Game Recap
Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans
Sunday, October 12, 2008
*Late TD by Schaub lifts Texans to first win*
HOUSTON (Ticker) -- The Houston Texans finally have something to cheer about.
Matt Schaub capped a 76-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run with three seconds left as the Texans rallied for a 29-28 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
On fourth down, Schaub rushed up the middle for the winning score, giving Houston (1-4) its first win of the season - one week after squandering a 17-point fourth-quarter lead against the Indianapolis Colts.
Schaub, who threw two interceptions early in the game and was booed by the home crowd in the first half, completed passes of 20, 23 and 30 yards to Andre Davis, Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter, respectively, to put the Texans in position for the win.
"It was just another crazy game for this team," Schaub said. "We have been there before and it is just all about staying in it and being able to make the plays when you need today.
"Today's game is all about everyone giving maximum effort until the very end. Everyone had their hand in the cookie jar today."
Schaub completed 22-of-42 passes for 379 yards and a touchdown after missing the Colts game due to illness. Johnson finished with a game-high 178 yards and a touchdown on 10 catches.
Before the last-second win, things did not look for bright for the Texans.
Eugene Wilson intercepted Chad Pennington's pass with three minutes left, but he fumbled the ball right back to the Dolphins (2-3), who marched down the field for a go-ahead score.
Ronnie Brown's 6-yard touchdown run with 1:45 looked to seal a win Miami, but the defense could not keep the Texans out of the end zone one last time.
Pennington completed 19-of-25 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Brown and Ricky Williams each had touchdown runs for the Dolphins, who failed to win their third straight game.
"Today was just a rollercoaster of emotions," Pennington said. "You go from the highest of highs after scoring, and then they score. That last series for them was just like the game. And it hurts. It's just one of those games in sports where you just don't have answers."
Schaub was intercepted on each of Houston's first two drives, and the second led to the first score of the game as Pennington hooked up with running back Patrick Cobbs for a 53-yard touchdown on a double-reverse pass from the "Wildcat" formation.
Pennington hooked up with Cobbs again for an 80-yard score to give the Dolphins a 14-3 edge in the second quarter.
With the crowd chanting "We want Sage," referring to Houston's backup Sage Rosenfels, Schaub led the Texans on a six-play scoring drive capped by another field goal by Kris Brown.
"Matt played well, even when it seemed like everyone in the building was booing him," Johnson said. "He didn't let that bother him. He just clapped his hands, looked at us and said 'Now we've got them right where we want them.' Maybe he just said that to throw us off guard, I don't know."
Miami had to punt on its next possession, and Jacoby Jones made the Dolphins pay with a 70-yard punt return for a touchdown.
That got Houston within 14-13, and the Texans took their first lead of the game early in the third when Schaub hooked up with Johnson for a 12-yard touchdown.
"That is just part of the game," Schaub said of the boos. "When a pitcher in baseball goes out there and gives up back-to-back homers, he is going to get booed. That is part of the game and you can let that affect you."
Mario Williams, the first overall pick in the 2006 draft, was the best defensive player on the field for Houston on Sunday. He led the team with two sacks and four tackles, three of which were unassisted.
"It just feels good to go into the locker room after the game today and be able to enjoy a win," Williams said. "We don't have to sit around here and talk about how we played well, and how close we come all the time."
"We three chances at the end of the game to stop them there, and we just didn't do it," Dolphins linebacker Matt Roth added. "On the last play of the game, they just kept throwing the ball and throwing the ball. They're formation pass all the way, but you know, he just found a seam and hit it."
