Cardinals Fall To Packers On Dreary Day In Green Bay

Cardinals Fall To Packers On Dreary Day In Green Bay

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THE STORY: GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – Kyler Murray was succinct, shaking his head at the “bonehead play after bonehead play” the Cardinals put on Lambeau Field on Sunday afternoon.

The least penalized team in the league nearly reached its season total for flags in one game. The TD-score-to-open games streak came to a jarring halt, ending on a miscommunication incompletion between Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. that Murray said was his fault. The defense, looking to prevent big plays against Jordan Love and the Packers, gave up big plays.

The 34-13 loss was 24-0 before the Cardinals (2-4) could find their footing, and it couldn’t have been much more disappointing after an emotional road win the week before.

“This is upsetting,” defensive lineman L.J. Collier said. “We can win back-to-back games and we can do things like that. We have to execute. We have to put this (expletive) in motion, honestly.

“We’ve got everything we need in the building. We just have to play better.”

The Cardinals had an NFL-low 19 penalties before the game but committed 13 for 100 yards (and had one flag declined and another wiped out from offsetting fouls). Too many came pre-snap.

It was out of character for a Jonathan Gannon team, but indicative of a day that was often played under dark clouds and rain.

“We just didn’t compete smart enough today,” Gannon said.

That didn’t include the three lost fumbles, short-circuiting any hope of a rally. The Cardinals did force a Love interception by cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, but the offense could only turn it into a field goal.

Love threw four touchdown passes for a second straight game, and the Packers had seven players with at least one rushing attempt while piling up 179 yards on the ground. Gannon noted the Cardinals didn’t do enough on the pass rush to affect Love, who too often had a long time to choose his target.

“We’ve got to go back to the drawing board,” linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. said. “If we want to be a playoff team, we’ve got to figure that (expletive) out.”

While the Packers were running, the Cardinals couldn’t. The deficit didn’t help, but the Cardinals totaled 89 yards on the ground with James Conner notching only 24 on seven carries before essentially sitting out the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.

Murray completed 22-of-32 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown to Michael Wilson. But his gaudy running average was held down – Murray had 14 yards on seven carries – and the turnovers wiped out potential drives.

“We play like that, we won’t beat anybody,” Murray said.

“There is no magic wand to wave. We just have to execute.”


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Miami Dolphins Postgame Quotes 10/6

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(On his thoughts after a game like that)

“That’s a character-building win, you know. A lot of stuff went wrong, it’s like, man that was a pretty ugly ballgame, especially in the first half. But one thing we didn’t do is we didn’t flinch. We didn’t relax, we just stayed hungry, kept fighting, kept believing and found a way to get the win when it mattered. Your big-time players have to come up with big-time plays in big-time games and the way we started running the ball in the second half was inspiring. We still gave up too many yards rushing on defense, there’s a lot to clean up, lot of ball that we can work on. But we’ve got a bye week, we’re going to study ourselves, we’ll figure out how to get better and come out of this bye and try to get another win.”

(On if it was a frustrating day even though the Dolphins came away with the win)

“When you get a win, especially after we haven’t had a win for a few weeks, I don’t know, you can’t be too frustrated. I feel pretty good right now. It could definitely be better. We will grade it, we will clean it up and we will try to improve. But you know, it’s been so long since we’ve got a win, I’m just going to enjoy this one. 24 hours, 24 hours to enjoy it.”

(On the fact that other than the turnover that set up the Patriots’ touchdown, how the Dolphins defense didn’t give up many yards)

“One of the things we try to preach is coming off of turnovers, having a sense of urgency and keeping points off the board or hold them to three. We had opportunities there. It was a bust and also (inaudible), they capitalized. It’s the NFL and they’ve got some good players. They made a big-time play. That’s something we know we can fix and we fixed it and we played a lot better. They had a really good game plan in the run game and way too many yards. One thing we’ve learned is we’ll fix it the following game, let’s just keep playing ball. Nobody has to try to do more than their job, just keep doing your job and we’ll be okay.”

(On the bye week and if it comes at a good time for the team)

“It really doesn’t matter, right? This is the time, so we’re definitely going to study ourselves and during the bye week, I always try to go back and watch every play and see what I was doing. See what works, see what didn’t work and then kind of figure out going forward, do more of the stuff that works and do less of the stuff that doesn’t.”

“Any fullback dive might be the day-one install for every offense in America, high school to Peewee, Pop Warner, everything. It was cool to end a 17-play drive like that. Credit to the offensive line, I didn’t have to do anything. Center, left guard watched their guys, they climbed up to the linebackers, so for a two-yard run to cap a statement drive is something that we needed desperately. As a team, to score a touchdown at that moment, it was a team drive, it was a team touchdown. So, I think it’s really a testament to all of our work over the last month or so, trying to get back right. It was a long drive capped off by a nice touchdown.”

(On this being the first time the team has had a real physical presence this year)

“I think it goes back to trusting things. We were running the ball quite a bit in the first half. Whether it’s a penalty here or a little procedural thing there, it kind of got us off track. We get four-yard runs, six-yard runs, but we trusted each other. Coaching staff, all the way down to the players. Doing your one-eleventh. That’s all that a running game is. A full team playing all four quarters. And I don’t think, like you said, we haven’t seen that quite yet out of our team. It’s something we’re working on, it’s our process that we’re building towards, so to see a seventeen-play drive in the fourth quarter, when we need it, I think was pretty cool for our entire process, for our entire organization to go through that together.”

(On going back to Miami with a win)

“I think you’re a couple plays away from a win or a loss, and somewhat of a sloppy execution game you could say. Being able to validate that the process that we’re building towards something. You see glimpses on tape, week-in and week-out, then you have the results of a loss, it can sting, it’s frustrating, it’s demoralizing, it’s tough. When you get that win, you’re able to say, ‘okay we’re on the right track, we’re building towards something right.’ But it’s not good yet, it’s not good enough yet. So, that little tweak in the mindset, fighting to find that silver lining I think is extremely important for our team going into a bye week 2-3, to be able to right the ship, to be able to continue to cross the Ts and dot the Is and make sure we’re a better football team at the end of the season than when we started.”

