11/6/23 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Monday
6 November 2023 Sports
Aaron Jones scored Green Bay’s first first-half touchdown since mid-September, and the Packers snapped a four-game skid by beating the Los Angeles Rams 20-3 on Sunday.
Rookie tight end Luke Musgrave scored his first career touchdown on a 20-yard reception from Jordan Love and Anders Carlson went 3 of 4 on field-goal attempts for the Packers (3-5). Love went 20 of 26 for 228 yards despite getting sacked four times.
The Rams (3-6) dropped their third straight as they played without quarterback Matthew Stafford, who sprained a ligament in his right thumb last week in a loss at Dallas.
With Brett Rypien starting in Stafford’s place, the Rams failed to reach the end zone. Rypien went 13 of 28 for 130 yards with an interception, and the Rams lost one of his two fumbles.
Rypien was facing an injury-riddled Green Bay secondary that started two rookie seventh-round picks in cornerback Carrington Valentine and safety Anthony Johnson Jr.
Johnson, who had played just eight defensive snaps all season before Sunday, had an interception to set up a fourth-quarter field goal.
The Packers had been outscored 73-9 in the first half of their past five games, but they led this one 7-3 at the break and stayed ahead the rest of the way. The Rams’ only points came on Lucas Havrisik’s 52-yard field goal late in the second quarter.
Green Bay capitalized on one of Rypien’s turnovers to reach the end zone before halftime, something they hadn’t accomplished since the second quarter of a Sept. 17 loss in Atlanta. Rypien initially mishandled a snap and then tried to roll to his right. Jonathan Owens sacked him and forced a fumble that De’Vondre Campbell recovered at the Rams 41-yard line.
Jones capped Green Bay’s ensuing drive with a 3-yard touchdown run in the opening minute of the second quarter. Jones ran for 73 yards to lead the Packers’ 184-yard rushing attack.
The Packers fumbled the ball away on each of their first two second-half series, but the Rams failed to capitalize either time.
After Ahkello Witherspoon recovered Dontayvion Wicks’ fumble at the Rams 42, Los Angeles punted rather than attempting a long field goal on fourth-and-17 from the 36.
Jordan Fuller knocked the ball from Aaron Jones on the Packers’ next series, and Duke Shelley’s 9-yard fumble return gave the Rams the ball on the Green Bay 36. The Rams’ ensuing possession ended with Havrisik’s 49-yard field-goal attempt sailing wide right.
Carlson, who missed a 52-yard field goal to end the first half, extended Green Bay’s lead by kicking a 26-yarder late in the third quarter and a 34-yarder with 9:08 left in the game. Musgrave capped the scoring by catching a pass across the middle at around the 15 and running into the end zone with 3:41 remaining.
On the injury front linebacker Quay Walker (groin) and safety Rudy Ford (calf) sat out the game. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark (shoulder) and left tackle Yosh Nijman (back) were knocked out of the game. Christian Watson headed into the locker room late in the game after making a 37-yard catch to set up the Packers’ final touchdown. Watson had a chest injury and back injury.
Next Sunday the Packers are in Pittsburgh to play the Steelers (5-3).
Elsewhere in the NFC North the Vikings with a late 6-yard touchdown pass from Josh Dobbs to Brandon Powell in the closing seconds, won in Atlanta over the Falcons 31-28. Dobbs replaced backup Darren Hall who suffered a concussion and completed 20 of 30 passes and two touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 66 yards and a touchdown. Minnesota won its second straight to improve to 5-4 while Atlanta dropped to 4-5.
New Orleans 24, Chicago 17 while the Lions had their bye week.
In Sunday night football Cincinnati held on at home to beat Buffalo 24-18 and in Monday Night Football and in Monday Night Football the Chargers play at the Jets.
In basketball Wisconsin is back in action tonight hosting Arkansas State. The Badgers beat UW-Stevens Point 87-44 in an exhibition game last Thursday. Tipoff is at 7:00.
Coach Tom Allen kept telling his Indiana Hoosiers to ignore the critics and stick to the plan.
On Saturday, the payoff finally came.
Second-year quarterback Brendan Sorsby ran for one score, threw for another and led the Hoosiers to a long field goal on their final possession Saturday to snap a six-game conference losing streak with a 20-14 victory over Wisconsin.
