Recovering from a gunshot wound he suffered in a robbery attempt, San Francisco 49ers rookie wide receiver was released from the hospital on Sunday, the team announced.

Both Pearsall and the 17-year-old suspect were injured in a struggle following the attempted robbery Saturday afternoon in the city’s Union Square area. Both were transported to a Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, according to San Francisco Police.

A decision on charges for the suspect – which would be filed in juvenile court – is expected to come Tuesday or Wednesday, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told reporters on Saturday night. San Francisco Police chief William Scott said there was no reason to believe Pearsall was targeted because he is a professional football player.

Here’s what we know at the moment about the incident:

Ricky Pearsall released from hospital

Before Pearsall was released Sunday, hospital officials upgraded his condition to fair, according to NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Matt Maiocco.

All things 49ers: Latest San Francisco 49ers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

A statement Saturday night from Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital described Pearsall as being in serious but stable condition when he was admitted.

Who is Ricky Pearsall?

Pearsall is a wide receiver the San Francisco 49ers drafted with the 31st overall pick in the NFL draft this past April. At the University of Florida last season, he caught 65 passes for 965 yards and four touchdowns. In 2022, he transferred to Florida from Arizona State, where he played from 2019-21.

Pearsall, 23, was the sixth of seven wide receivers taken in the first round of this year’s draft.

What do we know about Ricky Pearsall’s injuries?

San Francisco Police believe the suspect attempted to rob Pearsall, and both were injured when a gun the suspect was carrying went off during a physical altercation on Saturday afternoon.

Video from an eyewitness shared by reporter Zak Sos of Bay Area television station KTVU showed Pearsall walking, mostly under his own power, to get in an ambulance after receiving initial treatment for his injuries.

The 49ers released a statement Saturday evening confirming that Pearsall sustained a bullet wound to his chest.

What has Ricky Pearsall’s family said?

Reporter Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Sunday morning shared on X what appears to be a post from the Facebook account of Pearsall’s mother, Erin Pearsall, that provided an update to her family and friends.

‘First and (foremost) I want to thank GOD for protecting my baby boy,’ she wrote. ‘He is extremely lucky, GOD shielded him. He was shot in the chest and it exited out his back. Thanks be to GOD it missed his vital organs … My son was spared today by the grace of GOD.’

What do we know about the suspect in the Ricky Pearsall shooting?

San Francisco Police did not identify the suspect, saying only that he was a 17-year-old from Tracy, California – which is approximately 60 miles east of San Francisco.

Police say he attempted to run away after the shooting, but was caught and arrested shortly after authorities arrived.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said at a news conference Saturday evening that a decision on charges will be made next week.

WHITEWATER, Wis. — Kara Welsh, a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student and a national gymnastics champion, was shot and killed late Friday night. A 23-year-old suspect is in custody.

Welsh, who is from Plainfield, Illinois, was a member of the Warhawk gymnastics team, the university said in a statement. Last year, Welsh took the individual national title on vault at the NCAA Division III championships. She majored in management in the university’s College of Business and Economics.

‘We know the news of Kara’s death is heartbreaking for our close-knit university community. It is a time when we are all called upon to support one another, to process, and to grieve,’ UW-Whitewater Chancellor Corey King said.

The university is offering counseling to the gymnastics team and coaches, who were informed in-person. ‘Our hearts are broken with the tragic loss of one of our own,’ the team said on Facebook.

Staff plan to provide extra support and flexibility to students ahead of classes beginning Tuesday. King directed UW-Whitewater’s flag to fly at half-staff on Tuesday. Details for memorial services will be shared once available, the university said.

In a post to social media, USA Gymnastics said ‘we offer our deepest condolences to Kara’s family, friends and teammates at UW-Whitewater Gymnastics.’

Police have not yet named the 23-year-old suspect, who remains in Walworth County (Wis.) Jail. Police said the shooting happened at an off-campus apartment building.

Details of what led to the shooting were not released, though police said it evolved from an altercation between Welsh and the man, who knew each other.

Police have asked the Walworth County District Attorney’s Office to consider a charge of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety by the use of a dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct while armed.

The investigation is ongoing, police added, and no additional information would be released immediately.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Cam Ward was not impressed.

