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Colts rally to down Texans

Nov 4, 2013 - 7:35 AM Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - What was supposed to be a close race in the AFC South has been anything but.

The Houston Texans, though, have more important issues to worry about.

Andrew Luck tossed three touchdown passes to T.Y. Hilton in the second half as the Indianapolis Colts overcame an 18-point hole at the break to down the Texans, 27-24, on Sunday night.

Houston head coach Gary Kubiak collapsed during halftime while running off the field and into the locker room. He was carted off the field on a stretcher and was taken to a local hospital.

Kubiak fell to his knees around the 24-yard line near the Texans' sideline. He attempted to sit up, but was unable to stay upright. Kubiak is conscious and with his family in the hospital.

"He had an episode, he was light-headed and dizzy," Houston general manager Rick Smith said in an interview on NBC. "He was evaluated by a number of specialists ... we have to assess."

Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips took over as interim coach after Kubiak left.

"The doctors and our medical staff took care of him here and then he went to a local hospital. All of his vital signs are good. He did not have a heart attack, but they are still checking on everything with him," Phillips said.

"It was really weird. Someone came in and started yelling for a trainer. They said that he (Kubiak) had passed out, and we were all very worried. When we went back out, they told us that he was alright, that he was stable. They didn't know what was going on yet. Obviously we were all upset about that but trying to stay focused at the same time," Texans quarterback Case Keenum said.

Luck flipped a 9-yard TD pass to Hilton in the right flat with 4:05 left in the fourth and Coby Fleener hauled in the ensuing two-point conversion to give Indy a 27-24 lead.

The Texans then went three-and-out, but Houston got the ball back at its own 33-yard line with 44 seconds on the clock after the Colts punted three plays later.

Keenum fired completions of 16 and 14 yards, respectively, before spiking the ball at the Indy 37. Randy Bullock, though, who missed two prior field goals, wasn't close on the 55-yard boot as it hooked wide left as time expired.

Luck was just 18-of-40 for 271 yards, while Hilton caught seven passes for 121 yards for the Colts (6-2), who hold a commanding four-game lead over the Texans and two-game spread over the Tennessee Titans for first place in the division.

"Big-time players make big-time plays in big moments," Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said.

Indy played its first game without star receiver Reggie Wayne in 12 years. Wayne, who had made 189 consecutive starts, tore his right ACL in an Oct. 20 victory over the Denver Broncos.

"I think we all stepped up," Hilton said. "When we lost 87 (Wayne), we knew we all had to come together and just make plays."

Andre Johnson had 190 yards and three scores in the first half to help the Texans build a 21-3 advantage, but tallied just 39 yards after the break for Houston (2-6), which has dropped six straight for the first time since 2005.

Keenum was 20-of-34 for 350 yards and three touchdowns in his second career start.

Adam Vinatieri and Bullock traded field goals of 35 and 43 yards, respectively, to start the second half before the Colts finally put their first touchdown on the board.

Facing a 3rd-and-10 at the Houston 10, Luck flipped his first TD pass to Hilton, which capped a 13-play, 78-yard march and cut the gap to 24-12 with 11 ticks remaining in the third. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful.

After Bullock was no good from 43 yards out on Houston's next touch, Luck found a streaking Hilton, who split a pair of Texans in the secondary on a skinny post, for a 58-yard score to whittle the deficit to 24-19 with 9:54 to play.

Houston had a 3rd-and-7 on the fifth play of its next drive, but Johnson was unable to hold onto a pass along the right sideline when Keenum scrambled to his right.

Indy regained possession with 6:09 left and needed just 2:09 to go in front.

Earlier, the Texans opened the scoring on the third play from scrimmage when Keenum rolled right on play-action bootleg and hit a streaking Johnson along the right sideline for a 61-yard score. The touchdown put an end to a 75-catch drought without one, which was the longest of his career.

Vinatieri's 42-yard field goal attempt on Indy's first trek of the game was blocked by J.J. Watt and Johnson added a 41-yard TD catch later in the first to make it 14-0.

A 46-yard pass interference penalty on Kareem Jackson in the second put Indy in prime position at the Houston 7-yard line, but the Texans defense stood tall and the Colts had to settle for a 30-yard Vinatieri field goal with 3:33 to go until the break.

Keenum flipped a 5-yard score to Johnson with 39 ticks remaining in the first half as Houston went into the locker room with a seemingly comfortable lead.

Game Notes

Colts wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey exited in the fourth quarter so he could be evaluated for a concussion ... Houston running back Arian Foster, who was questionable coming into the game with a hamstring injury, left the tilt late in the first with a back injury. He did not return ... Ben Tate had 81 yards on 22 carries for the Texans ... Houston outgained the Colts, 483-314.