Injuries are robbing the Saints of an explosive running back

Week 8 told the story of Kendre Miller’s career with the Saints. He has all the makings of an explosive lead back — except for health:

It’s hard to not be enamored with how Kendre Miller runs the ball. When he receives the handoff, there’s a different burst as he goes through the hole. It’s explosive and creates an appetite for more. Unfortunately through his two years in the NFL, injuries have and continue to keep New Orleans Saints fans famished.

In just his second game back from injury, Miller has already suffered another hamstring injury. That’s been what has derailed him from forming a true one-two punch with Alvin Kamara.

Miller has the skill set to be a lead back, and you want him to touch the ball more. He had gains of 1, 10, and 5 yards on just three attempts with a couple of other runs called back by penalty. He’s averaging 5.8  yards per attempt through two games this year. The problem is you can’t use a player when he’s not on the field. As long as injuries continue to plague Miller, the Saints won’t be able to trust him with expanded responsibilities.

No one should fault the Saints for investing in a new running back this year. Matter of fact, it may be more condemnable to not invest in the position.

At full health, Miller is fully equipped to help carry the workload. Unfortunately for him and the Saints, health is Miller’s biggest issue.

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Bo Nix was the NFL’s best rookie quarterback in October

Bo Nix ranked 1st in passing yards, 1st in passing TDs, 1st in TD-to-INT ratio and 1st in rushing TDs among rookie quarterbacks in October.

After a shaky start, Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix is heating up.

Nix threw no touchdown passes and four interceptions through his first two games in the NFL in September. Since then, he has totaled eight touchdown passes and one interception in his last six games.

Nix was the NFL’s best rookie quarterback in October, posting better numbers than No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels.

Nix, the No. 12 overall pick in April, currently leads all NFL rookies with 12 total touchdowns (eight passing and four rushing), via Aric DiLalla of the team’s official website.

This is how Nix stacked up among rookie quarterbacks in October, via CBS Sports:

Stat Total Rank
Passing TDs 7 1st
Pass TDs/INTs 7/1 1st
Passing Yards 870 1st
Rushing TDs 2 1st
Wins 3 1st-T

That’s a pretty impressive month for Denver’s rookie quarterback.

Nix broke the team’s franchise record for the most wins by a rookie quarterback with his fifth victory on Sunday. Nix also became the first quarterback in Broncos history to throw for three touchdowns, rush for a touchdown and not throw an interception in a single game.

Nix can obviously still improve, but he’s trending in the right direction. The 24-year-old QB seems to be a perfect fit for coach Sean Payton’s offense.

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Former Wisconsin running back leads 49ers to victory over Cowboys on ‘Sunday Night Football’

Former Wisconsin running back scores first NFL touchdown on “Sunday Night Football”

Former Wisconsin running back Isaac Guerendo scored the first touchdown of his NFL career in the San Francisco 49ers’ 30-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

The former Badger took a hand off from 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy from the 4-yard line and plunged in for the score. His touchdown was the first of three third-quarter touchdowns by the 49ers. It put the team up 13-10 — a lead it did not relinquish.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 9: Penn State makes a statement

Guerendo finished the evening with a team-high 14 carries, 85 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, plus three receptions for 17 receiving yards.

Here is his touchdown:

The former Badger’s role has steadily increased since joining the team as a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. He has become the team’s primary option at the position with star Christian McCaffrey out with an injury.

His evening against Dallas could have looked even better in the stat sheet. Instead of adding another touchdown in the game’s closing moments, Guerendo smartly slid to end the game.

Guerendo played for five years at Wisconsin (2018-2022) before transferring to Louisville for the 2023 season. He was never able to win the full-time starting job with the Badgers thanks to recurring injuries and the emergence of Braelon Allen in 2021.

The speedster’s best college output was, by far, his 810-yard, 11-touchdown 2023 season with Louisville. Otherwise, he totaled 99 carries, 582 yards and six touchdowns in his years with the Badgers.

Guerendo is up to 37 carries, 227 yards and one touchdown in his rookie NFL season. He and the 49ers will be back on the field on Nov. 10 at Tampa Bay.