We’re not talking about the Florida Gators, although Miami’s quarterback had every reason to walk out of The Swamp Saturday underwhelmed with what he saw across the line of scrimmage after the Hurricanes’ 41-17 beat down. But Ward knew enough not to say as much about an opponent.

What had Ward confused was all the talk about the Gators’ fans, and how they might rattle the quarterback in his first start for Miami. In fact, Ward was so dismissive of the atmosphere inside the stadium he ranked it somewhere between the heavyweights from the old Pac-12 and a church service.

‘I played at USC, it was louder than this,’ said Ward, who transferred to Miami from Washington State. He then added Washington and Oregon to that list before one more zinger.

‘Practice is way louder than this.’

But why stop at the fans. Ward was on a roll. Why not take aim at the SEC.

‘The Pac-12, that’s where I believe real football is played,’ Ward added about a conference that now includes two teams, Oregon State and Ward’s former school.

Ward then gave some advice to Florida fans, who surely will take it in stride.

‘Advice to the fans, if you’re going to be loud, you have to be loud when we’re huddling,’ Ward said. ‘You can’t just be loud when we break the huddle. That’s no point. We communicated already.’

None of those wearing orange and blue among 90,000-plus fans in attendance Saturday (which, by the way, is about 41,000 more than the Hurricanes averaged last season) will admit this, but they certainly cannot say the same about Ward that Ward said about their lackluster effort to support the home team.

Ward threw for 385 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He completed 25-of-34 passes. And when Miami needed Ward to improvise early in the game, he ran twice for 36 yards.

‘He’s not bad,’ Miami coach Mario Cristobal said sarcastically about Ward before getting serious.

‘Special, special guy. He’s just scratching the surface.’

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

It’s that time again, folks.

Welcome to Year 4 of the Report Card, a not-so-serious look at the weekly absurdity and beauty that is college football.

The same thing goes as far as grading from last season: High marks will only be awarded for the spectacular, and failing grades have no chance of being reversed.

So, saddle up and join this fantastic voyage with USA TODAY Sports, ending with the national championship on Jan. 20 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium — concluding the first season of the 12-team playoff.

Here is the Week 1 analysis of how fans, teams, players, and coaches fared: 

College football is back in full swing

Enough said.

134 reasons to cheer: A+

Independence Day in September

Schools finding any excuse to use explosives during a college football game isn’t usually news — until something goes wrong.

Thursday night’s game between North Carolina and Minnesota in Minneapolis was a slog through three quarters, but with the Tar Heels leading 19-17, after Noah Burnette kicked the last of his four field goals — a 45-yarder with 1:44 remaining — the Gophers had a chance to win the game. Minnesota drove 46 yards in seven plays to set up a game-winning, 47-yard field goal attempt by Dragan Kesich, who missed from 27 yards earlier in the game. 

Kesich’s kick went wide right as time expired, giving UNC the victory. Still, the game-ops crew at Huntington Bank Stadium must have thought they were in Chapel Hill, launching off fireworks in a display that tried its best to put the Macy’s July 4 fireworks in New York to shame.

Next time, whoever is in control of the fireworks might want to wait until they see the officials near the goalpost raise both of their hands in the air instead of waving them from side to side.

Premature celebration: F

Maybe Brian Bosworth was right

At this point, the NCAA preventing anyone from doing anything makes no sense. It’s still trying to maintain a “law and order” speck of relevancy for some unknown reason. The latest: the NCAA prevented Oklahoma State from wearing QR codes on its helmets this season … because … who knows?

“The NCAA interprets the stickers as advertising/commercial marks, which are not permitted,’ is the latest bit of nonsense the supposed governing body of college athletics came up with to stop a relatively harmless act.

So what do you call the Nike, Under Armour, Jordan Brand, and Adidas logos that are worn on jerseys and gear? Looks like advertising and commercial marks to anyone who has common sense. But this is the same organization that for decades didn’t want athletes to make money off their name in the spirit of amateurism, knowing damn well they didn’t care if those “student-athletes” left with a diploma in their hands after leaving school.

Selective outrage: Expulsion; hopefully sooner than later

The worst and best of the rest

Patrick Mahomes: Back to school

So is Carson Wentz:

Interception of the year:

Next stop: Divorce court

Little Rock with big problems:

Fake punt that shouldn’t have been faked:

How a punt should be executed:

Wind beneath my wings:

Stats for you

6 – Touchdowns for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty against Georgia Southern. Jeanty had a school-record 267 yards on 20 carries in a 56-45 victory.