(On if any other plays from the game stand out to him)

“Yeah I think Jaylen Wright (RB), definitely stepped up big. One of his biggest runs of the day was called back because of a holding call. To see him not blink, to be able to go back and convert on a first down later in that same drive, that I think was really cool to see. Raheem (Raheem Mostert, RB) to come back and be able to play physical, you see him, he’s the fastest guy on the team, one of the fastest guys on the team. To be able to run, yards after contact and push that pile, doesn’t seem like a whole lot but second and three is a whole heck of a lot better than second and eight. To be able to find those creases, I think both of those guys played really hard, really physical and it was really cool to see them flourish in the fourth quarter like that.”

(On Tyler Huntley in the huddle)

“His personality was coming out in a number of different ways, and I loved it. It’s more than just a play call, right. As a quarter back, when you get a little bit more comfortable, he’s been here a couple weeks now, to be able to see his little impacts, his little points of emphasis in the huddle, being able to make guys lock in on their assignments and details and understanding the circumstance of the game, I think that was really cool for Snoop to be able to do that for our offense because that’s what a leader is. He’s coming in a tough spot as a quarterback and to be able to have command, to be able to find that confidence to voice himself, for guys to listen and respect that was everything that you could hang your hat on for this offense right now.”

(On if there was a point where the offense could feel the command from Huntley)

“I think that was in the second half. To understand that we were going through adversity, mishaps, things we can’t control. Whether it was a wild snap, a blocked punt, a missed field goal, we had all those things happening in the first half. To be able to have that confidence and command and say ‘no matter what happens, we can’t control that, we can control this right now’, that was pretty special to see. Anybody can have command when it’s all going good, but when you’re playing from behind, when it’s gritty like that, when you’ve got to get a couple first downs to string along a drive and have command when it’s not going well, I think that was the biggest respect Snoop got from all of us.”

(On the offense playing from under center)

“Either way it doesn’t really matter, just get the ball in our hands, and we will try and make it work. They were giving us some good looks, at the end of the day we just try and exploit them and take advantage.”

(On overcoming the first half mistakes)

“It was fairly tough. You see what’s going on like when we were in the red zone, and then the ball gets snapped behind us and Ally [Alec Ingold] recovers the snap, little things like that, are just putting us in a bind, but honestly we just have to overcome those things.”

(On how not to have the mistakes get the team down)

“I guess you just have to have a talk with the guys and you know after that the whole thing happened, I just jumped right in and said, ‘everyone let’s go, let’s pick it up, and that’s not how we play ball. We have to stop making these critical mistakes and go out there and do what we do.'”

(On how it feels to be back)

“It’s been good and I don’t know what my stats are but I really don’t care. I’m just happy we got the biggest stat which is that W, and honestly it feels good. Just watching the team from afar and the sidelines these past couple of weeks, it has been a little bit of a mental stressor but at the same time it has been one of those things that I just have to get healthy and get back out there for the boys and I was able to do that today.”

(On getting the run game going this week)

“It felt good, after a hard-working week of practice. We were able to focus on the details and paying attention and having the right aiming points and right tracks and everything. I just feel like it all came together in the second half. I felt like we were getting good movement thanks to the offensive line. We were getting good movement you know and getting it up to the second or third level. It opens things up for the run to produce great runs.”

(On the drive at the end of the game and Tyler Huntley’s play)

“He is a pro and he is here for a reason. Coach brought him in for a reason. He is somebody we can lean on, you know someone who he is leader already and he has only been here for like three weeks. I feel like he has done a great job in the system for how short of a time he has been here. Just him being out there, just him getting everyone lined up and paying attention.”

“This win has been needed. We have had a rough past few weeks, you know what I am saying. But that is just the beat of the game. We put those past games in the past and you know we just have to stay in the present. We got a win this week going into a bye week and then we come back with the same mindset to win.”

(On getting the win in a close game)

“The only satisfaction relies on winning. We got the job done and that is all that we came out here for and I am going to enjoy this one. It’s just another game on the schedule. Winning in this league is all that matters. Each week is its own challenge. There are different ways of winning, but at the end of the day, in that column there is only win or loss. Every week defensively, offensively, special teams, there are different scenarios that help you win games and sometimes you have to lean on certain things. Obviously, objectively, you want every group to come together and operate as one. It doesn’t always go that way but at the end of the day we figured out a way to win.”

(On getting a win heading into the bye week)

“You don’t want to go into a bye week with however many days off with a loss. You want to go into the bye week with momentum and I’m glad that we got it. Now we’ve got to keep rolling. I’m going to spend some time with my family, relax and kick it a little bit. Spend some time with my wife and kids. I’m going to try and catch a game (at his college, FIU).”

(On getting the win heading into the bye week)

“We’re 2-3 and the whole season is ahead of us. It’s great getting a win going into the bye week, but there’s a lot to correct. We did it, we won, but I think we have a lot going forward for us to work on and work on what worked today.”

(On how he thought the game went)

“Our offense was moving the ball and I had total faith. We have powerful running backs and the ground game was awesome today. I don’t care how we win, if we move the ball, we move the ball. There’s no ugly victories. It is hard to win in this league. I don’t care who you are or how good your team is, or what the score is. We did it, we have things to clean up, but we did it.”

(On if he thought the defense played well)

“We played good, but we can play better. That’s how we look at it, always get better; always keep improving.”

(On if they had a specific goal defensively to control the game)

“Defensive line-wise, we always go in thinking we are going to stop the run and take control up front to do our part to win the game. You can only control what you do and when you try to do too much that is when things go bad.”

(On his thoughts about the offensive struggles in the first half)

“There are definitely things we need to improve on. I can only speak for myself and I need to go back to my technique and fundamentals. We’ll watch the tape on the plane and see what we need to correct.”

