10/24/24 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Thursday
24 October 2024 Sports
The Packers (5-2) returned to the practice field Wednesday as they prepare for Sunday’s game in Jacksonville against the Jaguars (2-5).
Green Bay has won three-in-a-row, the latest this past Sunday at home against the Houston Texans.
On Wednesday’s injury report, CB’s Jaire Alexander and Kesean Nixon saw limited participation as did DL Kenny Clark and Davante Wyatt, WR’s Christian Watson and Jayden Reed and LB Quay Walker. G/TElgton Jenkins and C Josh Meyers did not practice.
Also, the Packers have signed LS Matt Orzech (OR-zick) and released DL Jonathan Ford. General Manager Brian Gutekunst announced the transactions Wednesday.
Orzech (6-3, 245), a fifth-year player, has handled the snapping duties for the Packers in every game since the start of the 2023 season. Overall, he has played in 74 regular-season games for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2019), Los Angeles Rams (2021-22) and Packers (2023-24). Orzech has also appeared in six postseason contests for the Rams (2021) and Packers (2023).
Meanwhile, two weeks after former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh was abruptly fired, he was spotted at the Green Bay Packers’ practice Wednesday.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Saleh will be helping out with the Packers for an undetermined amount of time. LaFleur wouldn’t say how long Saleh will be advising the Packers, calling the situation fluid and saying he will be here until Thursday.
The former defensive coordinator will be helping Green Bay out on the offensive side of the ball, which LaFleur thinks will help bring a defensive viewpoint to things.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for him to learn and also for him to help us and give us perspective on how teams might see us, how they might defend us,” LaFleur said.
Saleh and LaFleur are close friends; LaFleur was Saleh’s best man at his wedding.
The two were graduate assistants together at Central Michigan University in 2004 and worked together again on the Houston Texans’ staff in 2008 and 2009. Saleh also previously worked with Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
In Thursday Night Football the Vikings (5-1) are at the Rams (2-4). Minnesota is tied with Detroit for the best record in the NFC North while the Packers (5-2) are in second and the Bears, who had a bye last week, are 4-2.
Damian Lillard scored 30 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 25 and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 124-109 in the season opener for both teams Wednesday night.
Lillard scored 15 points in the third quarter and finished with six 3-pointers, nine rebounds and five assists.
Antetokounmpo shot 8 for 11 from the floor and had a game-high 14 rebounds as Milwaukee got double-figure scoring from six players.
Taurean Prince and Bobby Portis scored 16 points apiece for the Bucks, how had 16 3-pointers.
Tyrese Maxey scored 25 points and Andre Drummond had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia, which was without injured stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, who are sidelined due to knee injuries.
Milwaukee used a 25-12 run in a six-minute span of the second quarter to pull away. Bobby Portis was a key figure for the Bucks during that time. On consecutive plays, Portis blocked a shot, grabbed a defensive rebound, assisted Taurean Prince on a layup, picked up a steal and scored on a running layup.
Lillard and Antetokounmpo became the first pair of Bucks teammates to register at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in a season opener.
The Bucks have their home opener against Chicago on Friday. On the same night, Philadelphia travels to Toronto.
Wisconsin finally is starting to play like Wisconsin again.
After going 9-8 in their first 17 games under second-year coach Luke Fickell, the Badgers have dismantled their last three opponents by a combined score of 117-16. They’re benefiting from a dominant defense and physical rushing attack, the hallmarks of Wisconsin’s best teams.
“Obviously Wisconsin’s always had a great tradition of defense, offensive line play and everything,” center Jake Renfro said. “I feel like we’re definitely bringing that back to life now.”
It’s tough to tell just how far Wisconsin has come because those three lopsided victories came against Purde, Rutgers and Northwestern. Those three teams have a combined 2-10 record in Big Ten competition.
The true test comes Saturday night when Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) hosts No. 3 Penn State (6-0, 3-0). The Badgers have lost their last five meetings with Penn State and are 2-13 in their last 15 matchups with ranked foes.
Wisconsin is 0-4 against Top 25 teams under Fickell, including a 42-10 loss to then-No. 4 Alabama and a 38-21 setback at then-No. 13 Southern California in back-to-back games earlier this season.
Renfro considers the USC game a turning point.
“It was just like an internal something that clicked within us,” Renfro said. “Hey, we’re not playing to what we need to do. We took it personally as an offensive line. We blamed that game on us.”
Wisconsin was a 2 1/2-point underdog heading into its 42-7 victory at Rutgers. The Badgers are coming off a 23-3 victory at Northwestern, which won 24-10 at Wisconsin last year.
Wisconsin opens its season Nov. 4 by hosting Holy Cross. The Badgers have a big nonconference home game with No. 10 Arizona on Nov. 15. Wisconsin’s Big Ten opener is a Dec. 3 home game with Michigan. The Badgers will attempt to beat Marquette a fourth straight time Dec. 7 when they face the 18th-ranked Golden Eagles at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum.
The Ripon Tigers finished their first season under new head Coach Andrew Selgrad, with 1-8 record, but won their Homecoming game over Mauston, for their first win since beating Waupun in the last game of the 2022 season. The Tigers had 12 seniors who finished their career against Wautoma. Coach Selgrad said he was proud of the seniors on the roster and the rest of the team, saying they played hard and committed themselves to the new system
The playoff field has been released for football and 46 of the 224 teams in the field reside in Northeast Wisconsin, and among those 46 teams five are top seeds.
The No. 1 seeds are: Kaukauna, Freedom, Winneconne, Wrightstown and Coleman.
Kimberly-Appleton North, Manitowoc Lutheran-Reedsville and Winnebago Lutheran-St. Mary’s Springs are all Week 9 rematches. In fact, Kimberly and Appleton North are going back-to-back two years in a row. Kimberly is 3-0 so far in these games.
St. Mary’s Springs coach Bob Hyland is in his 54th and final season and his Ledgers are a No. 2 seed in Division 5. The state’s all-time leader in coaching wins will likely have a tough test in Level 3, facing No. 1 Stratford.
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