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Watt's 100th sack is one of several NFL highlights at Wisconsin this week

Posted on by Vanessa
Watt's 100th sack is one of several NFL highlights at Wisconsin this week

Those who stayed up late despite the lightning delay saw the thriller of a Sunday night football game in which Dallas scored in the final 30 seconds to beat Pittsburgh 20-17.

They also saw a number of football players associated with Wisconsin.

From a milestone for Pewaukee native TJ Watt to a great play by a Dallas fullback from rural Wisconsin to another strong day from Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson, here's what you missed if you left early went to bed.

TJ Watt becomes the second fastest player to 100 career NFL sacks

If we haven't reached that point yet, we can call Pewaukee and University of Wisconsin graduate TJ Watt a “future Hall of Famer,” just like his older brother.

Watt reached the mark of 100 NFL sacks in his career with a strip sack of Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott in the second quarter, becoming the second fastest player to reach that mark. He achieved the feat in 109 games, with only Reggie White (96) reaching this plateau quicker. DeMarcus Ware needed 113 games to reach 100, while Bruce Smith needed 115, JJ Watt 120, Lawrence Taylor 122, Jared Allen 122 and Von Miller 124.

Among those on the list who are eligible, only Allen is not a Hall of Famer.

Not to be missed in the confusion was that Nick Herbig joined him in recording the half-sack and forced fumble. The Hawaii native also played for the Wisconsin Badgers.

TJ later recorded a second sack in the game and now has 4.5 for the year and 101 for his career. Big brother agreed to his arrival in the 100 sack club.

Hunter Luepke puts Dallas on the cusp of a thrilling win

The only problem is that Pittsburgh didn't win the game.

Prescott led the Cowboys to a fourth-and-goal touchdown in the final seconds with a pass to Jalen Tolbert, a 4-yard completion that clinched the game. The Cowboys reached the 5-yard line thanks to a checkdown pass to Hunter Luepke, the 2023 undrafted free agent from North Dakota State who attended Spencer High School and played for the Spencer-Columbus Catholic co-op.

Lüpke already has seven receptions for 91 yards this year, along with four rushes for an additional 14 yards and a total of eight first downs. He plays just over half of the Cowboys' offensive snaps.

Jake Ferguson continues his strong year as a tight end in Dallas

Former Badgers star and Madison Memorial graduate Jake Ferguson finished the year on a high note last year, catching a career-best 10 passes for 93 yards and three touchdowns in the postseason against the Packers. He continues to collect statistics in 2024.

Despite missing a game in Week 2 due to injury, Ferguson is up to 22 catches for 229 yards this season, although he is still waiting for his first touchdown. Against the Steelers he carried six balls for seven targets for 70 yards.

Isaiahh Loudermilk blocks Dallas' field goal attempt

Defensive tackle Isaiahh Loudermilk, a Kansas native who played for Wisconsin, blocked a 38-yard field goal attempt by Dallas star field goal kicker Brandon Aubrey in the third quarter.

Loudermilk sees the field on 17% of defensive snaps and 31% on special teams; He has one pass defensed and five tackles this year.

With Watt and Loudermilk, the Steelers have a total of four Badgers contributing to Pittsburgh's defense.

Keeanu Benton, a Janesville native, started four of the five games and had 10 tackles while playing half of Pittsburgh's defensive snaps.

Herbig has started two games this year, with a forced fumble, fumble recovery and 2.5 sacks. He plays regularly on special teams and sees the field for just under half of Pittsburgh's defensive snaps.

Did you see Andrew Van Ginkel's selection of Aaron Rodgers in London?

In other action Sunday, Andrew Van Ginkel's pick-six stood out for Minnesota as the Vikings beat Aaron Rodgers and the Jets 23-17 in London.

Playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the Packers played two seasons ago, the former UW player beat Rodgers and ran 63 yards the other way for a touchdown that gave the Vikings a 10-0 lead. It was one of three interceptions Rodgers threw in the loss.

Van Ginkel played his first five NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins before joining the Vikings on a two-year contract this year. He has now started all five games at linebacker two There were interceptions returned for touchdowns, three sacks, 19 tackles and a total of three passes defended.

Alec Ingold scores the go-ahead touchdown for the Dolphins

Bay Port High School graduate and former Badgers fullback Alec Ingold got into the end zone on Sunday to give the Dolphins a big score with a 1st-and-goal fourth-quarter goal gave his team a 15-10 lead over New England with 4:24 to play.

That was the end result in the end

Ingold has just three receptions and six rushes this year, but his primary role is blocking, which earned him a spot on the Pro Bowl squad last year.

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