(On being able to run the ball in the fourth quarter and get the win)

“It’s great. We were effective in the run game during the game and especially at the end. It’s something we are going to keep building on. It’s something we can’t give up on so we have to keep working and keep trying to improve.”

(On what was working well today)

“With us, it was just staying committed and trust in what we are being coached. Throughout the week we were coached to go outward and not upward and I think that carried over to the game. Pad level was emphasized and that is something we worked on that came through today.”

(On the seven-and-a-half-minute game-winning drive)

“That was tiring. You never really count the plays, but you’re kind of just looking around and just waiting for the next play, but it’s all about one play at a time. Definitely at the end though, that was a tiring one.”


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Ravens at Bengals Postgame Notes and Quotes

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NOTES

Burrow Moves to Fifth on Bengals All-Time Passing Yards List

Joe Burrow in the second quarter surpassed former quarterback Jeff Blake for fifth place on the Bengals all-time passing yards chart. He entered the day 73 passing yards shy of Blake (15,134), who played in 75 games for Cincinnati from 1994-99.

Burrow’s career passing yardage total following Sunday’s game is 15,453. Positioned fourth on the team’s all-time list is Carson Palmer, who threw for 22,694 yards during his Bengals career.

Career-high Five TDs for Burrow

Burrow completed 30 of 39 passes for 392 yards and five touchdowns with one interception, good for a 137.0 passer rating that goes in as the fourth-highest in a game in his career. His five scoring tosses set a new career high (threw four on four occasions), and tied for the second-most in a game in Bengals history. Three previous Cincinnati quarterbacks had five or more touchdown passes in a game — Boomer Esiason (twice), Carson Palmer (twice), and Andy Dalton.

Burrow became the 10th quarterback in NFL history with a stat line of 390+ passing yards, 5+ touchdown passes and a completion percentage of 75+, and the first since former Houston QB Deshaun Watson in 2019.

Chase Shines in 50th Game

Ja’Marr Chase played in his 50th career regular-season game on Sunday and finished with 10 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns. His scoring receptions were a 41-yarder from Burrow with nine seconds remaining in the first half, and a 70-yarder on a quick screen midway through the fourth quarter.

Chase’s career receiving yardage total following the game is 4,210, which surpasses Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (4,164) for the fifth-most in NFL history through a player’s first 50 games. Leading that list are Lance Alworth (4,785), Odell Beckham Jr. (4,695), Julio Jones (4,471) and Randy Moss (4,272).

Chase also is one of just five players in league history with over 4,000 receiving yards and 30 receiving touchdowns through 50 games, alongside Rice, Moss, Beckham and former Bengals Pro Bowler A.J. Green.

Chase’s 70-yarder marked his 10th career touchdown reception of 60+ yards, which tied Harlon Hill for the most in NFL history by a player under the age of 25.

Bengals Double Dip… Again

Cincinnati executed the “double-dip” for a second straight week, scoring a touchdown on the final true possession of the first half and the first possession of the second half. Burrow found Chase on a 41-yard bomb with nine seconds remaining in the second quarter to give the Bengals their first lead of the game.

The play marked Burrow’s 22nd touchdown pass of 40 or more yards since the start of the 2020 season, and Chase’s 14th TD reception from 40-plus since 2021 — both lead the NFL in their respective time frames.

The Bengals then opened the second half with a 12-play, 70-yard march down the field capped off by a five-yard scoring pass from Burrow to Higgins. It marked Higgins’ fifth career multi-TD game and his first since a Week 15 win over Minnesota last season.

The Bengals also pulled off the double-dip last week at Carolina, when they scored with one second remaining in the first half then found the end zone again early in the third quarter en route to their first win of the season.

Burrow to Higgins Gets Bengals on Board

Tee Higgins gave Cincinnati its first points of the afternoon with his first touchdown of the season, an 11-yard catch from Burrow on third down early in the second quarter. It was Higgins’ 25th career score, and his first since Week 16 of last season at Pittsburgh. He is the 15th player in Bengals history to reach 25 receiving touchdowns.

Hubbard Stops Henry For Safety

Sam Hubbard snuck through the Ravens’ offensive line and stuffed running back Derrick Henry two yards deep in the Baltimore end zone for a safety midway through the second quarter. It marked the first safety recorded by the Bengals since Week 13 of the 2019 season, when Cincinnati drew a holding call when the N.Y. Jets attempted a pass from their own end zone.

A Pair of Two-Pointers

The safety forced by Hubbard was followed later by a successful two-point conversion via a Chase Brown one-yard run late in the second quarter. It marked the first time in Bengals history that the team recorded a safety and a two-point conversion in the same half. The last time Cincinnati had a pair of two-point plays of any kind in the same game was Week 16 of the 2019 season, when the Bengals converted a two-point attempt twice in the fourth quarter at Miami.


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JP Richardson

TCU Football Postgame Notes – TCU Athletics

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Football


Richardson has career-best receiving day with 9 receptions for 98 yards




Team Notes
•TCU had its nine-game winning streak against Houston snapped. The Cougars beat the Horned Frogs for the first time since 1992 and hold a 14-13 edge in the all-time series.

•TCU’s defense forced three fumbles.

•TCU scored for the 400th consecutive game, the second-longest streak in NCAA history. No. 1 is Florida at 452 games (1988-present). The Horned Frogs haven’t been blanked since Nov. 16, 1991, at Texas (32-0).

 

•TCU wore a chrome helmet, purple jersey and purple pants.

Individual Notes

Offense 

• Josh Hoover extended his nation’s-best streak to nine consecutive games with at least 20 completions and two touchdown passes. It’s the longest by a Big 12 quarterback since Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden from 2010-11.

•Hoover has at least one touchdown pass in 11 of 12 career starts.

 

•JP Richardson had a career-best nine receptions for 98 yards.

 

•Richardson has at least one catch in 33 consecutive games, the seventh-longest streak in the nation.

