LA Times Today: USC and UCLA women's basketball teams reach Sweet 16
For a preview, Kelvin Washington joined USC writer Ryan Kartje and UCLA writer Thuc Nhi Nguyen.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
How did that first Notre Dame football loss in 2024 deliver a docuseries win?
SOUTH BEND ― When did the 2024 Notre Dame football season get real for you? Was it the win in the opener at Texas A&M over Labor Day Weekend, or the win in the finale at USC over Thanksgiving weekend? Noie: Why the first play of Notre Dame football preseason camp mattered to center Ashton Craig Seismic status: What's the next big conference realignment move that would ruin college football as we know it? Was it walking into Notre Dame Stadium on that cold Friday night in December for the first on-campus College Football Playoff game (and win), or walking into Merecedes-Benz Stadium on that cold Monday night in January and seeing that national championship logo there on the field? What moment did it for you? Any? All? How about none? Notre Dame director, feature content John Fornaro knew he had something special during what was the football program's lowest moment in 2024, maybe the lowest moment in decades. On that September Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium, Fornaro felt something that only a person in his position could after the loss to Northern Illinois went final. Charged with overseeing the first season of 'Here Come the Irish,' a docuseries that aired on Peacock last season, Fornaro wasn't going to let one loss keep him from making what he thought had the makings of something special. Break the doc? How about make it? 'It was like, all right, this could go one of two ways,'' Fornaro said Thursday from a darkened Notre Dame Stadium interview room. 'I will say, after the Northern Illinois game, you kind of knew it was real. You knew the show was real.' Real because for as low of a moment as that loss was for everyone associated with Notre Dame football – from the head coach on down – they treated it, and treated Fornaro and his crew, just as they had done the previous week after winning at Texas A&M. Access rarely was restricted. Fornaro and his crew were not asked not to shoot this team meeting or that player-coach interaction. Freeman and his staff, like Fornaro and his, went about business as usual. Even in soul-crushing defeat. The show must go on. It went on. 'As soon as that happened, I was like, 'All right, we're making a real show here. This is going to happen. This is going to be good,'' Fornaro said. The result was a seven-episode docuseries look at the 2024 Notre Dame football team from the highest of highs (pick one) to that lowest of lows (Northern Illinois). Everything that Fornaro, a native New Yorker and 2016 Marist College graduate, heard about Notre Dame and its storied football program, he lived last season. Every day from August camp, into the regular season and through a CFP postseason that stretched from late December to late January, Fornaro learned what makes Notre Dame football after a near-daily 93-minute drive from his home in Chicago's West Loop. It took Fornaro, a four-time national sports Emmy award winner during his four years at ESPN, four seconds when he arrived in April 2024 to understand that campus, that football program, that everything. It was dizzying. 'You always hear about Notre Dame and you hear about the lore and you hear about the prestige of what Notre Dame is and its history,' he said. 'Being with the team every day, being on the road, being in the team hotel, being on the team charters, you see all this stuff that makes this place special and you understand it. 'The feeling here is real. The fans here are real.' The docuseries, last season and again this season (it was announced Thursday that the first episode will drop December 8), also, real. Notre Dame football may have the final say, but Fornaro insists there wasn't much of a balancing act to the documentary that he wanted to make and the one Notre Dame wanted made. 'We told the exact story that we wanted to tell,' he said. 'There were no limitations, no restrictions from football or the (communication) staff. There's a good relationship there; there's trust there.' There also was a lot there. Fornaro admitted he over did it on the amount of footage shot last season just, well, because he could. He thought everything about Notre Dame and its football program was 'amazing' and wanted to squeeze everything in the show. Not everything made it without making it the War and Peace (ask your parents) of docs. It would have run for days, not hours. Fornaro and his crew made it a point last season and will make it again this fall to be at every team meeting, every practice, every recordable moment. 'We shoot 90% and 10% of it gets used,' he said. 'You have to show the team and the staff that you're committed to be there. That's the most important part for me.' 'Here Come the Irish' has been in production since long before the first official day of practice on July 31. Over the summer, Fornaro and his staff took home visits with several returning Irish to start building out backstories and possible storylines. What might those be? You know better than to ask any director to reveal his hand. Fornaro won't, though he stressed that flexibility is crucial. Last fall, former Irish All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison was supposed to be a solid storyline. When his collegiate career came to a premature end in October after hip surgery, Morrison went from central character to a supporting actor. You can guess what storylines are in pen (for now) this season. Jeremiyah Love, the starting quarterback, any returning starter on defense would be good places to start. There will be a few pivotal plotlines come December that no one saw surfacing in August. 'We,' Fornaro said, 'don't know what exactly is going to happen.' That's film. That's football. Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@ This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: What storyline roads might the 2025 Notre Dame football season travel?