9 – Years of college football Miami tight end Cam McCormick has played. McCormick’s only catch against Florida was a 9-yard touchdown.

59 – Matchups between FCS and FBS teams in Week 1.

124 – Combined snaps played by Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter vs. North Dakota State

304 – Receiving yards by Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan against New Mexico. McMillian caught 10 passes and scored four touchdowns in the 61-39 win.

449 – Listed weight of Florida defensive lineman Desmond Watson.

454 – Yards rushing by UCF in a 57-3 victory over New Hampshire.

$11,000,000 – Dabo Swinney’s base salary this season.

They said it

‘You guys keep talking about a $20 million roster. If you don’t pay the right guys, you’re (expletive) out of luck,’ Saban said.

***

Quite the discussion on TNT about defense:

Former NFL cornerback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey: “You know linebackers can’t cover”

Former NFL linebacker Takeo Spikes: “Hey, easy. Hold up!’

The Dog of the Week

Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Arkansas

Feast your eyes on these beauties:

Now, to the game:

As a reminder, this section is dedicated to the worst game of the week, whether it’s due to the game being a blowout or because of the ineptitude of the teams involved. It’s frequently a payday game to satisfy the favorite, an easy win in exchange for the money burning a hole in the athletic department’s wallet.

This week’s extension of spring practice led the pups to travel to Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium, where not only was the football expectantly bad, but there were also issues with the plumbing for those who had to cover the game (see above).

Any game in which both teams agree to shorten the game (in this case, 10-minute quarters at the start of the second half) — primarily done for football players’ health, especially the ones on the losing end of a 70-0 tail-kicking like Pine Bluff was — is guaranteed to end up in this column. But also, there is no doubt that people had better things to do than spend three hours watching a sporting event that had no competitive reason to be played … especially in 95-degree heat.

Arkansas’ night of dominance is detailed by scoring touchdowns every time the Razorbacks touched the ball. They had 687 yards of offense and held the Golden Lions to 7 yards rushing. Adding insult to injury, Arkansas-Pine Bluff was also flagged for wearing black uniforms, part of a stupid ‘sufficient contrast’ NCAA uniform rule. (For more on the NCAA’s nonsense, see above.)

To include your pup in upcoming editions of the report card, please tweet to yours truly.

One person is in custody and charged with a DWI after crashing into the Abilene Chrisitian University football team bus and injuring four people on Saturday night.

According to Lubbock, Texas police, at 11:33 p.m., officers were helping direct traffic as the ACU team’s bus was leaving Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock after playing against Texas Tech.

That is when a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Parker Young, disregarded traffic direction and collided with the bus. This forced the bus into another vehicle in the left turn lane.

According to police, four individuals from the bus were transported to University Medical Center with moderate injuries. According to a statement from ACU football posted on social media, one student, two coaches and the bus driver were injured in the crash.

‘We are grateful to Texas Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt, their team physician, Dr. Michael Phy, and all of the first responders for their assistance,’ read the statement.

Young was transported to the Lubbock County Detention Center, where he was charged with a DWI and is awaiting for his bond to be set, according to LCDC records.

Early Sunday morning, Texas Tech Athletics released the following statement about the crash:

‘The thoughts and prayers of Red Raider Nation are with our friends at ACU and those who may have been injured in tonight’s accident. Our administration has been in constant contact with ACU’s staff since their departure and will assist wherever needed.’

No other details have been released.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

As another season of the Misery Index begins, it’s a good time to reflect on the concept of choice. Whether we like it or not, we all land here in this tortured place for no other reason than the convergence of choices – some of them that we have to own, others that are completely out of our control.

Every college football fan has chosen to invest their happiness, their money and their time in following a certain program. Sometimes that choice was merely the byproduct of going to college, or perhaps it was handed down from parents or grandparents. But at some point, everyone who becomes an emotional wreck every Saturday made a conscious decision to care deeply about a sport where 18-to-22-year-olds hit each other and toss around an oblong ball.

There’s one problem, though, that they don’t tell you about until it’s too late: As a college football fan, your well-being is going to be disproportionately dependent on the choices that others make. Even worse, most of those choices are going to look very stupid in retrospect.