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The Saints had more punting yards than offensive yards against the Chargers

The Saints had more punting yards than offensive yards gained in their Week 8 loss to the Chargers. Klint Kubiak has some explaining to do:

The New Orleans Saints find themselves sitting with a 2-6 record after eight weeks, and their offense has been pretty much useless without Pro Bowl  center Erik McCoy for six of those weeks. This became an even more obvious issue in their Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers when they managed to have more total punt yards than total yards of offense during the course of the game. They ended with 366 total yards during the course of the game, which is not horrendous but not good at all either.

As for punting yards, rookie punter Matthew Hayball got 9 attempts to punt and made the most of them as he racked up 437 yards (48.6 per punt). He also put five of his punts inside the opposing 20-yard line and had only two go for a touchback in what was a pretty masterful game for the rookie punter. The Saints were averaging only 162.3 punt yards per game entering Week 8, the 22nd-most in the NFL, which shows how much of an outlier this truly is.

With all due respect to Hayball, the punter should never be the teammate having the best day, and he certainly shouldn’t be outgaining his own offense. Klint Kubiak has some explaining to do. Losing McCoy for so long has given him plenty of time to adjust but no changes have been forthcoming. He hasn’t recovered from that loss even with so many other starters and key contributors returning from injury. The clock is ticking louder as Kubiak’s offense continues to stall out. Something must change, and soon.

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Florida football’s DJ Lagway leads nation in deep ball accuracy

Gators freshman quarterback DJ Lagway has a 63.2 completion percentage on balls thrown over 20 yards through the air.

Florida football quarterback DJ Lagway was the most accurate deep ball passer in the country entering Week 9, according to Pro Football Focus.

Lagway, a freshman who took over as the Gators starting quarterback in Week 8 following Graham Mertz’s injury, ranked first in the country in completion percentage (63.2%) on passes that were thrown over 20 yards through the air.

Some notable quarterbacks that follow Lagway are Mississippi State’s Blake Shapen (58.8%), Ohio State’s Will Howard (58.8%), Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke (57.1%) and Penn State’s Drew Allar (55.6%).

Head coach Billy Napier talked about Lagway’s deep ball accuracy during last week’s SEC teleconference.

“Well, I think he (Lagway) – probably what’s unique is just the accuracy of the deep ball,” Napier said about Lagway. “I mean, I think that’s what jumps out to me, is, you know, when he does throw it in the deep part of the field, down the middle of the field, or on the outside third, is his accuracy, and he showed that. He’s got a, a really unique talent that he has, you know, he’s been able to be very accurate with it down the field.”

Through the first seven games of the season, Lagway has thrown for 1,024 yards and five touchdowns at a 63% completion rate. Lagway’s longest throw of the season came in Week 2 of the season when he threw an 85-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Wilson III against Samford.

Coming up for Florida

The Gators go up against the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, 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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RECAP: Wisconsin blanked in second half, falls to Penn State 28-13

Quick reaction to Wisconsin’s loss to Penn State

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.

Related: Badgers fans dejected after hard-fought loss to No. 3 Penn State

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 punter out-rushed Penn State star running back in first half of Badgers vs. Nittany Lions

Wisconsin punter out-rushes Penn State star running back in first half

Wisconsin punter Atticus Bertrams had one of the highlights of the first half of the Badgers’ premier matchup with No. 3 Penn State. He took a fake punt on 4th-9 of Wisconsin’s opening drive for a 15-yard gain, continuing a drive that ended in a Nathanial Vakos record-setting field goal.

That opening score was a big moment in a first half that ended with Wisconsin leading 10-7. The Badgers’ defense hung tough with the Nittany Lions’ top-ranked offense — not allowing much consistent offense aside from a 90-yard touchdown drive late in the first quarter.

One stat accurately portrays Wisconsin’s performance through one half and the game’s tight margin. Bertrams (one carry, 15 rushing yards) out-rushed Penn State star running back Nicholas Singleton (five carries, nine rushing yards).

Singleton also tallied three receptions, 37 receiving yards and Penn State’s lone touchdown — so it’s not as if Bertrams bested his overall production.

But the Badgers have performed well against Singleton and Penn State’s lethal rushing attack through one half. I’m sure defensive coordinator Mike Tressel is pleased with the stat sheet listing Wisconsin’s punter ahead of Penn State’s star running back on the rushing yard leaderboard.

