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Raiders rally to win one for Davis

Oct 10, 2011 - 2:11 AM Houston, TX (Sports Network) - "Just win, baby!"

The Oakland Raiders did just that on Sunday, honoring late owner Al Davis with a thrilling 25-20 victory over the Houston Texans.

Jason Campbell threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns against an interception, while Darrius Heyward-Bey caught seven passes for 99 yards and a score for the Raiders (3-2), who outscored Houston 10-3 in the fourth quarter.

Matt Schaub completed 24-of-51 passes for 416 yards and two touchdowns for the Texans (3-2), but was intercepted in the end zone by Michael Huff as time expired, sealing the Raiders' win.

Davis passed away Saturday at the age of 82.

"He'd be getting on me right now about the way we played, but he'd be happy that we won the game," said first-year Raiders coach Hue Jackson, who dropped to his knees on the sideline following the win -- visibly emotional. "Obviously [Saturday] was a tough day but I could see the gleam in [the players'] eyes. They weren't going to stop fighting."

Oakland trailed 17-15 entering the fourth, but exhibited a measure of gall the fiery and controversial Davis would have fully appreciated.

Early in the quarter, Campbell hit Chaz Schilens for an 18-yard touchdown strike on 3rd-and-9 to put the Raiders on top, 22-17.

Sebastian Janikowski, who was a perfect 4-of-4 on the day, hit a 42-yard field goal on the team's next possession for a 25-17 advantage.

Later, Neil Rackers responded with a 40-yard field goal to make it a 25-20 game. The kick was set up by Demarcus Van Dyke's pass interference penalty on 4th-and-9.

After forcing a three-and-out, Houston received the ball at its own 37-yard line with 1:50 remaining. Aided by a 15-yard facemask infraction and a roughing the passer penalty on separate plays, the Texans marched into Oakland territory before Schaub found Joel Dreessen for a 34-yard completion to the Oakland five. A play after spiking the ball, Schaub rolled to his right and threw a bullet into the chest of Huff, effectively ending the game.

"It hurts," said Schaub. "It's very disappointing the way we played. We came in focused and ready to go I thought."

The Texans, playing without Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson (hamstring), showed no ill effects early, taking a 7-0 lead on their first possession of the game. Schaub converted a 3rd-and-2 with a completion to Jacoby Jones during the drive and Kevin Walter capped it with a five-yard touchdown reception.

Later in the first, Schaub was intercepted near midfield by Lamarr Houston, who sprinted to the Texans' 35-yard line before being brought down. Janikowski made it a 7-3 game with a 54-yard field goal.

He tacked on a 55-yarder at the start of the second quarter after teammate Bruce Davis blocked a Brett Hartmann punt attempt in Houston territory.

Later in the second, Campbell was intercepted by Jason Allen and Schaub immediately took advantage, connecting with Dreessen for a 56-yard touchdown strike on the first play of the ensuing drive.

The Raiders answered, as Campbell found Heyward-Bey, who made a man miss and sprinted for a 34-yard touchdown. A failed two-point conversion attempt made it 14-12 at the half.

Rackers missed a 41-yard field goal to waste Arian Foster's 60-yard catch- and-run early in the second, and Janikowski was good from 50 yards on the Raiders' next drive for a 15-14 lead.

Rackers then atoned with a 54-yarder to reclaim the advantage for the Texans, who had moved into Raiders territory on Walters' 49-yard diving catch.

Game Notes

Davis joined the Raiders in 1963 as a 33-year-old head coach and general manager. He also acted as the American Football League's commissioner and was instrumental in the AFL-NFL merger of 1966. During Davis' 48-year tenure with the Raiders, the club had 16 straight winning seasons from 1965-80 and won Super Bowl titles after the 1976, 1980 and 1983 seasons. He was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992...Johnson injured his right hamstring during last week's 17-10 won over the Steelers. He had a minor procedure done Wednesday...The Texans were previously 2-0 versus the Raiders in Houston...Texans linebacker Mario Williams hurt his pectoral muscle and exited in the first quarter.