Despite several golden opportunities to make a game of it against the undefeated Chiefs, the Raiders can’t get out of their own way.
There were times in this game the Raiders seemed like they might keep pace with the Chiefs. But each time, they would fall flat.
After the Chiefs opened the game with a touchdown drive, the Raiders responded with a touchdown drive of their own to tie it back up at 7-7. Then the RAiders added a field goal to take a 10-7 lead. But you knew it wouldn’t last.
It was still 10-7 at the two-minute warning of the second quarter. Then the Chiefs scored their second touchdown, this time on a pass over the middle to Travis Kelce to take re-take the lead at 14-10.
The Raiders response this time was not a touchdown. It wasn’t even a first down. It was a quick three-and-out to give the Chiefs a chance to score again before the half. The Chiefs said thank you very much, and drove into field goal range to take a 17-10 lead at the half.
A 60-yard AJ Cole along with a holding on the return, put the Chiefs deep in their own territory. Consecutive holding penalties ensured they would punt out of their own end zone. DJ Turner fielded it and returned it to the 43. With a late hit out of bounds tacked on, the Raiders were already in field goal range.
Despite getting two first downs – on on a Chiefs holding penalty, the Raiders couldn’t punch it in and settled for a field goal to make it a 17-13 game.
On the ensuing possession, the Patrick Mahomes had his pass tipped by John Jenkins and intercepted by Tre’von Moehrig who returned it to the three-yard-line in first and goal.
The Raiders’ series was indicative of much of their day. An Alexander Mattison run for two yards, a Mattison run for no gain, Mattison run for a loss of two, and on fourth and goal, Gardner Minshew was sacked for a turnover on downs.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs went on a long drive, but the Raiders would keep it a one-score game by stopping them short of the touchdown. They converted on a field goal to make it a 20-13 game.
On the ensuing Raiders possession, they would lose Andre James and then Minshew would lose the football. The Chiefs would even the turnover ratio for the game taking over in scoring range.
While the Raiders were unable to take advantage of their takeaway from the KC three-yard line, the Chiefs took advantage of theirs from the Vegas 38. They drove to a touchdown, with Mahomes finding Xavier Worth for the score from the nine-yard line to go up by two scores 27-13 with five minutes left, thus essentially putting the game away.
The Raiders drove for a touchdown on the next drive, but with no timeouts they would need to kick and recover an onside kick. Kick it they did, but recover it they did not. The Chiefs were able kneel out the clock and secure the 27-20 victory.
Running the ball was not happening in this game for the Raiders. The finished with 33 net rushing yards on 21 carries (2.75 yards per carry), with the running backs picking up just 16 yards on 17 carries. That’s right, they had fewer than one yard per carry.
The Chiefs remain undefeated at 7-0 while the Raiders fall to 2-6 on the season.
The loss halts the Badgers’ momentum after it entered the contest riding a three-game winning streak. The Nittany Lions were favored in the game and picked by many to win, but the loss still delivers a deflating blow to the Badgers’ rest-of-season outlook.
A big part of that deflating impact was the context surrounding the loss. Wisconsin led 10-7 at halftime before the scales tipped in the opposite direction. Saturday will feel like a significant missed opportunity for a Wisconsin program badly in need of a signature win to kickstart the Luke Fickell era.
The Badgers are now 0-5 against ranked opponents since Fickell took over in 2023. That mark tells the story.
Before the team changes attention to its Week 10 trip to rival Iowa, here is a look at some of the best photos from the tough primetime loss:
It was not necessarily Penn State OT Nolan Rucci, who transferred over from Wisconsin after the 2023 season. He saw limited action at right tackle in the Nittany Lions win and was far from the game’s deciding force.
The big reason that Penn State improved to 7-0 with the win over Wisconsin: Nittany Lions quarterbacks coach and former Badgers quarterback Danny O’Brien.
O’Brien captains the Penn State quarterback room, which was arguably the biggest contributing factor to Saturday’s result.
Penn State star QB Drew Allar and backup Beau Pribula, each who played exactly one half, combined to go 25 of 31 passing (80% completion) for 246 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. The two also added 36 rushing yards on 10 total carries.
Allar’s injury in the closing moments before halftime appeared to tip the matchup further toward the Badgers’ sideline. Instead, Pribula was terrific in relief. He led the Nittany Lions on two critical late-game scoring drives to seal the victory.