Which brings us to the University of Florida, arguably the home of bad choices.

For the last 25 years, no school in the country has taken more wild coaching swings than the Gators. They replaced Steve Spurrier with a completely unprepared Ron Zook, who lasted three mediocre years. They bought the hype on Will Muschamp, who was a great coordinator and terrible head coach. They hired Jim McElwain in a weird way, with a leaked meeting on a private plane intended to pressure him into taking the job, then fired him in a weird way when the university disputed a claim by McElwain that his family had received death threats. Then came Dan Mullen, who won pretty big for three years but got fired at the first sign of trouble.

And now here we are with Billy Napier, a fourth Florida coach in the last 11 seasons who is probably headed for Buyout Life.

In the fall of 2021, Florida chose to get rid of a longtime proven SEC winner in Mullen ($12 million buyout) and replace him with a coach who would cost a lot more ($51.8 million over seven years, with 85% of his remaining salary guaranteed if Florida fired him) and had accomplished much less in the Sun Belt.

Of course, schools do this all the time. When it’s time for the old coach to go, they often get replaced with someone less experienced whose newness is often an asset. Coaching changes are more exciting for fans when there’s less of a track record to nitpick. With coaches like Napier, the thinking among administrators is often along the lines of: “If he could go 40-12 with two top-20 finishes at Louisiana, imagine what he could do at a place with vast resources — like we have here at Florida!”

But a little more than two years later, as Napier founders with an 11-15 record following a 41-17 pasting at home against No. 19 Miami in Week 1, that logic was incorrect.

What Florida officials instead should have assessed is whether Napier’s sterling record at Louisiana had any relationship with the job they wanted to give him. At Louisiana, Napier had the best facilities, the biggest budget and the most talented roster in the conference. Yes, he won a lot of games and deserves credit for that, but the job was set up for him to win.

Florida exists in an entirely different context. Yes, the Gators have a national championship history and have a lot of accessible in-state talent, but they don’t have any huge tangible advantages over their competitors in the SEC.  

Florida isn’t, and never has been, a turnkey national championship type of program. The two coaches who have done it – Spurrier and Urban Meyer – are among the greatest ever. Everyone else has struggled with the job. The overall takeaway is that you can win at Florida, but there’s no natural right to it. You’ve got to be exceptional.

Since showing up in Gainesville, Napier hasn’t even shown he’s mediocre. If his third Florida team is as bleak and uncompetitive as it looked Saturday against Miami, he won’t get a fourth year and the university’s administration and boosters will have more choices to make. There’s no guarantee they’ll make the right ones.

That’s why Florida is No. 1 on the first Misery Index of 2024, a weekly measurement of which fan bases are feeling the most angst.

Four more in misery

Virginia Tech: You’re a Hokies fan who has lived through the contentious end of Frank Beamer, the disastrously disappointing Justin Fuente regime and the rock bottom as Brent Pry came in to pick up the pieces. You think that finally – finally! – you’re on the other side of it after a dozen difficult years. After making a bowl game last season and returning the most starters in the ACC, you’ve already got those “We are SO back!” memes ready to send the group text. And then a 34-27 overtime loss to Vanderbilt happened.

Clemson: The big news this week was that Dabo Swinney’s weekly radio show will no longer take live callers, which isn’t a surprise after the “Tyler from Spartanburg” fiasco last fall when a critical call set him off on a four-minute rant of defensiveness and self-pity. But if Swinney thought the fans were being too tough on him back then for a pretty mediocre nine-win, 4-4 ACC season, it’s probably for the best that he won’t have to talk directly to them this year. Half a dozen years ago, the only other program in Clemson’s weight class was Alabama. Now, thanks largely to Swinney’s stagnation as an offensive coach and refusal to adapt to the transfer portal, Clemson can no longer compete with the likes of Georgia. If Saturday’s 34-3 loss to the Bulldogs was indicative, the discomfort between Swinney and Clemson’s fan base will reach critical levels this season.