•Jack Bech had a 29-yard touchdown catch for his team-best seventh receiving score on the season.

 

•Bech has a receiving touchdown in four straight games and in five of six contests this season.

•Savion Williams’ 21-yard touchdown catch was his fourth of the season and 12th of his career.

•True freshman running back Jeremy Payne made his first career start and had a 2-yard scoring run for his first collegiate touchdown.

 

•Cam Cook rushed for 77 yards on 14 carries, his best effort since a career-high 81 yards at Stanford in the season opener. 

 

Defense 

•Namdi Obiazor had a team-best 11 tackles, including two for loss, with a sack and forced fumble.

•Cooper McDonald had a sack for the second straight game to give him 2.5 on the season, tying Obiazor for the team lead.

•McDonald and Abe Camara joined Obiazor with forced fumbles in the game.

 

•Zachary Chapman recorded his second sack of the season.

 


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Bengals at Panthers Postgame Notes and Quotes

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Running backs Zack Moss and Chase Brown scored on one-yard plays to end the first half and open the second, and the Bengals used the “double-dip” to post their first win of the year in a 34-24 victory over the Panthers.

Quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns, one a 63-yard-catch-and-run play by wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Brown and Moss combined to put the Bengals over 100 yards rushing.

NOTES

Burrow Hits 15K

Joe Burrow surpassed 15,000 career passing yards on his first completion of the third quarter, a 10-yarder to tight end Erick All Jr. Playing in his 56th game, Burrow tied for the fourth-fastest player in NFL history to reach 15,000 passing yards.

Burrow finished the day 22 of 31 for 232 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, good for a passer rating of 100.5.

Burrow Through 2,000 Attempts

Burrow threw his 2,000th career pass attempt on the Bengals’ opening offensive possession. His 1,363 completions at the time he reached that mark went in as the second-most in NFL history through any quarterback’s first 2,000 attempts. Only former San Diego/New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees had more (1,444).

Joe to Ja’Marr For 63

Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase over the middle on a third down in the second quarter, and the Pro Bowler fought off would-be tacklers to take it for a 63-yard touchdown. It marked Chase’s ninth career receiving touchdown of 60 or more yards, the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2021. It also ties former Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for the most such touchdowns in the Super Bowl era by a player under the age of 25.

The play also marked Burrow’s 15th career touchdown pass of 50 or more yards, the most leaguewide since the start of the 2020 season.

Ja’Marr Reaches 4K

Chase finished with three catches for 85 yards and his third touchdown of the season. He reached 4,000 career receiving yards in the process, and playing in his 49th game he became the fastest Bengal ever to do so. Chase surpassed A.J. Green, who hit the 4K mark in his 50th game.

Chase also became just the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to reach 4,000+ receiving and 30+ receiving touchdowns in his first 50 games, joining Green, Beckham Jr., and Pro Football Hall of Famers Randy Moss and Jerry Rice.

Bengals Execute “Double-Dip”

Cincinnati successfully pulled off the “double-dip,” scoring a touchdown on the final true possession of the first half and the opening possession of the second half. The Bengals received the ball on their own 34-yard line with 1:08 remaining in the second quarter and marched on an eight-play, 66-yard drive capped off by a Burrow-to-Zack Moss TD pass with one second left on the clock.

It marked the latest Bengals touchdown scored in a first half since A.J. Green caught a 48-yard pass from Andy Dalton with no time remaining in Week 7 of the 2016 season against Cleveland.

The Bengals then opened the third quarter with an eight play, 71-yard drive that was punctuated by Chase Brown’s second rushing score of the afternoon to make it 28-14.

Bell Sets Up Brown

Vonn Bell intercepted a Dalton pass that was affected by Trey Hendrickson in the first quarter, and returned the pick 32 yards to the Carolina 16. It was Bell’s eighth career interception and his first since Week 2 of last season, which also came at Bank of America Stadium when he played for the Panthers.

The pick made way for Chase Brown’s first career rushing touchdown five plays later that gave Cincinnati a 7-0 lead. The second-year back out of Illinois had one previous career touchdown via a screen pass he took 54 yards to the end zone in Week 14 last season versus Indianapolis.

Money Mac Good From 56

Evan McPherson drilled a 56-yard field goal to boost the Bengals’ lead to 31-14 late in the third quarter. It extended his Bengals career record to 24 field goals from 50+ yards, which also are the second-most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2021. It was McPherson’s longest field goal since Week 8 of last season at San Francisco — also a 56-yarder. McPherson later knocked through a 46-yard field goal with 1:14 remaining to put Cincinnati up by 10 and seal the victory.


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Kentucky Wildcats Football wins at Ole Miss: Recap, 4 takeaways and postgame cheers

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The Kentucky Wildcats entered Saturday’s matchup against the No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels needing a signature win over a quality opponent.

After being dismantled by South Carolina and just missing a victory over the top-ranked program in America, the Big Blue Nation was craving a conference win. The task would be tall as Ole Miss had spanked every team put in front of it prior to today, and the Cats entered the game as 17-.5-point dogs while down star cornerback Maxwell Hairston.

The Rebels’ scoring margin through the first four games of the season was 220-22, the highest in SEC history to begin a year.

Their offense moves at a rapid pace and can run up the scoreboard before you even know what happened. With the pregame news of Kentucky defensive star Maxwell Hairston being ruled out, the challenge for UK grew tremendously.

But Mark Stoops’ team came ready to play and rose to the occasion.

Kentucky looked like the better team in the first half, taking a 10-7 lead into the locker room. Dane Key was the offensive catalyst, scoring his first touchdown of the season and the Cats’ first touchdown in conference play.

The second half was similar to the last time Kentucky traveled to Oxford. The game came down to the final minutes and a wild play. A fumble recovery in the end zone gave the Cats a 20-16 lead with 2:25 to go.