O’Brien’s work with the room deserves credit. Not many top programs don’t miss a beat, let alone improve, when their starter goes down with an injury.
The rising coach played for the Badgers back in 2012. He transferred in after two years at Maryland, and actually entered that season as Wisconsin’s starter. Former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema wound moving to Joel Stave early in the season after O’Brien struggled with turnovers. Stave later suffered an injury, though O’Brien remained on the sideline to backup to Curt Phillips.
O’Brien played only seven total games for Wisconsin in 2012, completing 52 of 86 passes for 523 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
He recently entered the coaching ranks following an abbreviated professional career, mostly in the CFL (2014-19).
The former Badger signal-caller joined the Penn State staff as an offensive analyst in 2021. He was recently elevated to the program’s quarterbacks coach entering the 2024 season after the team hired new OC Andy Kotelnicki.
His work with Allar and Pribula cannot be overlooked as Penn State inches closer to a possible trip to the Big Ten title game, and the expanded College Football Playoff.
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It took until the final week of October, but the Auburn Tigers finally won a conference football game.
It took until the final week of October, but the Auburn Tigers (3-5) finally won a conference football game. After trailing 10-0 after the first frame, the Tigers responded with 24 unanswered points, earning their first SEC win of the season over Kentucky (3-5) to give themselves a fighter’s chance at earning bowl eligibility.
It looked like it would be the same old story for the Tigers early on after Kentucky followed up an opening scripted drive field goal with a quick touchdown to take a 10-0 lead, but Auburn’s defense, specifically defensive end Keldric Faulk, stepped up in a major way for the remainder of the contest. Despite the defense finding some footing, Auburn’s offense struggled to put together any consistency early, ultimately going scoreless for the first quarter-plus.
The Tigers would score in every quarter remaining however. After a miss-hit punt by Kentucky punter Aiden Laros set up Auburn near mid field early in the second quarter, the Tigers took advantage with a quartet of punishing runs by the backfield duo of [autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] and [autotag]Damari Alston[/autotag] to set up an eventual [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] touchdown to put the Tigers on the board early in the second stanza. Auburn would add an [autotag]Evan McPherson[/autotag] field goal before the quarter expired, leading to a 10-10 deadlock entering the half.
Much like the second quarter, the final 30-minutes of Saturday’s contest was all Auburn. The Tigers scored another 14 second half points off the back of a career-best night from senior Jarquez Hunter, who would go on to rush for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns. Now the leading rusher in the SEC, Hunter added 19 receiving yards as well, finishing just 3 yards short of a 300 all-purpose yard game. Saturday was Hunter’s first ever 200+ yard rushing performance in his Auburn career. The total was just 29 yards behind Curtis Kuykendall’s all-time single game record for rushing yards by a Tiger. The senuor now sits in fourth place on the all-time list, behind only Kuykendall, Tre Mason (304 yards, 2013), and Bo Jackson (290, 1985).
While Hunter’s career-day was the highlight, the overarching theme of Saturday’s contest gives optimism to an Auburn team needing to win three of its final four games to qualify for a bowl. Saturday showed how effective Auburn can be when the offense takes care of the football, and the Tigers will have a lot of good tape to build on as they head back to the Plains for a massive contest with a rejuvenated Vanderbilt squad.
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The No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions rode a 21-3 second-half margin to a 28-13 win over the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday night.
The halftime break served as a clear turning point in the game. Wisconsin led 10-7 thanks to a strong defensive effort and a timely touchdown drive in the first half’s closing moments. Penn State star QB Drew Allar also exited the end of the first half with an injury, one that he did not return from.
All signs were pointing toward a season-defining victory for the Badgers.
Then Penn State flat-out dominated after the halftime break. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula went 11 of 13 passing for 98 yards and a touchdown, plus added 28 yards on six carries. He led the Nittany Lions to several decisive touchdown drives. The offense barely missed a beat with him under center.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, held strong until another Braedyn Locke turnover shifted momentum — this one a pick-six to Penn State star linebacker Jaylen Reed. That pushed the Nittany Lions in front 14-10. The game only tilted further in their direction as it continued.
The drives following Locke’s pick-six:
Wisconsin: Eight plays, 51 yards — Field goal (14-13)
Penn State: 13 plays, 81 yards — Touchdown (21-13)
Wisconsin: Three plays, three yards — Punt
Penn State: Nine plays, 78 yards — Touchdown (28-13)
Penn State out-gained Wisconsin 419-298 in total. That balanced attack included 173 yards on the ground and 246 through the air. The running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 135 rushing yards, 59 receiving yards and two total touchdowns, driving Penn State’s balanced success.