UConn: So now word is out that Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark wants to add UConn, and UConn is apparently receptive to leaving the Big East. To make this potential marriage happen, the Huskies reportedly wouldn’t join in football for a handful of years so they could ramp up to competitiveness. But let’s be real here: Decades may not even be enough time. Some fans may start to criticize coach Jim Mora for lack of tangible progress after Saturday’s 50-7 loss to Maryland. But unless Mora can move UConn’s campus to, say, Florida, this is how it’s going to go in the Big 12 or any other league.

New Mexico State: The Aggies may seem like an odd inclusion on this list, but the transfer portal has opened up a whole new world of misery for many college teams. And the reality is that New Mexico State’s entire program – at least the best parts of it – portaled to Vanderbilt of all places. After going 10-5 last season, head coach Jerry Kill announced he was stepping down only to resurface at Vandy as a senior offensive advisor and chief consultant to head coach Clark Lea. Then quarterback Diego Pavia, last year’s Conference USA offensive player of the year, followed him to Nashville. Just like that, a Vanderbilt team that went 2-10 last year won its opener over Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, New Mexico State was in a dogfight at home with Southeast Missouri State.  

Miserable, but not miserable enough

Michigan: Maybe it’s not a great sign that heir apparent Alex Orji didn’t actually win the starting quarterback job coming out of camp, and instead former walk-on Davis Warren got the call for Saturday’s opener against Fresno State. Though the final score ended up 30-10, Michigan led just 13-3 going into the fourth quarter and finished with 269 yards of offense. Michigan fans have to fear a major comedown year after the national title and Jim Harbaugh’s departure.  

Houston: Very little was expected of Houston this season, and yet Willie Fritz’s debut managed to even further depress expectations. The Cougars’ stadium emptied out pretty early during a 27-7 loss to UNLV in which they rushed for just 38 yards. After going 2-7 in conference last season under Dana Holgorsen, it seems the Big 12 will once again not be kind to this team.

South Carolina: It sort of slipped under the radar Saturday how poorly the Gamecocks played in a narrow win over Old Dominion, 23-19. South Carolina had just 288 yards of offense and scored its only two touchdowns on a 3-yard drive and 6-yard drive after recovering fumbles. The Gamecocks have one of the toughest schedules in the SEC with dates against LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Missouri plus road games at Kentucky and Vanderbilt. Gulp.

UCLA: At least it wasn’t a loss in DeShaun Foster’s debut as head coach, but the Bruins were flirting with disaster in Hawaii before three field goals in the last 16 minutes lifted them to a 16-13 win. Foster, who played running back at UCLA before a solid NFL career, got this job largely because he was already on staff and nobody of note wanted it. Is he ready for prime time? Saturday’s performance won’t fill fans with confidence, at least in the near-term, but 1-0 is a whole lot better than 0-1.

PHOENIX — The Los Angeles Dodgers are baseball’s marquee franchise.

No one scouts better than the Dodgers.

No one develops their players betters than the Dodgers.

No one wins more regular-season games than the Dodgers.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

LOS ANGELES — For as long as he can remember, Miller Moss always wanted to play for Southern California.

He got to witness USC’s quarterback legacy be carried by Matt Barkley and Sam Darnold, and the hometown kid appeared to be in line to be the next signal-caller when the four-star recruit walked onto campus in 2021. 

Moss had to sit behind Kedon Slovis and Jaxson Dart his freshman year, and even though both departed the program at the end of the season, then came the hiring of Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma. A few months later, Riley brought in Caleb Williams, his former quarterback with the Sooners, reigniting the program in his two seasons in Los Angeles with a Heisman Trophy and proving why he was selected first overall in the 2024 NFL draft. 

At any point, Moss could have been like the plethora of quarterbacks in recent years to transfer to a team they had a realistic shot of starting for. No one would have blamed him for doing so.

But Moss was undeterred. He knew he would get a chance. 

Now it has arrived. Moss will be the starting quarterback for No. 23 USC faces No. 12 LSU in Las Vegas on Sunday to open the 2024 season, the first in the Big Ten for a storied program out to prove it’s return to being a national power. 

In a fast-paced, constantly evolving world, patience worked. 

“I tried to approach it just like, if I keep doing the right things, if I keep showing up to work hard, if I keep investing in my team and myself, then my time will come,” Moss told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s worked out to this point.”

As much as Riley said it was a battle for the starting job between Moss and UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava, Moss practically solidified his spot on the depth chart after his breakout performance in the 2023 Holiday Bowl. 

