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Los Angeles Kings goalie Cam Talbot wanted to earn his new teammates’ trust.

It was a late October game against the Arizona Coyotes. Talbot had replaced Pheonix Copley, who gave up three goals on six shots after just eight minutes in the first period. Talbot then let in a goal on the first shot that he faced.

Back in the dressing room, Talbot spoke to the team. “I told the guys that’s all that’s going to get by me. Just play our game and we’re going to have a chance to come back here,” he said.

Talbot was a man of his word, stopping all 17 shots he faced in the next 40 minutes to enable a three-goal, third-period rally in the Kings’ 5-4 victory.

“That shows the character, experience and resiliency in this group,” he said.

It also shows what competent goaltending can do for the Los Angeles Kings.

The Kings have a deep roster filled with impact veterans and dynamic younger players. Analytically, they were one of the best defensive teams in the NHL last season. They are a Stanley Cup contender out of the Western Conference — provided that trust in their goaltending is rewarded.

There’s Talbot, a 36-year-old playing for his sixth team in six seasons. They have Copley, 32, who played 37 games in a breakout season with Los Angeles. Down a level in the AHL they have 31-year-old David Rittich, a journeyman who last played for the Winnipeg Jets.

The group’s defining characteristic might be its cap number: $3.375 million combined this season. If “Goaltender” was a single player on the Kings’ roster, it would have the 11th highest cap hit on the team.

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FCS headed for 12-game regular seasons in ’26

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FCS headed for 12-game regular seasons in '26

INDIANAPOLIS — FCS teams would be allowed to play 12 regular-season games every year under a Division I Football Championship Subdivision Oversight Committee recommendation.

The NCAA announced Tuesday the one-game extension would go into effect in 2026 if the Division I Council gives its approval during its June 24-25 meeting.

Current legislation permits 12 regular-season games in years when there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November. In all other years, only 11 regular-season contests are permitted.

The recommendation also would standardize the start date of the FCS season as the Thursday 13 weeks before the FCS championship bracket is released, which is the Saturday before Thanksgiving.

Football Bowl Subdivision teams have had 12-game regular seasons since 2006.

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Ex-Utah QB Rising medically retires due to injury

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Ex-Utah QB Rising medically retires due to injury

Former Utah quarterback Cameron Rising announced Wednesday that he’s retiring from football.

Rising, 25, started three games last season before suffering a season-ending injury to his throwing hand. He posted Wednesday on social media that two orthopedic physicians had advised him to give up football because of the hand.

Rising wrote he will undergo surgery and focus on rehab.

Sources told ESPN’s Eli Lederman that Rising has accepted an offensive coordinator role at Newbury Park (California) High School, where he was a three-year starter from 2015-17 and left as a four-star recruit in the 2018 class. He’ll coach four-star Michigan QB pledge Brady Smigiel, ranked No. 45 in the 2026 ESPN 300, next fall.

Rising played in 30 games for the Utes, making 28 starts. He led Utah to Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022 and was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection in 2021.

He played in only three games after 2022, however, missing the entire 2023 season with a knee injury. He was removed from the Utes roster after last season.

Rising, who began his college career in 2018 at Texas, still had a year of eligibility remaining because of redshirt seasons, the COVID-19 waiver in 2020 and the injuries.

Utah already had added transfer quarterback Devon Dampier, who started during the 2024 season at New Mexico.

Rising’s 53 career passing touchdowns ranked fourth all time at Utah.

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Florida CB Johnson faces 4 charges after arrest

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Florida CB Johnson faces 4 charges after arrest

TAMPA, Fla. — Police have charged Florida cornerback Dijon Johnson with two felonies, including possession of a firearm, and two misdemeanors after his arrest over the weekend while driving a car in Tampa.

Police said they pulled over the car Friday for surpassing a stop signal. Officers detected a “strong odor of burned marijuana” and said Johnson was argumentative during the traffic stop, refusing to exit the gray Dodge Challenger, according to the criminal report filed in Hillsborough County.

Johnson was removed from the car and placed into custody. Police searched the vehicle and found marijuana and 8 grams of synthetic marijuana inside a backpack. A black Glock 19 loaded with 17 rounds in a magazine also was found in the car, according to the report.

The gun charge is a second-degree felony. Possession of the synthetic marijuana is a third-degree felony, and the marijuana possession and resisting arrest without violence charges are misdemeanors.

“We are in dialogue with the State Attorney’s Office regarding Dijon’s traffic stop last week,” Tampa-based attorney Tim Taylor said in a statement released Wednesday. “At this time, no formal charges have been filed. Any potential charging decision will, of course, need to be consistent with Florida law. We are eager for all the pertinent facts to come to light.”

Johnson entered written pleas of not guilty to all charges, according to court documents.

Coach Billy Napier said in a statement that the program is “aware of the situation.”

“We will continue to gather facts, cooperate with and monitor the legal and administrative processes,” Napier said.

Johnson, 21, was booked early Saturday and released the following night after posting an $8,500 surety bond, according to jail records.

A 6-foot-1, 196-pound junior from Tampa, Johnson recorded 27 tackles and two pass breakups last season.

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