Game Recap

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts

Sunday, September 21, 2008

*Scobee, Jaguars stun Colts*

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- The Jacksonville Jaguars' first win of the season came in dramatic fashion.

Josh Scobee kicked a 51-yard field goal with four seconds remaining Sunday, lifting the Jaguars to a 23-21 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, who moments earlier were celebrating what they thought was their second straight final-minute win.

"It was a tremendous AFC South battle," Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio said. "At the end, they (Indianapolis) responded like they have so many times and tried to steal one late. We responded with a performance of our own.

"David (Garrard) made some good throws and enabled us to get a kick up - and the thing was drilled. It would have been good from 65, the way it looked."

Scobee, who made two short field goals earlier in the contest, recalled a game-winning kick he converted four years ago.

"After we passed the 50, I said get me five more yards and I'll feel comfortable with that," Scobee said. "I hit a 53-yarder (in 2004) to win it with under a minute to play, so I had to draw some of that back into my mind, just to remember that feeling.

"I knew coming down that, after they scored, if we got in range, it would be up to me."

Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew each rushed for more than 100 yards for Jacksonville (1-2), which chewed huge chunks off the clock with a ball-control offense, including a 12-minute possession in the fourth quarter that kept Peyton Manning off the field.

"We're always confident that we can run the ball," said Taylor, who ran for 121 yards on 26 carries. "It doesn't always work out that way, but today, with the game plan and some of the looks we saw on tape, we were able to have some explosive big plays."

Scobee capped the marathon drive with a 21-yard field goal, extending Jacksonville's lead to 20-14 with 2: 33 remaining.

Before getting back the ball, the Colts had possession for just 2 1/2 minutes in the second half. But that still was more than enough time for Manning, who kept Indianapolis' hopes alive with a 27-yard completion to Marvin Harrison on fourth down.

Manning then scrambled for a first down and hit a wide-open Reggie Wayne for a 1st-and-goal at the 2. Two plays later, Joseph Addai scored on a 2-yard TD run to give the Colts a 21-20 lead with 67 seconds left.

"You always look and see how much time is on the clock when you score like that," Manning said. "When you get down inside the 4-yard line, you certainly aren't trying to run the clock - you're looking to score the touchdown."

Last week, the Colts (1-2) erased an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Minnesota Vikings, 18-15, on Adam Vinatieri's 47-yard field goal with three seconds remaining.

The Colts were ready to celebrate again, but an interference penalty on 4th-and-1 at the Jaguars' 40-yard line gave Jacksonville new life.

Indianapolis' defense looked vulnerable against the Jaguars, who rushed for 236 yards after averaging 65.5 yards on the ground entering the game - 28th-best in the NFL.

"Obviously, it was a very disappointing game," Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy said. "I think you have to give a ton of credit to Jacksonville. I thought their two backs ran hard and David Garrard made a lot of plays on third down. Obviously, in the second half, we couldn't get the ball back."

Still, an inability to finish drives nearly cost the Jaguars. In the first half, they settled for a field goal after a 75-yard drive and came away empty after turning over the ball on downs following a 70-yard possession that ended when they could not convert a 4th-and-2 at the 11.

Jacksonville's first touchdown came on cornerback Rashean Mathis' 61-yard interception return for a 7-3 lead with five minutes left in the second quarter. The Colts grabbed a 10-7 halftime lead on Addai's 3-yard TD scamper with just over a minute left in the first half.

"I've thrown a lot of hook routes to Marvin and when he's coming back to the quarterback, it's almost impossible for a corner to stop it without grabbing him," Manning said. "It's disappointing that it gave them a touchdown, but it happened early and we had chances to overcome it."

The Jaguars went ahead, 17-14, on Jones-Drew' 6-yard burst with a minute left in the third period, the first of four lead changes in the second half.