Playing in place of Williams, Moss threw darts and torched Louisville for 372 yards and a Holiday Bowl-record six touchdown passes, en route to being named the game’s offensive MVP in a 42-28 victory. It was such an impressive starting debut, Riley said after the game Moss might have scared off any transfer quarterback thinking of heading to Los Angeles.

Why Miller Moss stayed at USC

Still, Maiava went to the Trojans and put up a fight. Riley said he made drastic improvement in fall camp and he was “neck and neck” with Miller in the position battle. But it’s Moss who Riley will give the job too.

“Miller was still the best, and still the guy that we feel like gives this team the best chance to win and play well,” Riley said. “He’s built off the momentum from the bowl game and from spring, and I think is playing at a high level, and has done it very consistently. It’s his consistency every day as a player, as a leader, operating the offense that certainly part of what makes him the player that he is.”

It made the long wait worth it. Moss admitted it was “frustrating at times” to be on the sidelines for three seasons, appearing only when the game was out of hand or covering a few snaps for an injured starter. Even with those frustrations, transferring was never an option for the local kid.

“I think that’s such a fad these days to transfer,” Moss said. “When I looked at it, my family looked at it, it wasn’t about what other people were doing. I had to stay true to my process and who I was, and at every kind of inflection point, I guess you could say the right decision was to continue to stay at USC, continue to be developed. The right decision was for me to stay here, and I’m obviously glad I did.”

Learning from Caleb Williams

It may have been disheartening sitting behind a generational talent, Miller had nothing but praise for Williams, detailing the two had a great bond. Despite all the national attention he drew, Williams never looked down on the rest of the quarterback room, Moss said.

There were lessons taken from Williams too. One thing that stuck out to Moss was Williams’ supreme confidence regardless of his performance during practice or a game. He admired the positivity and belief he had every day. It was clear the two had a friendship when Williams was congratulating and hyping up Moss after the Holiday Bowl. 

The current USC quarterback does not know if Williams ever vouched for him to get the starting job, but the two did wish each other great success before parting. 

What did Williams tell Moss? “Just go let it rip,” he said.

“A lot of people see that, and might be surprised, just because it’s very popular to kind of pit quarterbacks against each other,” Moss said. “But me and Caleb never really approached like that. I think at the end of the day, we always had a good understanding that what we’re doing was collaborative, and we were trying to help our team win games.

“Competing with him for those two years really shaped who I was as a player and those are times I’d always be grateful for.”

Being part of USC’s quarterback legacy

Moss knows the legacy he is stepping to, especially when the starter before him brought another Heisman Trophy to USC. While it’s an honor to be named starter, it’s about what he is able to do with the job. He’s not going to try to be like Williams or any of the other successful quarterbacks that have called the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum home. That may just be what it takes to be another successful Trojan signal caller.

“I don’t think it’s about anyone that’s come before me or anyone that will come after me. I think it’s just about me staying true to my process and how I play the game,” Moss said. “I think if I’m able to do that, then I’ll be successful.”

Will the USC defense be improved?

For as much talk about Moss and him leading and offense with stars like speedster Zachariah Branch and center Jonah Monheim, evidence shows none of it will matter if the USC defense continues to be a revolving door. 

Last season, the Trojans gave up 34.4 points per game, which ranked 121st of 133 Bowl Subdivision teams, and was in the bottom half of several defensive categories. The unit was such a disaster, Riley had no choice but to fire his longtime defensive coordinator Alex Grinch after a disastrous performance against Washington.

Riley had to find someone that could quickly change the defense, and turns out, he didn’t need to look far. In fact, he only needed to go across town.  

USC was able to lure UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn after he completely revamped the Bruin defense. The proof that UCLA was an elite defensive unit was in the national stats, but Riley got a first-hand experience of how strong it was. In the crosstown showdown last season, UCLA held USC to 20 points and a just three rushing yards.

It was a no-brainer for Riley to get Lynn, and the defensive coordinator was stoked to join the Trojans, a team he’s always seen as the birthplace for successful professional defenders. 

“To get a chance to be a part of just a tradition and a culture like that, was an opportunity that I was excited about,” Lynn said. “Then you add that on top of going into the Big Ten, going into a new conference, with the challenge of revamping the defense, I felt like it was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.”

