KICKOFF: After winning the opening coin toss, the Raiders elected to defer. Oakland will now get the ball to start the second half.
Q3 15:00: Jacoby Ford took the opening kickoff to the 22-yard line, where the Raiders offense took over. After an incomplete pass, Jason Campbell found Zach Miller on the sideline, and the tight end stiff-armed a tackler before running for a 27-yard gain. On the ensuing first down, the Raiders tried the same end-around to Ford that resulted in a touchdown in the first quarter. This time the defense sniffed it out, and a penalty flag pushed the ball back 10 more yards for holding. Now second-and-20 at the Oakland 44-yard line, Michael Bush takes a carry before being stood up by Mario Haggan after a gain of a yard. On second down, Jamal Williams puts pressure on Campbell, and his blocker is called for a hands-to-the-face penalty to slow up the defensive lineman. Now second-and-29, Bush takes a carry and is stopped after a gain of 3 as boos rain down from the crowd. On third-and-26, the Broncos are called for offsides, giving the Raiders another opportunity to pick up a first down on third-and-21. Campbell buys time in the pocket before connecting with Ford at midfield — short of the first down. Shane Lechler is back in to punt on fourth down, and Syd’Quan Thompson is back to receive. The punt bounces out of bounds at the 6-yard line, and there’s a flag on the field — holding on the Broncos, placing the ball at the 3-yard line.
Q3 10:57: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is far from full, but the crowd that is in attendance seems to be all clustered in each end zone. So with the Broncos backed up near their own goal line, the fans are getting rowdy. Tim Tebow takes the snap and hands off to Lance Ball, who is tripped up behind the line of scrimmage. The ball is now at the 1-yard line as Denver faces second-and-12. Tebow is hit as he hands off to Ball, and the back manages to get back out to the 5-yard line. Now third-and-8, the crowd is getting loud. Tebow takes the snap from under center and hands off to Correll Buckhalter. The back is stopped at the line of scrimmage, and Britton Colquitt is in to punt to the waiting Nick Miller. It’s a booming punt that’s fielded at about the Oakland 40-yard line — a 56-yard punt — but Miller finds plenty of room for a return. He’s brought down short of a touchdown by Richard Quinn, but he’s penalized for a facemask. With the ball at the Denver 24-yard line, Campbell lofts a pass intended for Marcel Reece, but D.J. Williams is there in coverage to break it up. On second-and-10, Darren McFadden picks up 6 yards on a run. Mario Haggan is shaken up after the play. He walks to the sideline under his own power, flanked by trainers. Now the Raiders face a third-and-4 at the 18-yard line.