“I just attribute it to the culture,” Allen said. “They believe in what we’re doing, and I think it’s showed the way we played the last couple of weeks.”
Things certainly didn’t look promising for the Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten) until last week.
They entered Saturday with four straight losses and on the cusp of postseason elimination for the third straight year. They had the second-lowest scoring average (18.6 points) among Power Five schools and the Big Ten’s worst run defense. They hadn’t beaten Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3) at home since 2002.
But after last week’s strong showing at No. 10 Penn State, Indiana finally raised the victory flag thanks to Sorsby and a defensive shutout over the final 25 minutes.
The loss prevented Wisconsin from becoming bowl eligible for the 22nd consecutive season and was as also a devastating blow to its Big Ten West title hopes.
“Nothing was sharp,” first-year coach Luke Fickell said. “We can’t dwell on the destination. We’ve got a long way to go. They’ve been through a lot the last year or two, and now we’ve got to dig deep.”
Indiana won this offensive quagmire despite gaining only 36 yards and scoring just three points in the second half, courtesy of Chris Freeman’s 50-yard field goal with 70 seconds to go.
Sorsby was 19 of 31 with 186 yards and squirted free for an 8-yard TD run for the game’s first points. Former quarterback Donaven McCulley had five receptions for 67 yards including a spectacular one-handed ,-yard TD Grab late in the first half to give Indiana a 17-7 lead.
Those were all the points the Hoosiers needed.
Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke hooked up with Bryson Green on a 54 yard TD pass to Bryson Green late in the first half and Locke capped the first drive of the second half with an 18-yard TD pass to Will Pauling to make it 17-14.
Locke was 21 of 41 with 243 yards while Pauling caught five passes for 51 yards. Green had four receptions for 96 yards.
“The offense scored just enough,” Allen said. “Obviously, we didn’t get enough production in the second half, but at the same time you’re just trying to find a way to win a football game.”
Tanner Mordecai dressed for the first time since breaking his hand but did not play. RB Braelon Allen and WR Chimere Dike also sat out and LB Jake Chaney hopped off the field in the third quarter after appearing to hurt his right leg.
Indiana: WR Cam Camper sat out with an undisclosed injury and WR Omar Cooper Jr. did not return after going to the locker room with a lower left leg injury in the first half.
Wisconsin hosts Northwestern next Saturday, the first game of a two-week homestand.
Ripon College 52, Beloit College 17- The Red Hawks improve to 4-5 overall and 4-4 in conference play.
UW-Platteville 22, UW-Oshkosh 7. The Titans fall to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the conference.
The Bucks are back in action tonight on the road against the New Jersey Nets. Milwaukee won an NBA In-Season Tournament game Frdiay night at home over the Knicks 110-105 to improve to 3-2 on
the season.
Veteran outfielder Mark Canha is on the move again, with the Milwaukee Brewers trading him to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday rather than picking up his option for the 2024 season.
The Brewers acquired minor league pitcher Blake Holub in the deal.
Milwaukee was facing a Monday deadline on whether to pick up Canha’s $11.5 million team option for 2024 or pay a $2 million buyout. The Brewers instead dealt Canha to the Tigers, the second time he’s been traded this year. Canha, who turns 35 on Feb. 15, helped the Brewers in their push for an NL Central title this year after they acquired him from the Mets at the trade deadline. The Mets received minor league pitcher Justin Jarvis in that deal and agreed to pay $3.26 million of Canha’s $3.5 million remaining salary for the year.
In 50 games with the Brewers, Canha batted .287 with a .373 on-base percentage, five homers and 33 RBIs. He produced one of the most memorable moments of the Brewers’ season by hitting a tiebreaking grand slam with two outs in the eighth inning of a 9-5 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sept. 16.
Canha had hit .245 with a .343 on-base percentage, six homers and 29 RBIs in 89 games for the Mets before the trade.
He has a career batting average of .250 with a .349 on-base percentage, 113 homers and 417 RBIs. Canha has played for the Oakland Athletics (2015-21), Mets (2022-23) and Brewers (2023).
Houb, a 25-year-old right-hander, went 6-4 with a 3.03 ERA and eight saves in 48 combined relief appearances with Single-A West Michigan and Double-A Erie this season.
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