After a hard-fought last two minutes, a missed field goal helped UK prevail 20-17 in what was Mark Stoops’s signature win.

That’s right. Your Kentucky Wildcats pulled off what’s easily among the best wins any college football team has this season, maybe even the best.

Here are four things to know from the monumental win!

Kentucky’s defense is one of the best in college football

If you didn’t already know — Brad White’s defense is legitimately one of the best units in America.

The Cats held Ole Miss to just 7 points and 129 total yards in the first half. They’ve now been the only team to throttle the Rebel offense in any capacity this season.

Holding Ole Miss to 17 points was beyond impressive, and the nation is now aware that Brad White’s group is for real.

Kentucky’s 20-17 upset was their highest-ranked road win since 1977 and will surely go down as a signature victory for Mark Stoops.

It’s time to give Brad White his roses after far too many people were calling for his job at the end of last season. It’s time for someone to give him a chance to be a head coach.

Dane Key with another breakout performance

Following up on a career-best game against Ohio, Dane Key showed why he’s one of the most lethal weapons in the SEC on Saturday against Ole Miss.

The local product would not only fill up the stat sheet but also impose his will by drawing pass-interference calls, some of which were missed.

Key would finish the game with eight grabs for 105 yards and a score.

Dane Key will play on Sundays soon and has the chance to be exceptional.

He’d finish the game with eight catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Controlling time of possession

Similar to the Georgia game, Kentucky aimed to control the time of possession, and they succeeded. Ole Miss only had the football for 8 minutes in the first half. Keeping the Rebels’ explosive offense off the field allowed the Cats to operate at their speed offensively and ultimately secure a lead after the first two quarters.

The second half was much of the same as UK had the ball in total nearly double that of Ole Miss. While the defense did the bulk of the work, the offense did a great job of sustaining drives and keeping the clock moving to limit the Rebels’ total possessions in this one.

It is HAPPY BYE week

The Cats will get a much-needed week off after their trip to Oxford. UK won’t take the field again until October 12th when Vandy comes to Kroger Field.

Taking on the Commodores at home should be a much easier task than playing an offensive juggernaut like the Ole Miss Rebels on the road.

Vanderbilt is 2-2 on the season and has a BYE this week. But after playing Alabama next Saturday afternoon, the Dores are very likely to be 2-3 before traveling to Lexington.

Securing a conference win is always a major plus, and there’s rarely a better opportunity than a home game against Vandy.

And with the upcoming games at Florida and vs. Auburn being very winnable, this team now has a chance to hit 8+ wins after it seemed just getting to six was a major uphill climb.

Now, we have hope for what this season will become!

Let’s celebrate!!

GO CATS!!!


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Postgame Notes and Quotes: Commanders at Bengals

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NOTES

Joe’s 100th Touchdown Pass Opens Scoring

Burrow capped off the Bengals’ six-play opening drive with a 41-yard bomb to Chase that put Cincinnati in front just 3:23 into the game. It marked the Bengals’ quickest touchdown scored since Week 16 of the 2022 season at New England, when Tee Higgins found the end zone 2:36 into the first quarter.

The play marked Burrow’s 100th career touchdown pass in his 55th regular-season game, tying him for the seventh-fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach the century mark. It also was his 20th career touchdown pass of 40 or more yards, the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2020.

For Chase, it was his 12th career touchdown catch of 40-plus yards, the second-most leaguewide since his 2021 NFL debut (Kansas City/Miami WR Tyreek Hill has 13). It also marked Chase’s first 40-plus-yard reception of any kind since his 76-yard touchdown in Week 13 of last season at Jacksonville.

Ja’Marr Goes For 100+, Two Touchdowns

Burrow found Chase down the right sideline for a 31-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to pull the Bengals within five. It gave Chase his seventh career game with multiple receiving touchdowns, the third-most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2021.

Chase finished the game with six catches for a season-high 118 yards. He now has 15 career games with 100-plus receiving yards, the eighth-most leaguewide since 2021.

Three On The Year For Yoshi

Burrow connected with second-year receiver Andrei Iosivas on fourth-and-goal late in the third quarter, and the Princeton product reached the ball just over the goal line to cut Cincinnati’s deficit to one possession. It marked Iosivas’ third touchdown of the season, and the seventh of his career on just 25 total receptions.

McPherson Logs 100th Attempt

Evan McPherson’s 28-yard field goal midway through the second quarter marked his 100th career field goal attempt. His 84 made field goals are the third-most in team history through any kicker’s first 100 attempts, trailing Shayne Graham and Randy Bullock (87 each).

Linebacker Duo Fills Tackle Column Again

Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt combined for 18 tackles, as each player finished with nine to tie for the team lead. Combining Wilson’s total tonight with his 12 stops in each of the first two weeks, he became the first Bengals player since linebacker Nick Vigil in 2018 to post nine or more tackles in three straight games to open a season.

Pratt and Wilson have 33 total tackles apiece this season, which are tied for the most over the first three weeks of a season by any Bengals player since at least 1987. They also are two of the four Bengals ever to total 30-plus stops through the team’s first three games, joining Vigil (32 in 2018) and linebacker Dhani Jones (32 in 2008).

The Bengals came away with points on six of their seven offensive drives, with the one outlier being a missed field goal try in the second quarter. Washington, meanwhile, scored on each of its six true possessions (two kneel-downs at end of the first half and end of game). It marked the first NFL game since 1940 in which neither team punted or committed a turnover.


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Cardinals Feel The Physical, And Lions Aftermath

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There were more than a few Cardinals moving around slowly in the locker room Sunday, and it wasn’t because they were angry. It was just the game. All week the conversation was about how physical both the Cardinals and Lions play, and it looked that way.

How many times did a player go down after a play? The cart got some use for the Lions, and that last collision between Trey McBride and Lions safety Brian Branch was harsh. Guys got hurt, and guys got beat up on both sides. But that’s how the Cardinals want to play. The problem was that they couldn’t create enough creases for the run game – and James Conner in particular – to get through.

