Tag: Points

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard’s son tallies first points as a Badger in win over Holy Cross

Wisconsin coach Greg Gard’s son tallies first points as a Badger in win over Holy Cross

Wisconsin basketball’s season-opening win over Holy Cross was not as decisive as the 85-61 final score indicates.

The Badgers trailed the Crusaders, ESPN BPI’s No. 331 (of 364) team in the sport, 13-3 in the opening minutes of the game, 23-7 midway through the first half and 36-35 at halftime. A second-half surge led by transfer wing John Tonje created enough separation for the final score to indicate wire-to-wire dominance despite the Badgers’ significant early deficit.

Related: Biggest takeaways from Wisconsin basketball’s opening win over Holy Cross

That separation, importantly, led to a great moment for Badgers head coach Greg Gard and his son, Isaac.

Isaac, a junior walk-on guard, got one minute of action in the game’s closing moments. He made that limited action count, drilling a three-pointer for the first points of his college career:

Isaac joined the team as a walk-on ahead of the 2022-23 season. He appeared in five games that season, then six games in 2023-24. He was just 0/2 from the field over those 11 appearances as a freshman and sophomore.

The reaction of Wisconsin’s bench says it all, highlighted by John Blackwell leaping in the air.

Greg Gard highlighted that reaction when speaking about the moment postgame:

“It’s a credit to [Isaac],” Gard said. “He’s put time into it. He’s made himself a better player. He’s gotten bigger and stronger, it’s amazing what a weight room four days a week will do for somebody…I’m standing there as I’m trying to get guys in the game, and I knew the shot clock was winding down a little bit. Just the reaction of his teammates. To them, yea, he’s coach’s son, but he’s one of the guys. And they know at home, he’s my son. But at practice, he’s one of the guys. It’s neat. It’s obviously cool for him.”

The Badgers’ head coach continued to reflect on the moment:

“I don’t think his mom was at the game tonight, so I’m sure she’ll be pissed at me for not being able to see it live,” Gard continued. “He puts in just as much work as everybody else. He’s in the weight room, he’s running the hill. It’s hard being a coach’s kid. I haven’t been able to be present all the time as he was growing up, and our other two kids as well. To have this time with him day after day, you’re not making up for time, but you’re not losing any more time. And he’s also proven that he can be a handful some days when he’s running off screens and banging threes. He gives John Tonje nightmares…Just the team around him, that’s the neat part to watch. They’re happy for him and I’m happy for him too. Time goes fast, so you have to enjoy it. You won’t be able to coach your son forever.”

Wisconsin is back on the Kohl Center court on Thursday against Montana State. The team will look to notch another blowout victory, one large enough for Gard to again empty the bench late in the second half.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Saints offense shows potency in historic manner vs. Cowboys

The Saints’ offense is rolling in a historic manner in 2024. Three teams have scored 91 or more points through two games, and two of them won the Super Bowl:

This is not your 2023 New Orleans Saints offense. Klint Kubiak has officially moved the offense into 2024.

After averaging 23.6 points per game last season, the team has scored some 91 points in the first two games of the year, most recently downing the Dallas Cowboys 44-19. That’s tied for the second-most points a team has scored through their first two weeks in NFL history.

That’s an impressive standard to meet, but the Saints have beaten it before. This is the first time in over 10 years the Saints have scored 40 points or more in two consecutive games. The last time they did it was in 2009, when they defeated the Detroit Lions, 45-27 in the the home opener. They followed it up with a 48-22 road win over the Philadelphia Eagles, who will visit the Caesars Superdome next week.

The Saints combine their first pair of games of the 2024 season for a total of 91 points after defeating the Carolina Panthers 47-10 in Week 1.

One of the biggest factors in this success, outside of the way the Saints have several reliable pieces of the offense to spread the ball around to is the consistency of quarterback Derek Carr.

He had his struggles in 2023, but if he can keep things rolling like this for the remainder of the season, New Orleans is going to be a true contender. Carr finished out the Saints’ most recent showing 11-for-16 passing, throwing for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception.

The team will look to keep the same kind of momentum rolling in the upcoming matchup against the Eagles, who they’ll face in the Superdome at Noon CT on Sunday, Sept. 22.

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Breaking down the teams with the top scoring offensive in the past five years

Alabama football leads all other schools in PPG over the past five years

Over the past decade or so, we have seen both college and professional football place a large emphasis on the offensive side of the ball, especially the Alabama Crimson Tide. Whether it is the way the rules are governed and officiated, or if it is just the engininuity of specific coaches, offenses have become the focal point of the sport.