The Nittany Lions improve to 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in Big Ten play with the win. Wisconsin, meanwhile, drops to 5-3 on the season and 3-2 in Big Ten play.
The Badgers are back in action next weekend on the road at rival Iowa.
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Wisconsin’s Jake Renfro PFF’s highest-graded center from college football Week 8
Wisconsin center Jake Renfro was PFF’s highest-graded player at his position in college football Week 8.
The service gave Renfro an overall grade of 88.3 — nearly nine rating points better than the second-highest grade on Wisconsin’s offensive unit: WR Will Pauling’s 79.7 mark.
Renfro helped the Badgers control a strong Wildcats defensive front. Wisconsin rushed for 199 yards on 4.6 yards per carry during the 23-3 win, that after Northwestern entered the contest ranked No. 9 in the nation in rush defense (87.5 yards per game, 2.9 yards per carry).
He also led the Badgers’ offensive line to allow only one sack and play yet another penalty-free game — continuing their overall dominance as a unit.
Wisconsin’s season-long statistics are continuing to reflect the team’s dominance up front and resurgent run game. The Badgers now rank No. 35 in the nation in rush offense (194 yards per game), No. 22 in sacks allowed (1.14 per game), No. 13 in tackles for loss allowed (3.57) and No. 8 in fewest penalties per game (4.00).
Renfro and the unit have a big upcoming test when No. 3 Penn State visits Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday. The Nittany Lions enter with the nation’s No. 10 rush defense (95 yards per game allowed, 3.2 yards per carry), No. 14 pass defense (167.5 yards per game) and No. 6 total defense (262.5 yards per game).
Wisconsin’s offensive line will play a key role in the matchup as the Badgers look to notch a program-defining victory.
The Badgers and Nittany Lions will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. CT.
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Football is fun again! DJ Lagway and Jadan Baugh led Florida into a new era on Saturday with a big win over Kentucky.
Florida played its best game under Billy Napier on Saturday night, defeating the Kentucky Wildcats 48-20 to advance to 4-3 overall on the year.
The offense looked revitalized with [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] under center, the defense looked better than it ever has under [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] and a four-touchdown margin usually means happy times for the victors.
The best part about the win is that Lagway didn’t need to throw a single touchdown to win the game by 28 points. Sure, he handed a few scores to fellow true freshman [autotag]Jadan Baugh[/autotag] with deep balls that placed Florida in the red zone, but there have been plenty of times when the Gators haven’t scored those touchdowns in a similar situation.
Not only was this win badly needed, but it’s a breath of fresh air before the bye week that will give a young team confidence against the toughest four-game slate in the country coming out of the break.
DJ Lagway has arrived
Lagway’s future has always been incredibly bright, but no one expected him to carve up an SEC secondary like this on his first go. Putting up 400-plus yards against an FCS team is one thing, but this was a deep ball clinic from start to finish.
He made one bad decision in the second quarter, which led to an interception, but it didn’t shake his confidence at all. Lagway ended the day with six completions over 20 yards, five of which went for 40 or more. That’s the kind of performance that changes the way defenses play against a team.
The SEC is on notice, and Lagway might already be the best deep-ball threat in the conference.
Batman has to have a Robin
If Lagway is the Dark Knight sent to save Gotham, Jadan Baugh is the Robin by his side. Okay, it’s not the best analogy, but the point is that teams aren’t going to be able to exclusively focus on the passing game or run game when playing Florida.
Baugh is also a true freshman, and he just tied a school record with five touchdowns in his second career start. Montrell Johnson Jr. is still the lead back on this team, but he’ll be elsewhere in a year and there’s no need to rush him back with Baugh looking as good as he did. Baugh had three rushes for 10 or more yards this week — a 27-yarder, a 16-yarder and a 10-yard touchdown.
It’s going to be fun to watch Baugh and Lagway grow alongside each other.
The defense is legit
There have been flashes of greatness from Florida’s defense over the past few years, but this might be the best three-game stretch put together since the pandemic season.
Forcing three turnovers is always good for a defense’s confidence, especially considering the guys who came away with the interceptions. Junior linebacker Shemar James caught the first off a tipped pass, sophomore cornerback Devin Moore caught the second and former five-star recruit Cormani McClain took the final one to the house.
