'Sconnie Six Pack 11/13
Mike McCarthy returns to Lambeau Field as the Packers take on the Dallas Cowboys
Topping-off the six pack: the Packers play the Dallas Cowboys in Mike McCarthy’s return to Green Bay
I will be at Lambeau Field today when the Packers take on the Dallas Cowboys which means the top-off gets top billing in today’s Six Pack. If you will be at the game today, let me know if you have a great tailgate spot and I will try to swing by! You can catch today’s game with me in Section 130 Row 58 or on Fox at 3:25PM CST.
An injury-hobbled Packers team takes the field today against a Dallas Cowboys team looking to prove they are a Super Bowl contender. Dallas ranks third in overall team DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) and third in defensive DVOA according to Football Outsiders. The Cowboys have managed to be one of the NFL’s most impressive teams even with their starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, sidelined with injury for the first quarter of the season. Backup QB Cooper Rush went 4-1 as the Cowboys’ starter and Dak Prescott is 2-0 since his return.
The Packers made a couple of notable roster moves yesterday ahead of today’s game. Eric Stokes was officially placed on IR after Head Coach Matt Lafleur said it was “unlikely” Stokes played again this season. Kicker Ramiz Ahmed was elevated from the practice squad to the active gameday roster. The Ahmed move follows Kicker Mason Crosby’s listing on the injury report with a back injury this week. Although Crosby came off the injury report on Friday, perhaps the Packers are being cautious in case Crosby finds himself unable to perform on gameday.
Badgers fall to Iowa all but ending last hopes of a Big Ten West title
Iowa beat Wisconsin in yesterday’s annual battle for the Heartland trophy putting any hopes of a Big Ten West title on life-support for the Badgers. Illinois took a surprise loss to Purdue just before Iowa and Wisconsin kicked off yesterday. With Michigan on-deck for the Illini, Iowa and Wisconsin found themselves playing to take control of the division title race assuming Illinois is unable to pull off an upset against the Wolverines.
Iowa’s first three scoring drives were effective, but unimpressive. Add on an 11 play, 27 yard drive that resulted in a field goal and you have the blueprint to Iowa’s outburst of 24 points scored in Iowa City yesterday. The Hawkeyes’ stifling defense and special teams proved to be the difference even while Wisconsin outgained Iowa in yards on offense 227 to 146. Iowa’s touchdown drives were each set up by special teams plays with a blocked punt and a 41-yard punt return respectively.
Oddly enough, because the Big Ten West is terrible, there are still four very specific scenarios Wisconsin can still win the division. If you are an eternal optimist, you should not be a Wisconsin sports fan, but this spreadsheet is for you:
Wisconsin plays Nebraska in a battle of Big Ten West interim coaches next week. Kickoff time was announced this morning as 11AM CST on ESPN. Fans across the country have been clamoring to see 5-5 Wisconsin and 3-7 Nebraska on national TV - now they get their wish.
Wisconsin volleyball sweeps Maryland for 14th consecutive victory
In happy news, Wisconsin volleyball defeated Maryland in straight sets (25-22, 25-15, 25-18) in its last regular season match at the Field House last night. An offensive outburst by the Badgers was the biggest difference in the resounding victory over the Terrapins.
Danielle Hart celebrated her senior night as a key contributor to that offensive outburst with 10 kills and hitting .667 to lead all players in the match. Wisconsin had its best hitting performance in conference play so far this season with a mark of .345.
Wisconsin is back in action next weekend on a road trip to Rutgers and Penn State.
Zach Urdahl scores in OT lifting Badgers over LIU
No Wisconsin men’s hockey victory in recent memory has felt as much like a defeat as last night’s overtime win over the Long Island University Sharks. The Badgers played from behind most of the night as the Sharks opened up a 2-0 lead in the first period. A program with six national championships simply should not need overtime to defeat a program in its third season of play.
Zach Urdahl’s game-winner prevented an embarrassing loss for a Badgers team that continues to struggle. Long Island scored three goals on 19 shots last night. Wisconsin scored four goals on 48 shots. Struggling to produce quality scoring chances and convert them to goals is this team’s biggest weakness. If this weekend is any indication, Big Ten play will likely be really hard to watch this year for fans of Wisconsin hockey.
The Badgers are back in action next weekend at the Kohl Center against first-year program Lindenwood University.
Antetokounmpo family attends Wisconsin Herd game, Herd prevail in OT 135-133
Giannis and Thanasis are not the only members of the Bucks organization this year. Alex Antetokounmpo is a member of the Bucks’ G-League affiliate team the Wisconsin Herd. Giannis and his mother, Veronica, were both inside Oshkosh Arena last night as the Herd defeated the Detroit Pistons-affiliated Motor City Cruise.
Undrafted center-forward Jontay Porter, brother of Denver Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr., was the star of the night tallying 30 points including six made three-point baskets. Undrafted forward Buddy Boeheim, son of Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, led the Cruise in scoring with 25 points.
This was the Herd’s first overtime game this year and their first played under the G-Leagues new target-scoring overtime rules. At the end of regulation, teams are given a target of adding seven points to their total and the first team to hit or surpass the number wins. At the end of regulation, the Herd and Cruise were tied at 128-128 putting the target number at 135. Jordan Bone clinched the victory for the Herd with a game-winning free throw.
Badgers cross country programs qualify for NCAA championships
Both the Wisconsin men’s and women’s cross country teams are officially headed to the NCAA championships as the women’s team received an at-large selection yesterday. The 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships will take place next Saturday, November 19th in Stillwater, Oklahoma. You can catch it on ESPNU with coverage of the women’s race beginning at 9AM CST and the men’s race at 10:10 AM CST.
Cross country is the unsung dominant hero of the Wisconsin athletic department. The women’s cross country program is headed to its 32nd national championships, second only in the Big Ten to Michigan, and is headed there for the sixth time in the past seven years. The men’s cross country program qualified for the national championships by winning its 32nd regional title after winning its 53rd Big Ten title earlier this season.
On, Wisconsin.