The Cardinals are so good running the ball. Even coach Jonathan Gannon acknowledged, “yeah I am” when I asked him if he was surprised the ground game faced such tough sledding.

But this loss feels a lot like the one in Buffalo, and what I mean by that is that it’s going to look a little better after a little time and some emotion passes. I expect the Bills and Lions to both be factors in their conference for a Super Bowl berth. Close losses aren’t enough if there are too many of them, but let’s see how this evolves. I know this: the defense does look to be better than predictions expected. And I don’t see this offense playing like it did Sunday too often.

— What happens at right tackle? The soonest Jonah Williams can return is Week 6 in Green Bay. We will see how Kelvin Beachum’s hamstring is, but it was bad enough to sit him. Jackson Barton held up decently Sunday before his toe issue late – Aiden Hutchinson’s lone sack came when he lined up across Paris Johnson Jr.

“I just knew every play, I needed to make it my best rep,” Barton said.

“He battled in there,” Gannon said. “He didn’t want to come out of the game when I went out when he was down. He’s a true pro.”

Does the toe keep Barton down is the question. Veteran Charlie Heck, fourth on the depth chart, had to finish the game.

— Kyler Murray wasn’t happy with his first interception of the season. It came on the opening drive of the second half, the score 20-10, and the Cards facing a second-and-3 at the Detroit 36. Murray tried a jump ball to Marvin Harrison Jr. in the end zone, but the ball was slightly underthrown and picked off by Kerby Joseph.

“Probably not the right time to be doing that, but it is what is,” Murray said. “I trust my guys.”

— Harrison ended up with a game-high 11 targets, but only five were completions for 64 yards and a TD. Murray looked for him often and there were close calls – Terrion Arnold broke up what looked like a TD pass right before halftime – but not enough production in the end.

— The Mack Wilson pick-6 that wasn’t ended up hurting perception, but if the officials were blowing the whistle and no one could hear it, it didn’t matter. And the Cards know they have to stop that next third down run of 14 when the Lions needed 12. That last TD never should’ve happened. (Although to see a tweet from all-time Lions great receiver Herman Moore saying it should’ve counted …)

— Because Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs didn’t have an official reception, it’s kind of funny – thanks to the hook-and-lateral – to see a guy with a receiving TD and 20 yards receiving but a big ol’ doughnut in the catches column.

— The Cardinals have been pretty healthy, but to see defensive linemen Justin Jones and Khyiris Tonga both banged up, and yet another right tackle, and tight end Trey McBride getting a concussion check, that’s rough. It follows though given how physical the game was.

— Cardinals kicker Matt Prater’s extra point on the team’s touchdown to open the game was the 1,800th of his career. He’s the lone active player to reach that milestone.

— Suns guard and Olympic gold medalist Devin Booker was on hand. (We won’t talk about, with Michigan roots, that he leans toward the Lions.)

Speaking of the Suns, the Cardinals noted the passing of longtime Suns play-by-play voice Al McCoy, who died at the age of 91 over the weekend. Cardinals play-by-play man Dave Pasch delivered McCoy’s patented “Shazam!” as a punctuation to the Cardinals’ first touchdown Sunday, Marvin Harrison Jr.’s catch.

— As someone who moved to Arizona back in 1976 as a young kid, McCoy (along with Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, since there weren’t Diamondbacks when I was growing up) was the soundtrack to my youth. TV sports weren’t quite what they are now, and I listened to both guys on KTAR in my room, picturing the games in my mind.

— The Cardinals didn’t get done what they wanted to offensively, but they were excellent on their first drive, scoring a TD on their first possession for the third time in three games. The last time the Cardinals scored on their first drive in three straight games? You have to go back to 2006 – Denny Green’s last season – when they did it Weeks 12-14.

— The last word goes to wide receiver Michael Wilson, who acknowledged a loss that didn’t have to be.

“Everything in the game of football matters more,” he said. “It’s magnified. It’s one of the few sports where you train exponentially more than you play games. … every target, every block means more because you’ll only get so many guaranteed opportunities to perform. We just didn’t do a good enough job as an offensive unit to give us a chance to win.”


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Postgame Quotes vs. Marshall – Ohio State

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No. 3 Ohio State 49, Marshall 14
Sept. 21, 2024 – Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 103,871

Ryan Day, Ohio State head coach

On his approach to today’s game…

“We wanted to play fast today. We felt like that was the right approach and when you do that, you’re creating explosive plays that turn the ball over quick too.”

 

On kicker Austin Snyder replacing Jayden Fielding for the second half…

“We put Austin in there and thought he did a nice job. We will evaluate them, but either way we can’t have that. You get to the point where you want to let somebody play through it, but at another point, we have to make a change.”

 

On the team’s overall performance…

“The things we did well, we will continue to enhance and the things we didn’t do well, we have to grow from. They do some good things, and we aren’t going to take any win for granted; there is a lot of work that gets put into them. The guys are playing hard and we have to keep building on that.”

 

On his penalty…

“There was 21 seconds on the clock when we subbed in, and they were really slow getting in. When you make a sub around 21 seconds, you should be able to still run a play. We had to call time out and I went to the numbers; I didn’t curse, but I was raising my voice saying that at some point that has to be delay of game on defense. I guess I yelled too loud.”

 

On the Buckeyes’ running game…

“I think what you are seeing is an identity that’s slowly getting molded here where we are explosive on the perimeter. There’s some things that we can do better there, and coach better, but we are trying to stretch the field vertically. When you think back to when we had Justin Fields and J.T. Barrett, it was just a different running game, and I’ve started to see that come back a little bit.”

 

On the running backs…

“All three of them, I have to give credit. They all have special abilities; they play well off each other. They are unselfish, which is the biggest thing you can say, a bunch of guys that don’t care who gets the credit.”

 

On entering Big Ten play…

“We go against good players every day in practice, so it’s not like we don’t know what we look like against good players.”