What made [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] so successful as the head coach of the Crimson Tide was his ability to change over time. When the Alabama dynasty started it was built on mental toughness, defense and being the grittier team. Saban was the head coach for 17 years and during that time a lot changed, but as things changed and his career progressed his ability to lean into prioritizing offensive success as opposed to holding onto his defensive ways is what continued to set him apart.

By the time Saban retired at Alabama this January, the Crimson Tide had become the standard for how you play offense in modern day college football. Over the past five seasons, no other school has averaged more PPG than the Crimson Tide with 42.1 PPG.

So, the five-year timeline essentially covers the 2019 through 2023 season. Tua Tagovailoa was the Alabama QB in 2019, Mac Jones in 2020, Bryce Young in 2021 and 2022 and Jalen Milroe in 2023 so there is definitely no question as to what has been the biggest driving force behind the success.

Now, with Saban gone, it will be exciting to see if Alabama can continue to be the offensive standard with [autotag]Kalen DeBoer[/autotag] coming to town, and my gut instinct is yes.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Dolphins dominate Broncos, become 4th NFL team ever to score 70 points in a game

That’s the best game of the Mike McDaniel era.

The Miami Dolphins defeated the Denver Broncos 70-20 at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 3, scoring the most points by one team in an NFL game since 1966.

In league history, only three other teams have ever hit the 70-point mark in a game, including playoffs. This was clearly the Dolphins’ best performance in the Mike McDaniel era, and they should feel great about their day.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played just three quarters of this game, completing an incredible 88% of his passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns before turning it over to his backup, Mike White.

Tagovailoa moved the team up and down the field with efficiency despite missing Jaylen Waddle, who was out with a concussion. He completed passes to six targets, including Tyreek Hill, who had nine receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown in three quarters.

Running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane looked like the two best players on the field as they combined for 285 yards and five rushing touchdowns on a ridiculous 9.2 yards per carry.

They were able to dominate due to the stellar day for the offensive line, who got Terron Armstead back at left tackle for the first time this season. However, they did lose center Connor Williams in the third quarter, and he was replaced by Liam Eichenberg, who hasn’t really found a set position in his three NFL seasons.

Defensively, the Dolphins were everywhere. They put constant pressure on quarterback Russell Wilson even though they only got home once. The pressure forced the former Seattle Seahawks quarterback to make some mistakes.

Safety Jevon Holland may have made Miami’s biggest defensive plays. He punched the ball free from Courtland Sutton twice, with Miami recovering both fumbles.

Even Emmanuel Ogbah, who hasn’t gotten much playing time to start this year, got in on the action, as he recorded an interception off of a tipped pass and interception late in the game.

Miami (3-0) sits atop the AFC East with a battle against the Buffalo Bills coming up next week.

Will Reichard becomes the Alabama all-time leading scorer

Will Reichard becomes all-time leading scorer in Crimson Tide history

Despite the loss at the hands of the LSU Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide kicker, Will Reichard, walked away a record holder.

Reichard is now the all-time leading scorer in the Crimson Tide program history which is insane when you think of all of the talented players who have come through Tuscaloosa.

Not only has Reichard outscored everyone, but he is also the most efficient field goal kicker in the history of the program with a career average of 81.2% on 56 attempts. During the 2020 campaign, Reichard was a perfect 14/14 on the year. He has also knocked down an astonishing 220 PATs in his collegiate career.

There is a good chance the Tide faithful will be seeing Will kick on Sundays next year.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

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Saints open as road favorites against the Panthers in Carolina

Saints open as road favorites against the Panthers in Carolina at Tipico Sportsbook:

We’re on to the next. The New Orleans Saints (1-1) are looking to tread water in the NFC South after falling short against a divisional opponent last week, but they’ll be facing a similar challenge this week against another division-rival team. Fortunately for them, the Carolina Panthers (0-2) have fallen on hard times, and this could be a get-right game for New Orleans.

With that said, we shouldn’t undersell the difficulty involved here. The Saints are favored by 2.5 points in this road game at Tipico Sportsbook, which features one of the lowest point totals of the week at 40.5. That suggests a final score of about Saints 22, Panthers 19 in Carolina.

New Orleans lost in this same venue to this same opponent last year by a gnarly margin of 26-7. It’s worth noting that the Saints were without a third of their offensive coaching staff due to COVID protocols, but Jameis Winston’s second start still didn’t exactly impress anyone. He’ll be looking to bounce back again after throwing three interceptions a week ago.

As for other matchups around the NFC South: the Atlanta Falcons (0-2) have a good shot at upsetting the Seattle Seahawks on the road, with Seattle favored at home by less than a field goal. Odds for this week’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) game are not available (they’ll be hosting the Green Bay Packers) just yet, likely because the Bucs have a lot of uncertainty at wide receiver. Stay tuned on that front.

