of Crespi.
Now Hudson has thrust himself into the conversation.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway
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Police have released new video showing former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon speeding before crashing his 2024 Bentley Continental GT into another luxury car on a Connecticut highway last summer.
McMahon appeared to be followed by a state trooper in Westport moments ahead of the eventual collision. McMahon’s vehicle reached speeds of more than 100 mph, state police said.
A trooper’s dashcam video showed McMahon accelerating and then braking too late to avoid rear-ending a BMW. The car McMahon was driving then swerved into a guardrail and careened back across the highway. A cloud of dirt, apparently mixed with vehicle debris, was visible in the immediate area of the crash.
WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium on Apr 3, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports)
“Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” a state trooper asked McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley.
“I got my granddaughter’s birthday,” McMahon replied, explaining he was on his way to see her. The encounter was recorded on police bodycam video.
No serious injuries were reported in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.
In an image taken from Connecticut State Police police bodycam video, Vince McMahon is questioned in his car after an accident on July 24, 2025, in Westport, Connecticut. (Connecticut State Police via The Associated Press)
Aside from the damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris. The driver of that third car happened to be wearing a WWE shirt, police video suggested.
McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. In October, a state judge allowed him to enter a pretrial probation program that could erase the charges if he completes it successfully.
He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution. His attorney, Mark Sherman, called the crash simply an “accident.”
“Not every car accident is a crime,” Sherman said. “Vince’s primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”
Vince McMahon attends a press conference to announce that WWE Wrestlemania 29 will be held at MetLife Stadium in 2013 at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 16, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)
State police said a trooper was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They also said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape.
“I’m trying to catch up to you, and you keep taking off,” State Police Det. Maxwell Robins said in the video.
“No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you,” McMahon clarified.
An accident information summary provided to the media shortly after the crash did not mention that a trooper was following McMahon.
The trooper’s bodycam video also shows him asking McMahon whether he was looking at his phone when the crash happened. McMahon said he was not and added he hadn’t driven his car in a long time.
After Robins tells McMahon that his car is fast, McMahon replies, “Yeah, too (expletive) fast.”
Fox News Digital submitted a public records request to obtain the police video, which was first acquired by The Sun.
McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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