 

On quarterback Will Howard’s performance…

“Will did some really good things, like the touchdown play to Jeremiah. It was a sight adjustment, where he had to see it, and so the execution on that was very high. The long pass to Carnell [Tate] was well done; he saw the adjustment that was made there and found the next read. I think he’s growing and getting more comfortable with the offense.”

 

On running back Quinshon Judkins…

“I appreciate how hard he plays; his pad level, he runs, he’s got vulnerability which you can see he gets behind his pads and runs physical. He’s got a great attitude. You can coach Quinshon hard, and he looks at you in the eye and almost appreciates the fact that you coach hard. It says a lot about him as a person and he’s running hard. I think he enjoys being part of this program and he’s been nothing but a great teammate so far.”

Jordan Hancock, Ohio State cornerback

On the team’s ability to make quick adjustments…

“We haven’t been hit with too much adversity in the season, but them going out there and scoring, we just had to take a chip on our shoulder that second drive and the drives after that. That’s what we did, we just had to go out there and make adjustments because we have some really good coaches, and they’re trying to put us in the best position for us to win.”

 

On defending air raid offense and getting it on film…

“It’s a huge positive right now in our defense, our scheme, and maybe our techniques on the outside. We know when we go to East Lansing, they’re going to be passing the ball a lot, so I’m happy we saw this team before we go up there.”

 

On how prepared the team is for Michigan State…

“We are really prepared. Coming off that bye week, we didn’t look over Marshall, but they [Michigan State] kind of run the same thing that Marshall does, air raid. Seeing this team right here will make us better for next week.”

 

On keeping up the intensity in Big Ten play…

“It starts with the offseason, with Coach Mick [Mariotti], he always says ‘second half mentality, fourth quarter mentality.’ That’s what we brought into the season right here, and we’ve shown that these first three games, that we’re ready for that in Big Ten games.”

 

Lathan Ransom, Ohio State safety

On the offense’s explosive start…

“The offense played great and they got established early. TreVeyon [Henderson] ran the ball very hard. You always love to see it. It gets everyone going and brings a lot of energy and it also opens up a lot of plays in the passing game.”

 

On being ready for the upcoming Big Ten games…

“I’m super excited. I can’t wait to play some of the Big Ten teams. Those games are always exciting, especially our first away game.”

 

On the younger players stepping up…

“I think the young guys stepped up really well; that’s what is special about our team. We always have dudes that are ready to play and a backup that’s just as ready.”

 

On adjusting to Marshall’s run game…

“When they get a light box and they check to the run, everyone’s fits have to be correct. We fixed what we needed and stopped it in the second half.”

 

Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State wide receiver

On the explosive offense…

“It’s really hard to stop our running game and hard to stop our passing attack. We have Quinshon Judkins and TreyVeon Henderson, probably the best duo that I’ve ever seen in college football. And we have the athletes that we do, on the outside. So, there’s threats everywhere. It’s hard to game plan for us.”

 

On emphasizing receiver/perimeter blocking…

“It was a really big emphasis that we had going into this year because blocking downfield is where you really find the explosive plays. If you watch in years past, plays that could’ve been touchdowns, are tackles that are made by safeties and cornerbacks. You know, it’s never going to be a defensive lineman chasing them 30 yards downfield for the most part. So that really falls on the responsibility of the wide receivers to get those jobs done.”

 

On the mentality of blocking as a receiver…

“I think it’s more of a mentality thing. Blocking is never really scheme. It can be partially technique on the outside, but for the most part, you have to want to block. You have to come off the ball every run play like it’s a pass play, to keep that threat of pass and run there at all times. It’s definitely a mentality thing. It’s something that we’ve been trying to hold and just have that going about us every single game.”

 

On having over 100 yards receiving…

“Obviously, it’s fun to be able to perform at a very high level, but I never really tried to hang my hat on statistics. If I had zero catches, but I still ran all the right routes and did all the right things, it doesn’t make me any less of a player. I could have gone for 300 yards today, but that’s just because the ball came my way. I try to do what I can with the opportunities that I presented.”

 

On catching his first touchdown of the year…

“I’m just going to do my job to the best of my ability. If the ball comes my way, it does, but at the end of the day, there’s a responsibility deeper than just statistics. We’re trying to make a legendary run this year.”

Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State running back

On his 86-yard touchdown run…

“It definitely felt pretty good. I turned around to see if I had a flag on the play, but after that I was super excited about it.”

 

On the culture at Ohio State…

“I think it’s the brotherhood; everybody has put blood, sweat and tears into this program.  Everybody has woken up at five in the morning to get in the building and trained. It’s because you want it for the person beside you; just knowing that I can trust that guy, he’s got me, and he’s going to go out there and make a play.” 

 

On what he feels when he gets the ball in his hands…

“I think the mindset of me and my teammates as a whole is to play with bad intentions. I think that’s my mindset when I get the ball, I’m going to do my job and try to score.”

 

On getting a win…

“I enjoy every single win. Like what Coach Day says, it’s hard to get a win in any football game, so we enjoy the win, come back tomorrow and see how we can improve in the next game.”

 

Will Howard, Ohio State quarterback

On how attitudes can shift when the run game is doing effective…

“You saw the offensive line rocking off the ball; they were getting up to that second level very fast with the way that their front was set up. I think our guards got good movement and those guys were getting up to the second level well. Our running backs were doing an unbelievable job of reading things. When the run game is clicking, it makes my job easy.”

 

On Coach Chip Kelly’s play calling now three games into the season…

“I think we’re clicking. We’re on the same page on a lot of things and the way that we see coverages and the way that we see just the pictures, we’re on the same page on a lot of stuff. I really think we are starting to click.”

 

On the diversity of Kelly’s play calling…

“You never know what you are going to get with Coach Kelly, he’ll do just about anything, and I think that’s the cool part about it. It keeps defenses on their toes.”