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list.

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Drew Brees says Alvin Kamara’s huge game won his son’s fantasy league

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees reports that RB Alvin Kamara’s 6-touchdown game against the Vikings won his son a fantasy football title.

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Take a bow, Baylen Brees. Drew Brees opened his Week 17 media availability by breaking some huge news, thanking his New Orleans Saints teammate Alvin Kamara for scoring six touchdowns in their Christmas Day game with the Minnesota Vikings. Beyond all the playoff implications and the iconic highlights for Kamara, the performance was enough to power the Brees’ son to a fantasy football league championship.

“So Baylen was in the finals going into this week, and I guess six touchdowns get you 56 fantasy points, and that turns out to be pretty good,” Brees grinned.

It’s great to see a moment of brevity for Brees and his family amid all the chaos of the 2020 season. It’s also very relatable for someone close to him to be celebrating Kamara’s huge game, which obviously yielded tremendous value in the fantasy football sphere. Enjoy your victory lap, Kamara fantasy owners.

But with the regular season winding down and the playoffs on the horizon, this is probably the last time Brees or Kamara want to be concerned about fantasy football. It’s time to buckle up and focus on the games that really matter.

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Drew Brees says Alvin Kamara’s huge game won his son’s fantasy league

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees reports that RB Alvin Kamara’s 6-touchdown game against the Vikings won his son a fantasy football title.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”OB1yYXI8Zj-1087551-7498″]

Take a bow, Baylen Brees. Drew Brees opened his Week 17 media availability by breaking some huge news, thanking his New Orleans Saints teammate Alvin Kamara for scoring six touchdowns in their Christmas Day game with the Minnesota Vikings. Beyond all the playoff implications and the iconic highlights for Kamara, the performance was enough to power the Brees’ son to a fantasy football league championship.

“So Baylen was in the finals going into this week, and I guess six touchdowns get you 56 fantasy points, and that turns out to be pretty good,” Brees grinned.

It’s great to see a moment of brevity for Brees and his family amid all the chaos of the 2020 season. It’s also very relatable for someone close to him to be celebrating Kamara’s huge game, which obviously yielded tremendous value in the fantasy football sphere. Enjoy your victory lap, Kamara fantasy owners.

But with the regular season winding down and the playoffs on the horizon, this is probably the last time Brees or Kamara want to be concerned about fantasy football. It’s time to buckle up and focus on the games that really matter.

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Sarah Fuller makes history as the first woman to score points in Power 5 game

Fuller converted on an extra point in Vanderbilt’s game against Tennessee.

Sarah Fuller became the first woman to score in a Power 5 game on Saturday when she converted an extra point in Vanderbilt’s game against Tennessee.

Fuller joined the football team this season after winning an SEC championship with the Vanderbilt soccer team. In Vanderbilt’s last matchup she became the first woman believed to have appeared in a Power 5 game when she kicked off after halftime in a Vanderbilt loss to

Now she’s scored the first point, and after she did so, she received a warm congratulations for her teammates on the field … then was mobbed on the sideline by teammates who surrounded her. You can catch the celebration at the very end of the clip here.

A very cool moment to witness.

Correction: This article originally stated Fuller was the first woman to appear in an FBS game. She was the first woman to appear in a Power 5 conference game. 

Sarah Fuller made history, then gave Vanderbilt halftime speech: ‘We need to be lifting each other up’

Alvin Kamara has the most fantasy points of all time, behind Emmitt Smith and… Alvin Kamara

New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara has scored the third-most fantasy football points in NFL history among running backs through 4 weeks.

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Alvin Kamara was already among rare company after his impressive play in the first three weeks of the 2020 season, but the New Orleans Saints superstar has leveled up even further with four games behind him. Through four games, he has now put up the third-most fantasy football points among running backs in NFL history. And one of the two seasons ahead of him is his own 2018 campaign.

In 2020, Kamara has scored 127.7 fantasy points for lucky owners. That’s good enough to rank third-best, behind Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith in second place, who racked up 130.3 fantasy points in the first four games of the 1995 season. Smith of course was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

But the top spot belongs to Kamara’s 2018 season, when he scored 136.1 fantasy points in the opening four weeks. That stretch included games where Kamara gained 100-plus yards through the air (Weeks 1 and 3) and on the ground (Week 4’s famous walk-off touchdown run against the New York Giants), with six touchdown-scoring plays from scrimmage. He finished the year with a combined 18 touchdowns. In 2020, Kamara has already scored seven times.

So pat yourself on the back if you wisely invested in Kamara at your fantasy football draft earlier this summer. The early returns suggest he couldn’t have been picked early enough, and there may not be a limit to how great he can be.

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