McFadden did his best to save Kiffin

Sep 15, 2008 - 5:43 PM By Zachary Ingraham PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

Did Darren McFadden save Lane Kiffin's job on Sunday afternoon? Probably not. But it was still a heck of an effort.

In his second NFL game, McFadden rushed for 164 yards and his first career touchdown on 21 carries while playing hurt to lead the Oakland Raiders to a 23-8 triumph over Kansas City.

Despite starting running back Justin Fargas leaving the game in the second quarter with a groin injury, McFadden led a rushing attack that racked up 300 yards overall.

"It looked like at times there were gaps and we didn't fill them," Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards said. "We knew exactly what these guys were going to do. They came off an embarrassing loss and they were going to try to run the ball on us. That was their mind-set. You've got to give the Raiders credit."

"I think Justin did a good job of softening the Chiefs' defense in the first half," McFadden said. "That let us bust open some big runs in the second half."

McFadden was leading that charge. With the Raiders passing for just 55 yards, he broke off runs of 50, 24, 22 and 21 yards in addition to his 19-yard touchdown scamper.

Kiffin certainly appreciated the effort.

"Darren had turf toe during the game," Kiffin said. "I don't think you saw how fast Darren can be on that big run he had, but he made up for it on the touchdown."

McFadden's performance, however, might not have been enough to save his coach's job. Before Sunday's game, the San Jose Mercury News reported that Raiders owner Al Davis could fire Kiffin as early as Monday.

Citing several front-office sources, the newspaper reported Davis was set to make the change regardless of how Oakland performed against Kansas City. Kiffin refused to address the issue after the game.

"It's out of my hands," he said. "I don't really want to talk about something I can't control."

The Sacramento Bee report that Kiffin was scheduled to meet with Davis late Sunday night.

If Kiffin does get axed, his replacement will inherit a spectacular talent.

A fourth overall pick in April's draft, McFadden is averaging 7.0 yards per carry through his first two games. With limited action in a crowded backfield that also features Fargas and Michael Bush, McFadden also is showing his versatility by catching passes and lining up at quarterback.

McFadden was the Heisman Trophy runner-up the past two years at Arkansas, rushing for 3,477 yards and scoring 32 touchdowns over that stretch.

"Everybody knows what kind of athlete he is," Kansas City linebacker Bernie Pollard said. "We saw what he did at Arkansas, but to see him do that today was embarrassing. It's not what we wanted to see."

While he missed out on the Heisman in college, a few more performances like Sunday might get McFadden a Rookie of the Year award.