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Packers injury update: Green Bay missing five key wide receivers for Colts joint practice
The Green Bay Packers pass catchers are walking wounded as they start joint practices with the Colts. Matt LaFleur's team is in Indianapolis taking part in a joint scrimmage ahead of their preseason game on Saturday, but the Packers are shorthanded at wide receiver, with five of their top six missing practice with injury. Romeo Doubs is the latest addition to the absentees list after suffering a back injury on a collision with Evan Williams at practice in Green Bay earlier this week. Head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Doubs' injury is not serious, and he was in contention to practice on Thursday before ultimately being held out. The other four Packers receivers missing the joint practice are Christian Watson (knee), Jayden Reed (foot), Dontayvion Wicks (calf) and Savion Williams (shoulder). Reed has made progress and is now out of the walking boot he was spotted wearing during Green Bay's preseason opener versus the New York Jets, but is clearly not ready to practice. Wicks has been out since late July with the calf while Williams has been in and out as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. Watson is still rehabbing from the torn ACL he sustained in the regular season finale in January. The laundry list of injuries means Matthew Golden is currently the Packers' de facto wide receiver one and looks to be making the most of the opportunity, winning both his one vs. one reps against Colts defensive backs in impressive fashion. Malik Heath and Mecole Hardman are Green Bay's next best options behind Golden at present, with a gaggle of young wide receivers behind them in newly signed Jawaan Baker, Julian Hicks, Cornelius Johnson, Isaiah Neyor and Will Sheppard. Meanwhile, starting quarterback Jordan Love is present in Indy but is not practicing after having surgery to repair a ligament issue in the thumb on his non-throwing hand. He was seen wearing a cast on his left arm as he arrived at the practice. LaFleur told the media the surgery 'went well' and while he will not throw right away once returning to practice, the team anticipates Love will have 'some sort of participation' with the team next week. With so many receivers missing, as well as the starting quarterback, the Packers endured some unsurprisingly disjointed periods of play against the Colts starting defense on Thursday.
NBC Sports
3 hours ago
- NBC Sports
How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley live: Stream, TV channel, team news, prediction
The Thomas Frank era officially begins on Saturday (10 am ET), when Tottenham Hotspur host newly promoted Burnley to kick of the 2025-26 Premier League season. WATCH — Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou as Spurs manager this summer — just weeks after the Aussie delivered the club its first trophy since 2008 — and Tottenham Hotspur legend Heung-min Son decided it was time for him to move on as well, so say it's been a summer of change and transition would be a massive understatement. Cristian Romero has replaced Son as captain and everyone else is back from last season's Europa League-winning team, with the noted addition of Mohammed Kudus ($74 million, from West Ham) in Son's place. James Maddison (torn ACL) and Dejan Kulusevski (knee) are both missing in central midfield, where Frank's options are limited to ball-winners and all-action types. Spurs will be a dangerous counter-attacking and set-piece side this year, if their goals against PSG in the UEFA Super Cup are any indication, and that raises the floor for last season's 17th-place finishers but lowers their ceiling at the same time. Burnley have been plenty busy themselves this summer, preparing for life in the top tier once again. A dozen players have already been signed with transfer fees attached,and it's a baker's dozen if you include Axel Tuanzebe, who signed as a free agent from recently relegated Ipswich Town. Scott Parker's Clarets were promoted back to the Premier League (again) after finishing 2nd last season, their first back in the Championship (again). It marked the 4th straight season that Burnley have either been promoted or relegated, as they yo-yo back and forth, clearly too good for the second tier but also miles off the pace the last time they were in the top flight (24 points from 38 games, relegated by 8 points). For live updates and highlights throughout Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley, check out PST's live blog coverage below. How to watch Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley live, stream link and start time Kick off time: 10 am ET, Saturday Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium TV Channel: Peacock Streaming: Stream live on Peacock Tottenham Hotspur team news, focus OUT: James Maddison (torn ACL - MORE), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Destiny Udogie (knee), Radu Dragusin (knee), Yves Bissouma (disciplinary), Kota Takai (foot) Burnley team news, focus OUT: Zeki Amdouni (knee), Jordan Beyer (knee), Bashir Humphreys (thigh), Manuel Benson (achilles) | QUESTIONABLE: Martin Dubravka (shoulder), Connor Roberts (undisclosed), Zian Flemming (fitness) Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley prediction Based on their Super Cup performance, Spurs are well equipped to knock off some of the 'bigger' sides from around Europe in the Champions League this season, but without Maddison or Kulusevski they're still probably going to struggle when they have lots of the ball and have to break down an organized defense. Spurs 1-0 Burnley.
