10/7/24 Hometown Broadcasting Sports Monday
7 October 2024 Sports
Jordan Love bounced back from the first pick-6 of his career to throw a pair of touchdown passes to Tucker Kraft in the second half as the Green Bay Packers rallied for a 24-19 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
The Packers trailed 13-7 late in the second quarter after Jaylen McCollough intercepted Love’s off-balance attempt to throw the ball away and ran it in from 4 yards. But Green Bay (3-2) scored on its next three drives and benefited from a pair of turnovers to beat the Rams (1-4) for the ninth time in their last 10 regular-season meetings.
Love, a California native who grew up in Bakersfield, completed 15 of 26 for 224 yards in his second start since missing two games due to a knee injury.
Josh Jacobs had 19 carries for 73 yards and scored his first TD with the Packers.
Kraft had four receptions for a career-best 88 yards. Two plays after Xavier McKinney recovered a fumble by Rams running back Kyren Williams and returned it 7 yards to the Green Bay 30, Love connected with Kraft for a 66-yard touchdown to give the Packers a 17-13 lead.
Kraft caught the ball at the Rams 49, stiff-armed Rams cornerback Darious Williams at the 30 and eluded a diving tackle attempt near the left sideline by Quentin Lake at the 20 before reaching the end zone.
After McKinney became the first player since the 1970 merger with an interception in each of his first five games with a team, Kraft completed a seven-play drive when he scored from 7 yards out for the first two-TD game of his career.
Matthew Stafford was 29 of 45 for 260 yards with a touchdown and interception. Kyren Williams had 102 yards rushing on 22 carries and scored for the eighth straight game.
Stafford’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson – the 2-point conversion attempt failed – with 3:30 remaining pulled the Rams within 24-19.
Los Angeles forced Green Bay to punt on the ensuing possession and took over on their own 29 with 2:57 remaining. The Rams drove to the Packers 38, but Stafford was unable to connect with Colby Parkinson on fourth-and-5 with 1:01 remaining.
After both teams went three-and-out on their opening drives, Jacobs scored on a 2-yard run around right end. Jacobs originally tried to run it off left tackle before being bottled up and reversing field.
Jacobs’ score was set up one play earlier when Love and Reed combined for a highlight reel play. On second-and-10 at the Packers 45, Love completed a 53-yard pass to Reed in a tight window near the left sideline. Reed hauled it in despite three Rams defenders in the vicinity, including Lake all over Reed’s back.
The Rams evened it five minutes into the second quarter when Williams plowed in from 1 yard to complete a 13-play drive. Williams has the longest TD streak by a Rams running back since Greg Bell scored in 10 straight during the 1988 and ‘89 seasons.
Love’s first pick-6 came on his 761st pass. On third-and-12 at the Packers 8, Love was flushed out of the pocket when Byron Young came in unblocked on a blitz. Love scrambled to the back of the end zone and was knocked off balance when he tried to throw it away.
Instead, McCollough was able to intercept the desperation throw and scored. Joshua Karty’s extra-point attempt was blocked, which kept it at 13-7.
It was the Rams’ first defensive TD since Cobie Durant’s 86-yard interception return against Denver on Christmas Day in 2022.
Packers: CB Robert Rochell (stinger) missed the second quarter and part of the third before returning.
The Packers host Arizona next Sunday.
Elsewhere in the NFC North Sunday the Vikings (5-) remain undefeated as they knocked off the Jets 23-17 in London and Bears (3-2) beat the Panthers 36-10. The Lions had a bye.
In Sunday Night Football in a game delayed by lightning, the Cowboys edged the Steelers in Pittsburgh, 20-17. Dallas scored its lone red-zone touchdown of the game in four drives on their final offensive play. Dak Prescott found Jalen Tolbert breaking across the field on fourth-and-goal, as the second-year wide-out managed to create separation from Steelers safety DeShon Elliott to score the winning touchdown.
In Monday Night Football the Saints play the undefeated Chiefs (4-0) in Kansas City.
In the National League Divisional Playoffs, the Phillies edged the Mets 7-6 to even their series at a game apiece and the Padres pounded the Dodgers 10-2, to even their series at a game each.
In the American League tonight, Detroit is at Cleveland, which leads 1-0 and Kansas City is at New York, with the Yankees leading 1-0.
The Milwaukee Bucks opened their preseason Sunday, losing 120-87 to the Pistons in Detroit.
Frustrated over their second-half collapse at Southern California a week earlier, Braedyn Locke and the Wisconsin Badgers wanted to make sure they delivered a more complete performance Saturday and did they ever.
Locke threw for 359 yards and connected with Trech Kekahuna on two of his three touchdown passes as Wisconsin trounced Purdue 52-6 on Saturday to snap a two-game skid.
The Badgers (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) racked up the last 38 points of the game, reached the end zone on five consecutive drives and outscored Purdue 31-0 in the second half. The Badgers had been outscored 28-0 in the second half of their 38-21 loss to No. 11 USC.
“I was really just proud of our team for putting together four full quarters of football and never letting off the gas,” said Locke, whose 359 yards passing represented the seventh-highest total in school history.
Tawee Walker rushed for 94 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries as Wisconsin beat Purdue for an 18th straight time. Purdue (1-4, 0-2) last defeated Wisconsin in 2003.
Since beating Football Championship Subdivision program Indiana State 49-0 in its opener, Purdue (1-4, 0-2) has lost four straight games by a combined score of 184-44.
Locke went 20 of 31 and overcame two first-half interceptions to post the seventh-highest single-game passing yardage total in school history.
Indeed, Wisconsin outgained Purdue 589-216 despite losing running back Chez Mellusi during the week and then watching wide receivers Will Pauling, Bryson Green and Tyrell Henry go down with lower-body injuries in the first half. Wisconsin announced Thursday that Mellusi was leaving the team at least temporarily to work on his health.
Purdue failed to reach the end zone and went 1 of 11 on third-down situations in its first game since firing Graham Harrell as offensive coordinator this week and handing the play-calling duties to Jason Simmons, who had been working as an offensive analyst.
Locke’s first touchdown pass came when Vinny Anthony made a catch just inside Purdue’s 35 and raced into the end zone for a 52-yard touchdown. Locke’s next two scores went to Kekahuna, who ended up with six catches for 134 yards.
Kekahuna’s first touchdown came when he caught a pass around the Badgers’ 43 and outran the Purdue defense for a 69-yard score early in the third quarter. On Wisconsin’s next drive, Locke found Kekahuna in the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown.
Before Saturday, Kekahuna had totaled eight career catches for 106 yards.
Purdue trailed 14-0 early but crept back into the game after Kyndrich Breedlove intercepted Locke passes on back-to-back series. Purdue had been the last remaining Football Bowl Subdivision program without a takeaway this season.
The Boilermakers drove inside Wisconsin’s 5 after each interception but settled for Spencer Porath field goals of 21 and 23 yards.
Wisconsin broke the game open by scoring touchdowns on each of its next five drives.
Wisconsinis at Rutgers next Saturday.
In state college football action Saturday, Cornell College 37, Ripon College 34. The Red Hawks falls to 1-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
UW-Whitewater 21, UW-Oshkosh 14. The Titans drop to 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in the conference.
In their home opener, the St. Norbert football team led throughout en route to a 28-10 victory over Concordia Wisconsin.
Oshkosh North grad Peyton Lyon went 12/24 passing for 152 yards and 2 TDs. His favorite target was Peshtigo alum Mitch Van Vooren, who tallied 3 catches for 51 yards and 1 TD.
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