James has had ups and downs this year after entering the season as one of the defensive leaders of the team, Moore has dealt with injuries his entire career and McClain has hardly played after transferring from Colorado as a walk-on — although, it’s hard to see him not being on scholarship next year. All three of these players deserved a moment.
The bad news is that Florida’s top corner, Jason Marshall Jr., got hurt and returned to the field with his arm in a sling. That probably means he’s out for a bit, but McClain made his case for more playing time. Moore now moves into the No. 1 spot until Marshall is back, but he’s showed a ton of promise when healthy.
Getting Ja’Keem Jackson back would give the Gators a formidable threesome at corner, and let’s not forget about Dijon Johnson.
BONUS: Billy Napier’s hot seat cooled off
It’s trendy among Florida fans to hate anything and everything Billy Napier does, but the facts are that he recruited several talented players and they all believe in him. Saturday night was the first time we saw that belief turn into results, and the guy deserves some credit.
Napier could still get the axe at the end of the season, but a 6-6 regular-season finish should keep him in Gainesville another year. To reach six wins, Florida has to beat Florida State at the end of the year and pull off one upset against Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss or Texas.
It won’t be easy to get there but if Florida plays like it did tonight, a bowl game is within reach. Don’t get it twisted. The seat warmers are still on, but Napier’s vision was realized today and that turns things down a notch in this writer’s eyes.
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The Gators Wire staff offers its instant reactions to Florida’s blowout win on homecoming against the Kentucky Wildcats.
Homecoming for the Florida football program was punctuated with a 48-20 win over the Kentucky Wildcats inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday night. The Gators came in amped behind a raucous crowd and did not disappoint the loyal fans.
Billy Napier’s squad controlled things from the get-go, scoring a field goal in the red zone on the game-opening drive that soaked up almost five minutes. They would add 24 more points in the second half against UK’s baker’s dozen to take a 27-13 lead into the locker room.
The Gators Wire staff convened to offer their respective instant reactions in a good, bad and ugly format after the final horn. Take a look below at what we had to say.
The true freshmen shine on offense
Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
GOOD: The true freshmen shine on offense. Quarterback DJ Lagway and running back Jadan Baugh were the motors that kept the Gators’ offense up and running. Lagway’s deep ball accuracy was on full display as he was slinging it all over, what’s regarded as, a good Kentucky defense.
He also did a good job in utilizing his legs and ran with ease against the Wildcats.
As for Baugh, I mean, what a performance. With Montrell Johnson Jr. out due to injury, Baugh served as Florida’s lead running back and had a total of five rushing touchdowns.
BAD: There weren’t a whole lot of “bad” things to look at from the Gators’ performance against Kentucky. I guess you’d like to see the offense be more consistent, especially in the second half. It’s been an ongoing trend for Florida.
hey played almost flawlessly in the first half and in the second, there were some hiccups and not a lot of movement down the field. But again, it’s tough to look at something that was “bad” from what seemed like one of Florida’s best all-around performances of the year.
UGLY: Gators star cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. left the game due to an injury in the third quarter. Marshall, arguably Florida’s best player in their secondary, got hurt diving to the ground while trying to prevent a Kentucky touchdown.
Marshall was looked at on the sidelines by trainers before walking over to the locker room in significant pain. Unfortunately, Marshall came out of the locker room with a sling on his arm and while we don’t know the severity of the injury as of now, it’s going to be a major blow for Florida’s defense. — Aidan Gallardo
Pretty much a perfect performance for a homecoming game
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
GOOD: An SEC win in front of a homecoming crowd against a school the Gators once dominated but have lost three in a row to? Yeah, I would say that is very good.
Lagway’s completion percentage left something to be desired but his results spoke for themselves, throwing five completions of over 40 yards in this one. Then Baugh’s breakout performance was a beautiful thing to behold.
Shout out to the receiving corps as well for grabbing those DJ throws as well as the three interceptions by the defense. Dare I say this was a well-rounded effort?
BAD: Florida’s run defense gave up almost seven yards a carry at one point in the first half and looked for a while like it was going to let the ‘Cats have their way on the ground. Of course, things turned around in the second half.
UGLY: Lagway’s INT and UK’s punt return for a touchdown were both the low points of this game, but other than those two nadirs, this was a clean win for the Orange and Blue. The penalties were minimal, the turnovers were limited and the boneheaded errors were absent.