 

On having a number of different standouts on offense …

“I think it’s huge. I mean, people respecting everything, and not just the receivers, tight ends too, those guys make the plays too, it’s the run game, me getting my legs going, all these different things present challenges for defenses. The more ways we can attack them, and the more people we can get involved, the harder it’s going to be.”

 

On what it is like to have versatile receivers…

“That’s the mentality of that room. Those dudes are dudes, and it’s not just about getting catches, it’s not just about scoring touchdowns; it’s about executing every single play. I think Coach Hartline does a really good job of coaching those guys up and getting them right. I’ve never seen a more selfless group of receivers, and a more selfless, talented group of receivers. All of them are unbelievably talented. They all want to genuinely see each other succeed.”

 

On how he would describe how Quinshon Judkins runs…

“He’s different. Man, he’s different. He’s built differently. He’s a different beast – he’s physical, he’s fast. I mean, you saw it on that breakaway run. There’s not much that that guy can’t do. And on top of that, he’s one of my favorite people on the team and I love that dude. I would do anything for him. The place that he’s making it, it’s a compound of all the work he’s put in since he’s been here and I’m excited for him because he’s only scratching the surface of what he’s capable of, and he’s already doing some pretty damn good things.”

 

On his relationship with center Seth McLaughlin and how he makes his job easier…

“Me and Seth are super tight, he’s one of my best friends on the team, and we spend a lot of time together. He is a guy I fully trust in anything. If he makes a call, I’m like ‘Oh yeah, he probably sees something I don’t see.’ We can bounce ideas off each other. We have that relationship where we both trust each other and we know that we’re both trying to get on the same page, and we’re on the same page most of the time. He’s been really good for me to have coming into all of this being a first-year guy in the system. Having a guy like him, I think both of us can kind of lean back on our experiences – we have both have played a ton of football up to this point. I think that’s helped us. We bonded over that, and it’s also helped us out in the field.”

 

Charles Huff, Marshall head coach

On missed tackles by Marshall…

“We talked about it all week. You miss tackles with these guys, it’s a touchdown, so we have to continue to clean that up.”

 

On Ohio State’s ability to break tackles…

“You can’t miss tackles, you know. Some of those were broken tackles, and that’s one of the good things that good players do.”You can come with perfect fundamentals and perfect form, and if they break a tackle because they’re stronger, well, that happened today.”

 

On Ohio State living up to its potential…

“Offensively, absolutely. Defensively, they smother you, and they kind of just lean on you and weigh you down a bit, and that’s what happened to us today. They kind of just laid on us long enough to wear us down. Offensively, I mean 2019 LSU, 2021 Alabama – they’re probably in that realm. I mean they’re really good, like really good.”

 

On his biscuit comments in the week…

“Hopefully it didn’t take anyone back by my comments. I don’t think anyone’s leaving for biscuits… one of the players said on the way off, ‘You got any biscuits?'”

 

On playing at Ohio State …

“Hats off to the Ohio State administration. They did a phenomenal job. [We] felt welcome and they did a really good job, [were] very professional, very polite, and everything.”

 


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Kentucky Football falls to Georgia Bulldogs: 4 takeaways and postgame chatter

by with No Comment Uncategorized

It was close for three quarters, but the Kentucky Wildcats eventually ran out of gas in their narrow 13-12 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, falling to 1-2 on the season and 0-2 in SEC play.

Kentucky had the lead going into the fourth quarter, but Georgia found the end zone in the opening minutes of the final period. The Wildcats answered with a field goal, but the inability to find the end zone ultimately cost Kentucky the win.

Despite the loss, Mark Stoops and his team certainly found a moral victory this week. After suffering an embarrassing loss to South Carolina last week, playing inspiring football Saturday against the nation’s No. 1 team has to be huge for Kentucky’s mindset moving forward.

Here are four things to know following the loss.

Defense Came to Play

Georgia scored just three points in the first half on Saturday night, which was their lowest first-half total of the season. The Bulldogs were also held to 63 yards — the lowest during Kirby Smart’s time as head coach. Kentucky was flying all over the field and closing in quickly to the football.

In the second half, Deone Walker and the rest of Kentucky’s defensive line continued to disrupt Georgia up front. Their open-field tackling was sensational. Georgia eventually wore down Kentucky’s front seven and found their first touchdown in the fourth quarter, but that was the only one they’d give up for the entire game. Overall, the Wildcats made a terrific effort.

Mark Stoops Bounce-back Game

Kentucky was clearly not prepared for last week’s loss to South Carolina. It was almost like they were gut-punched early on and gave up. This week, though, Kentucky came out early on playing inspiring football and with full confidence that they could compete with the nation’s No. 1 team. That all starts with coaching. Stoops and his staff answered the bell by making sure their team was prepared for the toughest opponent of the season. Kentucky may have lost, and their passing attack needs much improvement, but their performance as a team was nothing short of inspiring.

Keep Running Demie Sumo-Karngbaye

Coming into the game, the Wildcats were dealing with multiple injuries at running back. The position had been one of the pillars of Kentucky’s program for the last decade, but this team entered the season with questions surrounding who would take over the backfield. It became clear early on in Saturday night’s game that Sumo-Karngbaye has what it takes to be the leading force for the Wildcats’ rushing attack. He was able to find extra yards, and his shiftiness kept the Georgia defense on their heels, finishing with 22 carries for a career-high 98 yards.

Alex Raynor for MVP

How about Kentucky’s special teams? Raynor booted his team’s first 12 points through the uprights and didn’t do it alone, having excellent blocking upfront and good holds on each kick. His first of four kicks was a career-long and school-record 55-yarder for the game’s first score.

When it comes to accuracy, Raynor is the best kicker in the country and proved Saturday night he can also hit from long distance (kicks from 55 and 51 yards). Without him, the Wildcats would’ve been blanked on offense. Kentucky will need to find a way to score touchdowns to compete in Southeastern Conference games, but Raynor will no doubt continue to be a huge asset for their offense.

Now, let’s chat about what transpired.


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