Joining a new conference will certainly present USC with all sorts of challenges. On top of having to deal with a tough non-conference slate that includes LSU and Notre Dame, the Trojans will also play Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State in a four-week span, giving them one of the toughest schedules in the country.

Knowing the physical nature of the Big Ten, Lynn and the staff sought out to bulk up not just the defense, but the entire team. It’s now a meaty Trojan squad that gained a combined 1,400 pounds during the offseason, according to USC’s director of sports nutrition Rachel Suba.

Lynn wanted a more stout defensive line that perfectly fits with what it’ll face this season. By maximizing size and strength with less body fat and more muscle, the belief is the Trojans will be ready for the hard hits while maintaining speed. According to Lynn, every player that had a weight goal achieved it. 

“We didn’t want to just put on weight, to put on weight. It has to be weight that that guy can hold,” he said. “We felt like with the guys that we had, each one of those guys still had room to hold more weight and play the same level of play, as far as the way that they move and their speed.”

 Lynn says the defense isn’t perfect just yet, but it will to continue to grow as the season develops.

“It’s a new year, new defense. The past is the past,” Lynn said. “Our guys, they’re excited to go out there and just show their improvements.”

Of course, the time for talking about how improved the defense will be is reaching its end. Now the Trojans need to validate they belong at the top of the Big Ten hierarchy. Riley is coming off the worst season of his head coaching career, and in the post-Williams era, it’s time to show results and prove it won’t fall down the same rabbit hole.

“It’s got to go show up on Saturdays,” Riley said.

The 49ers confirmed that Pearsall had sustained ‘a bullet wound to his chest’ and was in ‘serious but stable condition.’

Pearsall and the suspect – a 17-year-old who is in custody with charges pending – were injured in a physical altercation that succeeded the attempted robbery, San Francisco Police said. Both were taken to San Francisco General Hospital.

A decision on charges for the suspect – which would be filed in juvenile court – is expected to come Tuesday or Wednesday, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told reporters on Saturday night. San Francisco Police chief William Scott said there was no reason to believe Pearsall was targeted in the incident as a professional football player.

Earlier in the day, Pearsall attended an autograph signing at the Cow Palace in nearby Daly City.

All things 49ers: Latest San Francisco 49ers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

The 49ers drafted Pearsall with the 31st overall pick in the first round of April’s NFL draft. Pearsall excelled at the University of Florida last season, catching 65 passes for 965 yards and four touchdowns. In 2022, he transferred to Florida from Arizona State, where he played from 2019-21.

Pearsall missed three weeks of practice in August with a subluxation of his left shoulder, but he returned to action on Monday.

Though Pearsall’s selection by a team that already boasts star targets in Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel surprised many, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said the team saw a receiver who could aid the offense in both the short and long term.

‘He just plays the position really well,’ Shanahan said in May. ‘Whether he was outside, inside, either receiver, all three of the positions, he can separate down the field, he can separate underneath. He’s got really good hands, extremely smart, very well-developed. … He can fit in whatever role based off the other guys.’

FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Read Bob Nightengale’s full MLB Sunday Notebook featuring the biggest news and rumors from around baseball

New York Mets starter Sean Manaea, barring unforeseen circumstances will opt out of his contract and hit the free-agent market for the third consecutive winter – putting him in line for a lucrative multi-year contract.

Manaea signed a two-year, $26 million contract in the off-season, but he can opt out of the remaining $13.5 million in 2025, making him a free agent for the third consecutive year.

“I like to think its fun because it’s a new adventure,’ Manaea told USA TODAY Sports. “I mean, it’s a little nerve-wracking when you’re not with a team most of the offseason, but it’s all part of the adventure.’’

Would he rather have a longer contract without going through short-term deals year after year?

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

“I don’t know,’ Manaea said. “I never had the opportunity for something like that.’

This winter, considering his performance, he should have those options.

He has been stellar, going 10-5 with a 3.51 ERA in 26 starts this season, including 149 strikeouts in 143 ⅔ innings.

“He’s been absolutely carving,” Mets All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso said. “He’s been on fire for us.”

USA TODAY MLB insider Bob Nightengale’s Sunday Notebook brings you all the biggest news and rumors

Follow USA TODAY MLB insider Bob Nightengale: @BNightengale