Pretty much a perfect performance for a homecoming game. — Adam Dubbin
DJ Lagway exceeded all expectations
Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun
GOOD: DJ Lagway exceeded all expectations in his first start against an FBS opponent, and the future is incredibly bright for this offense moving forward. With Lagway under center, defenses are going to have a hard time figuring out what coverage to run.
He can extend plays with his legs and move around to find time for the deep man. He can scramble when no one is open. And both of those factors distract the defense from the fact that Florida has a solid run game without leaning on the QB.
The playbook has opened up with Lagway at the helm, and he doesn’t need to throw touchdowns for the Gators to win games (more on that in a moment).
GOOD: Jadan Baugh is the future at running back in Gainesville, and he made a LOUD statement rushing for 106 yards and five touchdowns, tying a school record, in his second start — it’s the first time Florida has started a true freshman at both quarterback and running back.
Sure, some of those came right after big gains from Lagway through the air, but no one is upset once the ball crosses the goal line. More importantly, it tells us that selfishness isn’t a problem for this team. When you have two “rookies” put on a show like that together, it’s hard not to be optimistic about the future of the program.
GOOD: Allowing 20 points isn’t usually indicative of an excellent defensive night, but the Gators only allowed the Wildcats to score one touchdown on offense.
The math is simple. Three takeaways — including a pick-six from Cormani McClain — trumps one bad drive. Let’s not forget the early stop on 4th and 1 just a few yards out from the end zone. Something changed with this defense a few weeks ago, and it’s going to give Florida a chance to win at least one game against four ranked opponents over the next five weeks.
I’m not worried about losing Jason Marshall Jr. if his injury is serious. McClain is going to keep getting better as he sees the field more, and Devin Moore is a solid corner when he’s healthy.
Yes, I did three GOODs this week. People deserve to be happy in moments like this. If you find yourself mad about Billy Napier smiling after a game like this, seek professional help.
Florida’s next game details
The Gators are off next week due to their bye week. The next matchup for Florida will be against the Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 2 in Jacksonville. That game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ABC.
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The Badgers improved to 5-2 with the win and 3-1 in Big Ten play. It is the team’s third straight victory, all by a sizable margin (52-6 over Purdue, 42-7 over Rutgers and 23-3 over Northwestern). Importantly, it brings the team to the doorstep of bowl eligibility with a crucial stretch upcoming.
Wisconsin’s Oct. 26 primetime matchup against No. 3 Penn State is sure to dominate the conversation all week. But before Badgers turned the page from their road victory over the Wildcats, they were sure to enjoy the environment.
That environment: Northwestern’s temporary lakefront stadium on the shores of Lake Michigan.
How they enjoyed that environment: the team rushed to the shores of the lake as strength and conditioning coach Brady Collins took a celebratory swim.
That is the excitement of a team that has won three straight conference games by a combined margin of 117 to 16, completely turning its season around in the process.
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The game fit the script of many Wisconsin vs. Northwestern games over the years. The game had its ugly stretches, highlighted by a collection of blocked and missed field goals throughout the first half. There was a feeling that points were at a premium, at least until Wisconsin built its lead in the second half.
The game changed in the final moments before the halftime break. 50 seconds remained in the period when Northwestern had the football on its own 13-yard-line after a 10-yard first-down run by RB Joseph Himon II. Instead of running the ball into halftime trailing just 7-0, David Braun’s team decided to get aggressive. QB Jack Lausch dropped back to pass, was pressured by a collection of Wisconsin defenders, and coughed up the football. Badgers DT Elijah Hills recovered the fumble at the Wildcats 3-yard-line, setting up an easy score and a 14-0 halftime lead.
Northwestern did show signs of life early in the second half. It drove down to Wisconsin’s goal-line, though the Badgers held strong and kept the drive out of the end zone. That theme defined the afternoon — Wisconsin meeting every Northwestern punch with a clear response.
The Badgers went on to orchestrate a long touchdown drive to close the third quarter with a 21-3 lead. Northwestern’s offense didn’t have enough to battle back in the game.
Wisconsin’s performance was far from perfect. QB Braedyn Locke turned the ball over twice, K Nathanial Vakos had a field goal blocked and the Wisconsin defense missed several key opportunities to force Northwestern turnovers. But the Badgers finished with another decisive margin on the scoreboard. The team has completely turned around its season after a rocky 2-2 start.
Wisconsin now continues into a season-defining home matchup with No. 3 Penn State
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