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Rushing: 9 / 46 / 0
Receiving: 1 / 11 / 0 on 1 targets
McFadden played well, gaining over five yards per carry. He showed an impressive quickness through holes and played one down at quarterback on the night, although he handed the ball off.
Rushing: 21 / 164 / 1
Receiving: 1 / 9 / 0 on 1 targets
No doubt they will be calling this McFadden's coming out party. He had a spectacular second half, busting loose for five 20+ yard rushes (one was for 19 but only because the end zone got in the way). Once Fargas went down, he became the main rushing threat, and was rested in favor of Michael Bush after each big play. It is worth noting that in the first half (while splitting carries with Fargas) he was ineffective, showing a good initial burst but failing to find the hole for any serious yardage -- once he became the focus of the running game, he found his rhythm and had no trouble at all finding holes. There was some concern that McFadden was dealing a turf toe injury during the game and he did yield to Michael Bush at the end of the game. Stay tuned this week to see how that goes.
Rushing: 14 / 42 / 0
Receiving: 3 / 6 / 0 on 3 targets
McFadden started the game despite suffering a sprained toe a week ago, but he was a starter in name only. He and Michael Bush split the 28 carries between them, with McFadden getting much of the work on first and second down with Bush coming in for short yardage and third down situations. In truth, McFadden was in and out of the lineup for the entire first quarter. The toe issue seemed to bother McFadden at times, particularly when he tried to plant and cut off the foot. He lost his footing on two successive runs in the first quarter, and then went on to slip two more times in the first half. Each time he fell he was trying to make a cut. It unfortunately cut into his effectiveness big time, because nearly a third of his carries (four out of fourteen) resulted in a slip and fall. The injury seemed to bother him less as the game went on, as he showed an ability to run over defenders rather than trying to go around them. It was a testament to his versatility that he essentially turned into a power back halfway through the game and altered his style to adjust for his weakness. He nearly picked up a touchdown in the third quarter, but had it vultured. After successive six yard runs put the Raiders on the Buffalo one yard line, QB JaMarcus Russell took the handoff and dove in for the score.
Rushing: 7 / 20 / 0
Receiving: 2 / 17 / 0 on 3 targets
McFadden appeared to be favoring his right foot from the outset of the game. During the second quarter, he was on the bench with his shoe off as Michael Bush got all of the work. McFadden practiced on a limited basis this week, and the team was unsure how much of a workload he'd be able to handle. If this game was any indication, the answer is not much. He had just nine touches for a mere 37 yards, was out of the game on the goal line package, and wasn't seen or heard from the entire fourth quarter as Michael Bush was the team's go-to guy.
Rushing: 8 / 30 / 0
Receiving: 0 / 0 / 0 on 1 targets
The bye week apparently helped McFadden recover from the turf toe injury. While his limited appearance in this blowout is difficult to assess, he appears to be healthy once again. In earlier games, when he tried playing with the injury, he often lost his footing and slipped when he tried to cut. While this remains a RBBC it seems only a matter of time before he takes over.
Even if McFadden is completely healed and becomes the feature back, however, he could still be limited by the Raiders game plan. Kiffin was fired, at least in part, because of his commitment to running the ball.
Rushing: 8 / 39 / 0
Receiving: 3 / 50 / 0 on 4 targets
McFadden was used as a change of pace to spell Fargas as well as a main passing threat out of the backfield. He carried only eight times on the day, gaining 39 yards in the process while adding three catches for 50 yards. He looked fast catching the ball and running in space as he made a couple plays that were good for big gains.
Rushing: 3 / 13 / 0
Receiving: 2 / 1 / 0 on 2 targets
After missing four games McFadden made a brief appearance against Miami. He averaged over four yards per carry in limited duty, but he did not appear to be running with an injury. This offense could clearly use a healthy Darren McFadden.
Rushing: 10 / 38 / 2
Receiving: 2 / 14 / 0 on 2 targets
McFadden was used more in the second half, and was a significant contributor in a variety of ways. He took direct snaps twice in Oakland's version of the wildcat package, lined up as a receiver on several occasions and ran a variety of routes, and scored two touchdowns. McFadden ran easily and seemed to be recovered from the foot injury that has nagged him most of the season. He showed his speed several times, both as a runner going wide on a short yardage goal line play and as a receiver, and elusiveness and power on some other short-yardage runs.
Rushing: 7 / 13 / 0
Receiving: 3 / 50 / 0 on 6 targets
McFadden did not contribute much running the ball, but contributed well in the passing game. He lined up outside as a wide receiver several times, and not only showed very good hands in making tough catches, but ran his routes very well. McFadden got open deep twice, and was able to get a penalty called on his defender who did so in an effort to prevent a potentially big score. McFadden was also involved on a hook and ladder-type play where he took a short pass from Ronald Curry after Curry had caught a pass and ran for several yards.
Rushing: 1 / 0 / 0
Receiving: 2 / 8 / 0 on 4 targets
McFadden has been campaigning for more involvement in the offense. While he didn't get his wish in the form of touches in this game, he has no one to blame but himself if he doesn't see an increase next week. His statistics aside, he showed very little desire on a peculiar play in the fourth quarter. Facing a fourth down, Andrew Walter floated a ball to McFadden out in the flat. Had McFadden reached up and made the play, he'd have gotten the first down with ease. But McFadden, sensing that a defender was close to him and about to lay him out, pulled his hands down at the last moment to protect himself. As it turned out, there were no defenders all that close to him and he would have made the catch with room to spare. Instead, the ball sailed over his head for an incompletion and a turnover on downs.
On the bright side, he made several nice tackles during the San Diego interception returns and also made a reception as he was being undercut from behind by one of his offensive line teammates.
Rushing: 12 / 46 / 1
Receiving: 3 / 68 / 0 on 3 targets
RB Darren McFadden handled one snap from the wildcat formation with QB JaMarcus Russell lined up on the left side as a wide receiver. He handed the ball off to RB Justin Fargas.
In the fourth quarter, McFadden showcased some of the skills that made him a first round pick when he scampered into the end zone for the team's final touchdown of the game. He stiff-armed DB Brandon Meriweather as he forced his way in for the score.
Rushing: 12 / 46 / 0
Receiving: 5 / 41 / 0 on 6 targets
McFadden contributed in the running game with 12 rushes for 46 yards, and added five receptions for 41 yards on six targets in the passing game. Two of his targets came on third down situations, and three of his receptions resulted in first downs.
Rushing: 1 / 2 / 0
Receiving: 2 / 10 / 0 on 3 targets
McFadden made minor contributions as he finished with one rush for two yards on the ground and two receptions for 10 yards on three targets in the passing game.