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Wisconsin K Nathanial Vakos sets program record with 50-yard FG vs. Penn State

Wisconsin K Nathanial Vakos sets program record with 50-yard FG vs. Penn State

Wisconsin kicker Nathanial Vakos set a program record for the most 50-plus-yard field goals with his 50-yard make to open the Badgers’ Week 9 contest against No. 3 Penn State.

The long-distance make is Vakos’ fourth from beyond 50 yards since taking over as Wisconsin’s kicker in 2023. According to the NBC broadcast, that sets a program record.

The former Ohio transfer is 22/30 (73%) on field goal attempts in his year-and-a-half as the Badgers’ starting kicker. Specifically, those totals include 1/1 from inside 20 yards, 6/6 from 20-29 yards, 8/10 from 30-39, 3/6 from 40-49 and 4/7 from 50-plus.

Vakos’ long-distance make is great news for the Badgers’ chances after his relative struggles to begin the 2024 season. He was nearly flawless in 2023, going 14/15 from inside 50 yards. Those numbers have regressed a bit to begin 2024, though are sure to be helped by his long make against Penn State.

His current standing on Wisconsin’s other all-time kicker leaderboards include No. 6 in field goals made (22), No. 7 in points (125) and No. 5 in field goal percentage (73%). Rafael Gaglianone (2014-18) leads the program in nearly everything, and was tied with Vakos at three 50-plus-yard-field-goal-makes entering Saturday.

Wisconsin currently trails top-ranked Penn State 7-3 early in the second quarter. Vakos and the Badgers are looking for a defining victory to entering longshot contention for the Big Ten title and expanded College Football Playoff.

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This stat says Saints DB is the NFL’s most disruptive player through 7 weeks

Alontae Taylor has made a living in the backfield this season. Through seven weeks, he leads the league in creating “havoc plays”

The 33rd Team has a metric called havoc plays. A havoc play is any tackle for a loss, sack, interception, forced fumble or pass breakup. Instead of individualizing each stat, they compiled them into one stat.

Through seven games, Alontae Taylor has become a master of disruption. The New Orleans Saints defensive back leads the NFL in havoc plays, with 16.

Due to Paulson Adebo’s injury, Taylor’s role will change slightly. He’ll play opposite Marshon Lattimore in base defense. In nickel, Taylor will slide inside and Kool-Aid McKinstry will play outside.

The change in role only increases Taylor’s ceiling for havoc plays because he won’t have to come off the field. He still gets to retain his spot in the slot which is what sets him up for so many havoc plays.

Playing insides gives him more opportunities to blitz and be more aggressive in the run game. Taylor is second on the team 3.5 sacks this year. One of those sacks led to a strip sack of Jalen Hurts.

In addition to being a leader in sacks, Taylor also leads the team in tackles for a loss and is second in pass breakups. That last number in particular should increase by playing on the outside in base formations.

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Statistical Breakdown: How the Chargers and Saints stack up before Week 8 game

Here’s how the Chargers and Saints stack up statistically ahead of Sunday’s matchup.

The Chargers and Saints are set to square off this upcoming Sunday.

Here’s how Los Angeles and New Orleans stack up statistically ahead of the Week 8 matchup:

Offense

Category Chargers Saints
Points per game 17.7 ppg (26th) 25.3 ppg (11th)
Passing offense 183.7 ypg (24th) 196.6 ypg (21st)
Rushing offense 116.3 ypg (18th) 116.3 ypg (19th)
Total offense 300.0 ypg (25th) 312.9 ypg (21st)
3rd down conversions 42.53% (7th) 43.68% (6th)
Red zone scoring 38.46% (30th) 69.57% (5th)
Sacks allowed 15 (12th) 16 (14th)
Turnovers 4 (4th) 11 (27th)

Defense

Category Chargers Saints
Points allowed 13.8 ppg (1st) 25.7 ppg (26th)
Passing defense 184.2 ypg (9th) 248.1 ypg (28th)
Rushing defense 111.2 ypg (9th) 146.7 ypg (29th)
Total defense 295.3 ypg (7th) 394.9 ypg (32nd)
3rd down conversions 36.49% (16th) 39.76% (21st)
Red zone defense 45.45% (7th) 41.67% (3rd)
Sacks 13 (25th) 15 (19th)
Takeaways 10 (13th) 13 (4th)